Memoir
/ˈmemˌwär/ noun. a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation. Usually memoirs. an account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography. the published record of the proceedings of a group or organization, as of a learned society.
Lucky 13 is almost upon us! Next week we will explore a very important subject together, something vital to humanity and our life experience.
Week thirteen’s prompt is something uniquely personal. Something that has brought humanity immense comfort, and has also caused horrific wars and great suffering. Next week's prompt is concerning faith. I'd like you all to dig deep on this one because I think it's imperative to understanding yourself and also the world around you.
Memoir Monday has grown so much that I won’t be able to comment on everyone’s posts anymore (and get my own work done) but I’ll still be supporting your posts with reblogs, votes, and shares on my other social media accounts (X, Facebook, etc.).
For all of those who’ve regularly participated in Memoir Monday - keep going, you’re making great progress in chronicling your very own life story for future generations to enjoy.
For those who missed the inaugural post explaining what the Memoir Monday initiative is all about you can find it here.
Now for next week’s Memoir Monday prompt:
How would you describe your faith journey?
My answer:
My faith journey has been, shall we say, a little unconventional and filled with many twists and turns. Faith for me is all about seeking -- solace, answers, balance, contentment, peace. The end goal is to find these things, and when that we do we've found our true path.
My mom is a devout Catholic but my brother or I wasn’t baptized or raised going to church. My father was deeply opposed to organized religion of any kind because he felt many religious people were hypocritical. As a child of the foster care system, he remembered how people would be nice to him in church but shun him outside of the church setting during the other six days of the week.
I'll never forget the sunny and cold winter afternoon when I was nine or ten. My Mom took my brother Curt and I to a Catholic mass at St. Thomas church in Columbus, Ohio to experience what it was all about. I can remember really connecting strongly with parts of the experience. I loved the smell of frankincense and the sense of goodwill/unity I felt amongst the parishioners during the service. On the other hand I didn’t understand much of what was going on since I wasn’t raised in the church. It seemed like so much standing, kneeling, and other rituals that I felt like I was always struggling to follow. I didn't connect so much with that part of it.
My Mom later explained she wanted to let us experience it for ourselves then decide if it was something we wanted to do regularly. That was our one and only Sunday service. In hindsight, I’m really grateful that religion wasn’t forced upon us and we had a chance to decide how we wanted to express our faith. I now understand how rare of a thing my Mom gave my brother and I when she allowed us the freedom to choose our faith. I'll always be grateful to her for that.
Fast forward to my late teens. I had recently graduated high school but didn’t have any real direction. I felt paralyzed by the pressure of figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. I had become overweight and severely depressed. I had no real plan for my future and was feeling intense worry about that. I kind of wanted to be a writer but didn't think I could ever support myself doing it.
My roller coaster ride of anxiety that was, at times, so crippling it was difficult for me to leave the house. I remember how frustrating and limiting this felt. I started rebelling against the depression in small ways, like forcing myself out of the house into situations that might trigger the panic attacks in an attempt to desensitize myself to them.
In hindsight, therapy would have been a Godsend to me at that time but in our circles therapy wasn’t something that was accepted or even considered. Those forced trips outside of my comfort zone started, very slowly, working. I began to venture further from the house and stay out longer. Soon I started driving to a part of town called German Village in Columbus because it felt peaceful, there were lots of little shops, and I could spend hours there amongst people.
I developed a routine. I would stop and get a cup of coffee at Cup o’ Joe, an old coffee shop that used to be on Third Street and then would walk down to the Book Loft and spend hours looking at books and reading. I'd usually be drawn to the self-help/spirituality section. During one of those visits to the Book Loft I found a little book entitled Metaphysical Meditations by Paramahansa Yogananda and books from the mystic, Edgar Cayce. I credit that little book by Yogananda with lighting a fire within me that's still burning to this day.
I started college at Columbus State and between school and meditation my life started coming together. Throughout the early 1990's I kept devouring books written by Yogananda and started meditating regularly. In the mid-1990s I began a three year course in advanced Kriya Yoga meditation techniques offered by The Self Realization Fellowship and graduated in 1998. The meditation practice relieved me of my crippling anxiety and depression and transformed my life in countless ways. I finally felt like I was on the right path to getting better. The only way I can describe it was like coming "home", like I found what I had been searching for.
