I was an atheist most of my life. It wasn’t until 2012 – a mere six years ago – that I started taking spirituality seriously. One might assume that my transition away from atheism is due to developing debilitating chronic pain. Many people do turn to religion because of illness or other hardship. But that is not the case here. My spiritual journey has been long, gradual and complex. And it is still in progress.
I’ll be writing many posts about my exploration of spirituality. But here I provide a synopsis of my journey so far. So buckle your seat belt – it’s been a wild ride!
Phase 1 (Childhood): Religion is Silly
I remember sitting in Sunday School and just rolling my eyes. It was all so fantastical! An all-powerful invisible God? A guy that comes back from the dead? Sounds like science fiction to me. It’s okay for others, but I just don’t get it.
Phase 2 (Teenager): Bad, Bad Religion!
Religion has caused much suffering. Used to justify prejudice, even slavery. It also suppresses science. (Poor Galileo!) Bad, bad religion!
Phase 3 (College): Becoming an Atheist
There are many religions, often derived from other religions. How can all of them claim their teachings are correct? Religion is fake – it’s all made up by humans to serve a human purpose. There is no God. I’m an atheist, and proud of it!
Phase 4 (mid-30s): Maybe There Is Something “Out There”
Discovered Art Bell – paranormal heaven! Reincarnation and near-death experiences. Read Graham Hancock’s Supernatural. Intrigued by ayahuasca journey stories. Huh. Maybe there is “something out there”. Not “God”, but . . . something.
Phase 5 (late 40s): Welcome to Woo-Woo Land!
Watched The Secret. Started experiencing synchronicities. Whoa?! WTF?
Read Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, resulting in a major epiphany. Ok, I’m all in! I believe in a “higher power”. (But I’m still averse to traditional religions.)
Thanks to YouTube, I went way down the “Woo-Woo” rabbit hole. Listened to dozens of New Age spiritual teachers. Love and Light! Physically felt “energy” a few times, which convinced me it was real. (Whatever “it” is.”)
More on this in my post: Reflections on My New Age Adventures
Phase 6 (2016-present): Back to Reality
Returned from Woo-Woo Land. But I experienced so much that I’m certainly no longer an atheist. Not sure what to call my spiritual beliefs. I don’t believe “in” anything, per se. Instead, I believe there exists “non-physical phenomenon” that cannot adequately be explained by the prevailing reality paradigm in Western society. That’s a mouthful, but I don’t know of any word or phrase that captures that.
Where to Now?
My spiritual journey is far from over. But I feel pretty good about where I’m at, and I am enjoying exploring these topics further. Stay tuned!
Image Credit: The Universal Self by Saschette on Deviant Art
