My ways to God (thus far) have been a challenging one, and I sometimes do envy the ones who find their home and hold steadfast. I mean, I was raised Catholic (very loosely), came to some agnostic/hedonistic adolescent stage (that lasted through my twenties), got interested in philosophy which led me to the eastern wisdom traditions, became engaged with the Integral community, participated on the edges of an "evolutionary" cult, studied with a Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher for a decade, and recently took on some shamanic plant medicine. What a mess!
But that's a product of my own idiom. I've never felt good at resting anywhere that didn't feel completely True to me. Or it could be commitment issues. Or maybe I'm just too damn stubborn.
I also resonate with the notion of the Raccoon: Bob Godwin's clever labeling of us misfits, and that's why I love his blog. He says, “the word "raccoon" is actually derived from the Algonquian word aroughcoune, "he who scratches with his hands," in our case, our heads. Raccoons veritably come into the world "scratching our heads," and for many, the itch is never satisfied.”
So it must be this itch that keeps me going. I also call it the omniscience impulse, mixed in with a little spiritual dissonance.
Raccoon's also have an “ability to simultaneously stand "within" and "above" tradition -- but only above because within.” So we are not of the spiritual, but not religious ilk. Nor do we care to jump around the postmodern spiritual buffet. We believe in tradition and want to recapture the fruits of it. But we understand there a multitude ways of expressing it that may be more culturally relevant without being dictated by culture at large.
“The Raccoon has one natural enemy who takes many forms, and many supernatural friends who reflect one form. A "coongregation" occurs when any two Raccoons meet "in His gnome." The Raccoons can be from any tradition, but will nevertheless joyfully recognize each other as "brothers under the pelt." Naturally, they will often find that they have more in common with each other than with the human members of their own traditions. Thus, there are Christian Raccoons, Jewish Raccoons, and esoteric Vadantacoons, but the opposite is not true -- there is no doctrinal "Raccoon Christianity," for example.”
This probably means that you can take many trails, but you should stay on (or at least near) the well traveled ones. Anyone who hikes, knows there are many different routes to getting to the top (then the bottom) of a mountain. But why blaze an entirely new trail when several decent ones have already been laid out by those who have traveled so well before?
My recent Divine experience was a recognition that ultimately it's all about Love, and it's personal. And Love can only happen in relationship. God is not solipsistic, but allowed creation to ensue to know itself through us. And in that communion of Love is the foundation for this cosmic adventure: Spirit became flesh, so that flesh can become Spirit. Call it sanctification, transformation, divinization, or theosis. It's all about communing with Divinity, and integrating that into our lives. And that's a lot more fun and compelling than just finding happiness or liberation. It's also radically human! It's a wild ride, where the dynamic tension will always lie between transcendence and immanence.
As such, the trail I stay near is a Christian one. It's not only because I want all those catechism classes and the sacraments I took part in go to waste. It's really because it speaks to me as a deeper Truth for personhood. Yes, it has sort of an esoteric slant for me. And it's definitely less doctrinaire than espoused by the Bible thumpers I come across. It's also a tad syncretic since I see value in all those other paths. But at its essence, it's still Christian.
Even Ratzinger qualified his response noted above and said, “there is ultimately one way, and everyone who is on the way to God is therefore in some sense also on the way of Jesus Christ. But this does not mean that all ways are identical in terms of consciousness and will, but, on the contrary, the one way is so big that it becomes a personal way for each man.” So while on my labyrinth to heaven, I keep coming back to the Anointed One. It may not lead me to being affiliated in any way, and I may continue to zig here and zag there, but there is always a deeper recognition of what He represents for me on this quest.