This little card serves as a physical reminder to me of both the work I've put in for my faith and the rewards I've received because of it.
I think an overwhelming feeling of comfort and grounding is what many people experience when they first find their true faith, one that is in alignment with their core values and their soul. My faith has allowed me to survive so many struggles, periods of grief, challenges and heartache. My faith has also kept me grounded during times of great success when my ego might otherwise have ruined me.
During our faith journey I think we have to make sure people and institutions don't exploit our faith to gain power or control over us. This is a story as old as time. There are many unscrupulous individuals and institutions who lay in waiting to take advantage of us for financial gain and power. In the beginning of our faith journey, especially people can be particularly vulnerable.
Throughout the last few decades of my life, as I've matured, my faith has changed and evolved slightly. Faith is very personal and different for everyone. I believe faith itself is active, always in motion. Faith provides us with a framework for living in this world. To live a life of faith requires practice, constant work or else it becomes stale and we lose interest. After all, to remain static in any aspect of life means to fall behind.
Since we change as we age I think our faith must change as well, I think this is perfectly natural. My faith is, by far, the greatest gift I've received in my nearly fifty-three years of life, a wellspring of hope. I can't imagine living in this crazy and unpredictable world without it. In my opinion the source or catalyst of our personal faith isn’t quite as important as having faith in the first place.
Rules of Engagement
- Please reblog this first post and share on other social platforms so we cast the widest net possible for this initiative;
- Pictures paint a thousand words. Include pictures in your posts if you have them;
- Answer each Memoir Monday prompt question in your own post. If possible, the prompt question will be published in the week prior so you'll have the entire week to answer and publish your own post;
- Have fun with it, don't worry about getting behind, or jumping into the project at any point after we've begun; and
- Lastly, be sure to include the tag #memoirmonday.
It's that simple.
At the end of the next twelve months we'll have created something immensely valuable together. It's so important to know our "whys" in life and there's no better way to do that than this.
Someday all that will be left of our existence are memories of us, our deeds, and words. It's up to you to leave as rich of a heritage as possible for future generations to learn from. So, go ahead, tell your stories. I can't wait to read them.
Be well and make the most of this day. I want to sincerely thank all of the participants thus far. I've really enjoyed reading your posts!
I think my faith journey continues to grow as I get older. I was born as a Muslim and will die as a Muslim. It seems like you are very interested in meditation. I think meditation is synonymous with Buddhism. So what do you think about Buddhism? Have a nice day, Eric.
That's great, Eliana. I'm sure you find a lot of comfort in your faith. I connect with a lot of different aspects of both Buddhism and Hinduism. Meditation is very similar to prayer. Enjoy your week, Eliana!
It's a beautiful process and though the journey was initially rough, it's a good thing that you eventually discovered where you belonged and got the peace you sought.
Yes, it was rough in the beginning. I think our young adult years are all about discovery, figuring out who we are and that's an uncomfortable process for a lot of people. It sure was for me.
I guess there's no bad or good religion but rather it is within yourself depending on how you carry yourself and evade from evil deeds. It would be a relief when you feel that there's still heaven that awaits you after all the sadness and sorrows you've undergone when you were still alive,right? I'm neither a strong believer but I believe in karma.
I think most religions, at their core, are the same set of principles. Believing in something more profound than yourself is very important and can be a superpower in life, a wellspring of motivation and hope. I very much believe in karma too.
Reliance in one sector of life makes the word faith powerful looking back from many angles.
Interesting topic selection this week as our voting elections take place as we speak, here we stand in faith shenanigans don't transpire.
Your elections have made national news! I watched a little about them a few days ago. I hope everything goes smoothly. We have a big one coming up in November and it's already as circus.
Elections in most countries are about who is 'buying' whom, biggest circus east and west clowns. Here it is hold your breath, hope for no bloodshed, people elected wish to put inequality behind work for all toward a stable future. Coalitions may work, may also simply open the door to more crime and corruption.
