spiritual mentorship:
From Atheism to Spirituality;
Spiritual Principles are Universally Applicable
By Laurel Inman
My version of spiritual mentorship is perhaps much different than the norm. A belief in God is not essential. Spiritual principles are equally potent for an atheist.
I wrote this article for two reasons. First, to begin a dialog on the importance of spirituality in our lives if we are to meet our potential personally or professionally, whether we are atheist, Taoist or Christian. Second, to offer new clients more insight into what I mean by spiritual mentorship.
If you are about to begin a coaching program, please read Part I regarding what I do and where I stand on spiritual mentorship. Part II and III are provided for anyone interested in knowing more about my background and foreground on spirituality.
Part I
Integrating Spiritual Principles and Coaching Models
How does spiritual mentoring fit into personal and/or professional development?
In my practice I always integrate spiritual mentoring into a program. Whether you are an atheist, Christian or any other faith, spiritual principles apply equally. Spirituality is not about creation theory versus evolution theory. Spirituality is one’s connection and awareness to the big picture, beyond the workings of the individual self. Spirituality may be in community or may be faith in God. Spirituality is unique to each person and may fluctuate greatly within one’s lifetime, or remain stable and unwavering.
There are principles that exist in this relative world applicable to all of our lives, equally, despite of our spiritual affiliation. Whether you believe your source of life to be a Higher Power as God, or you believe we’ve evolved from scratch and there is no consciousness behind it, does not matter when it comes to the reality of spiritual principles that apply equally to all human life.
Part II
In my opinion…
Just as you can’t see, hear or taste gravity, it merely exists. It is a very real principle at work, as is magnetism. Just as the principle of gravity exists, so do principles of success. In my opinion experiencing success is a spiritual right of passage. Spiritual, because we never experience success in a vacuum, we are in some way, shape, or form tapped into something greater than ourselves… the bigger picture, life purpose and legacy.
We can see through such principles alone, how there is much more to life than meets they eye. Even if the idea of a Higher Power is left out of the equation, it is still evident there is much more to life than meets the eye. (see Can the Possibility of God be Proven)
This is the content or Essence behind spirituality and spiritual principle. The form it takes depends on you. The form can be a religion, practice or philosophy. Obviously not all religions are true or accurate; however most of the content is. There are thousands of religions around the world. There are many religions that even lead people away from spiritual Truth. If each one was 100% accurate in form, we'd be in a chaotic mess.
Spirituality is therefore, more about the truth of content than form because form can deceive.
Part III
My Personal Journey
I was raised to believe that whatever I believed was true, was true. This wasn’t satisfying to me. I thought, ‘Well, that can’t be. What if I believe an elephant is God? Does that make it true?’ As a result, at the ripe age of 15, I set out to study every major religion and philosophy about life’s meaning. I was determined to get to the bottom of this major quagmire, which quite frankly frightened me.
'You mean to tell me, I was born into a world that doesn’t have specific answers yet that everyone has universally agreed upon?' This was a frightening thought. However, I wasn’t satisfied with just any answer. I wanted the TRUTH. I set out as a ‘truth for the sake of truth’ philosopher. I noticed many other seekers were on a path of ‘truth for the sake of (fill in the blanks of an ulterior motive here).’
I became an atheist and agnostic at a young age. I figured that because everything in the universe could be explained logically on many levels, there was nothing else to discuss beyond science. I went back and forth between atheism and agnosticism (the belief that I couldn’t know the truth about God or reality, either way) up until my early twenties with a strong emphasis on Buddhism and Taoism.
At the age of 21 my views on spirituality shifted. I was an atheist that lived mostly by the tenants of eastern philosophy (primarily Taoism) at this time. I was a single mom and attended a support group for single parents. The group meetings slowly began to transform my life and way of being in miraculous ways every time I would apply the principles taught. God was never brought up, only the principles. This was good for me, or else I would have bolted. I equated the “concept” of God with religion and really didn’t want to be pegged down by a "faulty man made belief system" of any sort.
I was unaware that the curriculum used in the support groups was all based on A Course in Miracles. When I found out, I couldn’t wait to learn more! I bought the book, took it home and began reading. As you may or may not know, God is the entire curriculum of the Course. I put the book down and didn’t pick it back up for at least two more years. I did however, keep attending the groups and became more involved in the organization itself. The teachings provided were way too beneficial in my life to ignore them based on something as meager as a current world view.
I finally reached the point where I would read the Course, but substitute the word LOVE for the word God. This worked well for me. My life kept transforming in miraculous ways. I finally conceded, ‘Ok, there is obviously more to life than meets the eye. I’m open to seeking the truest truth, even if I don’t like it.’
For me personally, this is where my spiritual journey began, as an atheist. My spiritual depth only grew and expanded from there, to where I am today.
If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is that through spiritual principle and truth, life only becomes more expansive, energized, and miraculous! As the bible teaches us, anything that bears fruit is of the Truth, let everything else fall away as false teaching and insignificant. Principle is principle. Fact is fact. What works is what works.
I can now equally relate to the Buddhist just as well as the atheist and Christian alike. Having studied many religions, philosophies and worldviews with a microscope for inconsistency, validity, and probability, my personal belief rests in the spirit and semblance of solidarity and teachings beneath understanding love, wisdom, Spirit, and compassion. What truly matters is that the teachings of spiritual principle are transformative and connect us intimately with our brethren and our potential as a human being, personally and professionally. Spirituality is a powerful connector to our innate potentiality and is a critical component on our own path of self actualization.