What follows is the affirmation I shared with my Unitarian Universalist church a couple of weeks ago:
Working on distilling some of my religious beliefs into a short segment to share with a large group of people has been interesting, emotional, challenging, and, a little intimidating. Oddly, the end product of having a several-minute written description makes it sound rather more tidy than it feels in real life. That said, I'd like to share with you what I consider to be the central parts of my religious belief.
My religion helps me to interact with others, with myself, and with the Divine.
The first component -- the one that's about my interaction with others -- is based upon my more expansive version of the golden rule. It's more than just treating people well. It's the idea that other things in this world and I are similar in some way, and that I should treat all parts of Nature respectfully. I'm not exactly like my cats, but I recognize that they and I share something -- what some might call a soul, what I usually term the "breath of life". But regardless, something that deserves my respect. A mountain and I are even more different, but there's still something there that should be respected.
The second component -- the one about my interaction with myself -- is how I gain perspective on life. In particular I celebrate cycles in my life and in Nature. Spring turns to summer to fall and to winter, repeating in sequence year after year. Children are born, grow up, and have children of their own. I recognize my place in these universal patterns. I am also reminded that my life has cycles, including a physical process that repeats each month, and an emotional range from high to low and back again in a more irregular pattern. My current condition is impermanent, and I am prepared for changes.
The third component -- the one about my interaction with the Divine -- is about the honoring of my Gods. I take a polytheistic view, that there are many Gods that watch over different spheres of life. Gods aren't all-seeing or all-powerful, but rather act within their limited spheres of influence. Interacting with one is akin to what happens when I call my mother in law to ask for her advice about a meal I want to prepare. She can give me encouragement and suggestions, since she's an excellent cook, but in the end, it's up to me to cook the dish. Who I call up on a particular day depends on what I'm doing and who is good at it.
For example, my main passion is writing. I'm a technical writer by trade, and write a fair amount of nonfiction on the side. Because of that, and because of religious experiences I had while exploring my faith, the main part of my worship is devoted to Brighid, a Celtic Goddess whose spheres of influence are, loosely, writing, healing and crafting. Historical writings about Brighid talk about the the "fire in the head" that She brings to people -- the inspiration or creative spark that strikes while trying to write or speak. Honoring that creative spark is important to me. In turn, there are times that I've felt blessed by Brighid's fire of inspiration.
I do hang a lot of concepts on the word "God". It is a complex word that simultaneously means different things to me. I consider myself a theist, believe that my Gods exist in some manner, but I also view them as archetypes and ideals to aspire to -- somewhat like heros. I honor Them by striving toward excellence at the activities within Their spheres of influence. For example, when I trained for and ran in a race for the first time, I considered that to be an act of devotion to Lugh, a storm God with strong sport associations. The preparation on the morning of my race included a short devotion to Him. By choosing which Gods to honor at a particular time, I can concentrate my focus on different areas of my life.
I've tried to talk about my beliefs in a way that you can connect with and understand, but when I step down and return to my life, where my beliefs are alive and real, I express these ideas in the shorthand of a creed that I wrote for myself. My creed has these three statements:
First, that I should recognize and honor the breath of life within all things.
Second, that just as cycles repeat in Nature, they also repeat in my life. As such, I celebrate the changing of the seasons and cultural holidays as my holy days.
And finally, that it is important to honor my Gods. My Gods are mentors to learn from, archetypal ideals to strive toward, and symbols of the great unknown.
Regardless of whether you view Gods as real or as archetypes, or both, I hope you'll consider the value of occasionally viewing the world through a polytheistic framework.
If you'd like to read the sermon that followed, it is available, here.