Sounds like a very interesting journey! I was raised in the church and I don't really have too much of a problem with that. When I was younger I was involved in a lot of things through my church, but one of the most important was a discipleship choir. It focused more on your personal relationship with God versus the whole organized religion piece of it. That really connected with me and I agree that most churches these days are out of touch and out of focus with what was at the heart of God's teachings. The idea of judgement is something that people seem to forget is not their job. It's sad and I can see why it turns many people off. Christianity in general has been a blessing for me though.
It has been! Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to have been raised in the church. I certainly have nothing against Christianity it at all. I like the concept of what you were taught in the choir. That's really the core of almost every religion...the cultivation of that personal connection with the higher power.
I feel like it gave me a good baseline to develop my system of beliefs and ideals today. I barely talk to my friends from school back then, but my friends from church I am still in contact with today.
Reading how your experience with faith has been and how much it has helped you in your personal development has made me wonder which religion really belongs to me. I think I can talk about this on Monday. However, I can tell you in advance that, like you, I am grateful that my parents were not religious fanatics who imposed on me any practice I didn't agree with and let me, as far as possible, find those beliefs that were in tune with me, with my way of seeing the world. A beautiful Thursday, my friend.
It's such a deeply personal journey for everyone. What I'm seeing now, across the globe really, is people are realizing that no one "religious framework/template" works for them. Thank you Nancy! I wish you a wonderful weekend.
Interesting topic, I will definitely make this special post about my religion Islam.
Great! Looking forward to it.
Great topic, albeit controversial as "it" has caused (and keeps doing) so much separation and pain as you rightfully stated.
PS. Loads of greetings from @mammasitta. We met yesterday at the Hive Meetup in Vienna and she asked me to send her regards next time I interact with you 😊 She told me about the SteemFest in Amsterdam back in the days. Cool times.
Thanks Krisz! Yes, it's always one of the most controversial topics. I didn't pose this to cause disagreements but rather to get people to think abou their faith and beliefs so that information can be passed down to future generations.
Ah, @mammasitta is such a sweet heart. We met in Lisbon also, in 2017. Please tell her I said hello. Are you in Vienna? I hope to make it there in these next few years.
She is a wonderful soul. Lisbon too? Nice. Love the city and its people. Just returned from Lisbon a couple of weeks ago. I'm traveling, catching up with business partners and clients. Vienna is beautiful. Absolutely worth a visit.
It's fascinating how faith journeys can be so unique. Your story about finding solace in spirituality amidst life's ups and downs resonates deeply dear friend. It's inspiring how faith evolves with us, guiding through challenges and triumphs alike. This is a great one👌👌👌
Thank you!
You're most welcome new friend and very much well deserving....thanks a lot for sharing
Faith is indeed a unique affair with every individual and this is one beautiful experience.
Thank you!
Very true. Most of the time religious code is contingent upon the family traditions, society, and generations and is mostly imposed on us.
Even though I am also religious, I have a strong inclination to the spiritual side of it. For me, it's more about experiencing that consciousness through meditation, traveling to Nature, and having an open mind to sense and experience it rather than strictly following any religious code.
I feel like religious code is more about conditioning the spiritual side, and not the goal in itself.
Thank you so much, Sir.
Have a great day.
🙏🙏🙏
Sharing on Twitter.
#hive #posh
Respecting each other is most important and when we respect each other, we will respect each other's religion
My entry;
https://ecency.com/hive-106316/@edith-4angelseu/bless-me-father
https://ecency.com/hive-109288/@tranquil3/what-is-the-right-path
Nice to learn about your journey in faith, especially through meditation. Through meditation we gain more peace and inner strengrh, sonething which Igot, my personal experience. Anyway keep up your good faith.
I'm glad I came across this post today, I've read some of the entries and they're amazing. I look forward to participating for the first time.
My entry;
https://ecency.com/hive-106316/@jemima2001/the-strange-one
Hi this is my entry
https://peakd.com/hive-109288/@loveth97/believing-and-letting-go