Are you taking a particular spiritual direction in life? Whether or not you’re involved formally in any religion?

In the book I’ve just released on Amazon Kindle as an ebook, found here, I discuss the ways we all make use of certain “maps”, as it were.  These guide our beliefs and help form our priorities and our outlook on life and its many challenges.

Below is the concluding section, which could have served as an introduction as well.   I titled it “Drawing Our Own Maps” because I’ve observed many times over how we all modify… personalize… either the framing belief system we grew up within or one we may have taken up later in life (or usually some combination).  A key aspect of my message in Spiritual Growth: Live the Questions, Love the Journey, is that more advanced stages of our growth involve an increasingly conscious choosing of what is worthy of our mental belief as well as our emotional trust.  And yes, that implies some focused effort on our part.

Drawing Our Own Maps

We don’t have the option of waiting for a comparison of road maps (worldviews and theologies) before starting our Spiritual journeys in life.  During childhood we all learn to view things (actual visual and other perceptions) primarily from and through the worldviews of our family, culture and sub-culture.  Once we gain the brain maturity, the independence and access to resources of adolescence and adulthood, most of us take a second (or third) and deeper look.  We begin to compare and more deliberately choose the maps which outline at least the main thoroughfares we will travel and the sights/sites we will explore.  Most adults, at least the growing ones, never stop examining maps – ones of different styles and varying levels of detail.

I find this all an exciting adventure and I hope you do too! Yes, there are points of challenge and sometimes deep frustration and hurt.  This may push you along faster or you may need to pull back for a time from active exploration at such points.  But staying withdrawn is not really an option, and once your head and your heart are back into the journey, you will again find fellow-travelers.  Some will need to learn from what you have been through.  Expect that and be willing to share and support however you can…. That itself is a vital part of the journey!