Greetings, Inspired Seekers:

So much is written about spiritual transformation that, sometimes, even I nod off like I'm reading a really bad novel. It holds my interest for a while but I already know the ending. Sigh. Well-meaning guides point to a particular scripture as they ask us to join them in clinging to the traditions of the past. “If it was good enough for them …” well, you know. While the holy books hold wisdom and values and the traditions connect us to the past and our history while warming our hearts, they cannot, by themselves, lead us into spiritual transformation. Simply because we follow a recipe does not mean that we become a Chef.

The missing piece of true transformation is, most often, the personal experience we bring to the party. It's the fusion cuisine rather than the same old casserole.

Tradition is the appetizer, our experience serves as the main course, and scripture sweetens the process as the dessert. Tasty! We need nourishment from the outside sources of our faiths and we also need the inner experiences to transform us from separate segments into the whole. Both/and, not either/or.

For me, the real spiritual transformation is the result of blending our Western traditions and scriptures with the inner work of the Eastern ones. One does not cancel the other, it enhances it. It is the garnish of the soul's entrée – a full feast, regardless of your choice of main course.

Scripture must go beyond theology and authority beyond those who profess a menu with all the answers. If I cannot accept the invitation to the party of my own experiences, I miss the whole thing. The whole transformation. Reading the menu but missing the meal.

New experiences are like new ingredients, unknown and untested, and, at times, we are too fearful to taste. But, when we do, what a celebration and transformation for our senses! “Taste and see …” as the Psalm goes. How will our prayer and meditation practices change, how will our hearts expand, how much more enriched by compassion and mercy will we enter the world?!

Duality – the either/or – keeps us stuck to reciting scriptures, answering to authority without critical thinking. Considering our experiences in relationship to tradition and beliefs expands the menu and gives us an enriched sense of spirit.

Balance, again, becomes crucial. We don't throw the traditions, scriptures and rituals away; we add the spice of our own experiences to continue the work of our own spiritual transformation where, hopefully, wisdom follows.

Indeed, spiritual transformation is a feast for the mind and body as well as the spirit, nutrition for our whole being.

Grace and Kindness,
Reverend Deborah

Question of the Month: What is your recipe for your own spiritual transformation?

The Reverend Dr. Deborah Darlington is an Interfaith Minister providing spiritual coaching for people of all beliefs in their journey toward wholeness. She can be reached at GraceMatters@TheSpaceForGrace.com or at 215 260 1611 for coaching, speaking and officiating sacred rites of passage.