I started this blog as a way of motivating myself to get back in touch with my spirituality. I’ve always been very spiritual and I think, as a species, human beings are intrinsically spiritual. That explains why there have been so many religions practiced across the world throughout history. Religion and ritual are great ways to focus that spirituality into a means of outward expression, but spirituality isn’t always religious. In many cases, I’ve found, the most authentic spiritual experiences are felt beyond religious constraints.
It’s inaccurate to say that religion is a prerequisite for spirituality. I have known atheists that are just as spiritual as Christians are, so it isn’t a matter of faith. Having been raised a Christian myself and coming to a place in my adult life where I’m practically a non-theist, I’ve been spiritual both religiously and non-religiously, and there isn’t much difference between the two experiences.
Well…that may not be entirely true, because as a Christian I often felt forced to feel spiritual. I attended a private Christian university my freshman and sophomore years, and I often felt moved in large gatherings to stand up, hold my hands in the air, and close my eyes during a moving song, but it wasn’t because I was feeling particularly spiritual. It was because everyone else was doing it, so it seemed like the proper thing a spiritual person should do.
I’m not saying every spiritual experience I had as a Christian seemed forced, but that one stands out, as does the day I was “saved.” I was nine years old and attending Vacation Bible School. Again, I’d been raised in church so none of the Bible stories or prayers were anything new. At one point, the teachers told us to bow our heads and close our eyes, and if any of us felt “moved” to come out into the hallway to be saved, we should do it. I kept peeking out at the room from behind squinted eyes. Shortly, half the class had vacated the room to go ask for salvation in the hallway, so naturally I followed suit. Maybe I thought they had cookies…who knows? I’ve always been a follower anyway. Can you tell? Anyway, I stood in the hallway and repeated the salvation prayer, peeking out from behind squinted eyes the entire time, and went home that night to tell my parents I’d been saved. I was too young to understand exactly what that meant, of course, but the point was that the church had won young souls to Christ with sugary snacks, kid-friendly Bible stories, and funny songs. It certainly wasn’t an authentic spiritual experience, although it probably should have been.
This isn’t to say I was never an authentic Christian. I was, and militantly so at one point, which is why it’s strange that someone like me ever found her way out of religion at all. As a pantheist, I do find myself having more moments of awe and wonder than I ever did as a Christian, which may be odd to the religious person wondering how someone who doesn’t believe in God, at least not the Christian God, can make such claims. That is what this blog will ultimately be about—my spiritual path as a pantheist and my “year and a day” of study and pagan-inspired rituals that will, hopefully, allow me to learn things like meditation, make me more thankful and mindful of the mundane, and leave me feeling more fulfilled.
The Pantheist Pagan 
You’re journey sounds quite similar to mine. I was a very strong fundamentalist Christian throughout my teenage years but eventually came to Pantheism and Paganism.
It’s interesting how you and I seem to have “flip flopped” a bit. Your spirituality became more pagan, and I made a return to Christianity – although very liberal, and still also “Pagan influenced”, so to speak. Although I still hesitate to use the word “Christian” to describe myself, because I don’t want whoever I’m talking to, to think I’m like one of “those” Christians that give the whole religion a bad name. I do need to do better about developing a consistent spiritual practice. I’ve always struggled with that, no matter what “label” I put on myself, and I can’t quite figure out why. Whether it’s reading, meditating, or anything else, I can’t seem to stay consistent.
As a side note, I’ve been looking more into Buddhism lately, as well. I guess my views on Jesus is more similar to how Buddhists view Buddha, than how most Christians view Jesus. What I remember of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path resonates well with me, and I’ve considered incorporating it into my spiritual life somehow. Indeed, if there were a Buddhist temple in my area, and I related more to Eastern culture in general, I might even consider becoming Buddhist. I just haven’t felt comfortable looking into it seriously because I’m not familiar with Asian culture or have any real experience with that culture, and so don’t relate as well to the Buddha as a religious/spiritual figure.
I kept all my Buddhist texts from my religious studies in college, and we even have a small laughing Buddha statue on our coffee table, so Buddhism definitely has some say in my belief system as a whole. I guess I like to take inspirational truths from across religions. There are a couple of Buddhist temples in my area that are open to weekly meditations, but I can’t even manage to go to the UU like I’ve been wanting to. lol! But like you, I also view Jesus as I view Buddha–nothing more than a great spiritual teacher.