Follow self care rituals as a feature of your religion

Photo credit: Anna DeBiasi

Anna DeBiasi writes "The Importance of Rituals in Self Care " in response to Thomas Moore's focus on "spiritual practices" in his new book, A Religion of One's Own.

DeBiasi suggests, "Moore's major point in the book is that we can all create our own 'spiritual practice,' whatever that may look like. His central theme was that we can individually create practices that speak to our heart, and help us find balance and peace, emotionally and spiritually. For me, I understand this in a context of creating self care rituals."

While recommending activities she includes, "Connecting with nature can also be a part of your rituals. Hiking a certain path through the woods, or walking down the beach are forms of self care rituals. Incorporating mindfulness into your time with nature can also help you find peace and grounding, and appreciation of the beauty all around us, even on days when your world may feel harsh and small."

Her concluding question may stimulate readers to consider what's significant in your own life: "Are there more things that you can purposefully engage in on a regular basis to improve your self care?"

Accept your responsibility to mature spiritually

Rev. Claudia Naylor of Decatur Unity writes "Creating a Personal Spirituality" in which she quotes Thomas Moore's new book, A Religion of One's Own. Following Moore's observation, "Mysticism involves a constructive loss of self and a feeling of being connected to the whole of life," Naylor suggests:

"Not only do we have the right, but we also have the responsibility to pursue our own spiritual path, to make this journey deeply personal. If we develop a sense of the divine within and all around ourselves, then we dissolve the sense of separateness and isolation, which then allows us to become one with all that is."

She also quotes Matthew 25:35-36 and John 8:31 during this Lenten meditation.

All sacraments may be approached as holy work

"An Evolving Interspiritual Solitary Monastic" favourably considers Thomas Moore's A Religion of One's Own under the blog heading Ahhhhhh. She writes:

"I finished reading Thomas Moore's book A Religion of One's Own last night. I'm sure we have all had the experience of feeling that just the right book came to us at exactly the right time in our lives. That is how I am feeling about this book. It was perfect for this time in my journey. I am grateful for having Moore serve as my muse over these past ten days; I have a sense that this relationship will continue on for some time to come."

Her following blog entry includes, "Reading Thomas Moore's book was like getting  lots of shots of Vitamin B.  My energy level is high, my sense of wonder at life is running at full blast and, for the first time in a very long time,  I am feeling deep joy and true contentment."

The blogger's profile includes, "I'm a monastic, but don't live in a monastery. I'm a Catholic, but believe I can learn about God from everyone. Sacrament is very important to me; the opinions of the Vatican are not. My education includes a B.A. in Biblical Studies, graduate work in Pastoral Counseling, an M.Div. (seminary degree) and a Ph.D. in Metaphysics. I am presently taking a program in Benedictine Studies. I am also a certified Healing Touch practitioner."

Evoke your dream thing and wake up to the world

Georgia O'Keeffe photo by Yousuf Karsh 1956

Robert Bruce Ritchie, a hospital/nursing home chaplain, who also writes a column for the Peterborough, New Hampshire Ledger-Transcript penned a blog post last month that refers to Thomas Moore's new book, A Religion of One's Own. The post considers the "dream thing" in Chapter 7, "Art as a Spiritual Path" in which Moore quotes Georgia O'Keeffe's response to one of her showings: "I hadn't worked on the landscapes at all after I brought them in from outdoors — so that my memory or dream thing I do that for me comes nearer reality than my objective kind of work — was quite lacking."

Ritchie concludes with his own dream thing: "My dream thing now has purpose outside myself. Therefore, it requires an audience. This blog, books I write and promote, and things yet to be determined. They all feel as if they are sacraments of determining what is sacred to me."