Religous diversity on a micro level
Originally when I planned on writing this assignment I wanted to look at how my aunts and uncles percieve the same event in very different ways. But after talking to my Uncle and my mother about religon I began to realize there was a much more unique and interesting topic to look at within my family, religous and mystical beliefs. My father's side is very steeped in Irish Catholicism (of the Quebec variety) and while their beliefs are also quite interesting they did not have as much an impact on my own personal beliefs. Not only is this an exploration of the beliefs within my Mother's family but it reflects the development of my own beliefs from an early age and still has influence over what I do, the morals and ethics I choose to follow and where a great deal of my interests in Sociology come from.
The development of open metaphysical interpretation of the world around us that my was my grand mothers legacy developed from my great grandmother who was a theosophist or a person who believes in all religons in that they are legitimate attempts at understanding the divine. My great-grandmother also went to one of Aleister Crowley's lectures, although I don't know much about her I do believe she must have been an extraordinary woman.
Much like many of my own metaphysical beliefs came from my Mother, my Mother's Mother was a great influence on her children's beliefs. This is not to say their Father wasn't also involved, he was actually the more active in his religous beliefs exploring the Christian Science, united Church and Quakerism along with his wife. But their mother was the one who instilled an openess to metaphysics and esoteric beliefs that would influence all of their religous followings. On the most basic level of metaphysics there was a belief that there was a Universal Energy and that the deity or God was perceived on a personal not a communal level and would differ individual by individual.
As I discovered in my interview with my Uncle, his time in a Quaker boarding school left him with an appreciation of Quakerism that stuck with him for a good deal of his adult life. He associates with a lot of their spiritual beliefs but has not taken on their identity that goes with it. He did not become deeply involved in the esoteric schools of mysticism as his sisters did. Quakerism was and is the main religous influene in his life.
As for my aunt, she also took her mother's theosophist outlook but delved quite deep into one particular eastern, Sufism. Sufism in its traditional form derives its teachings from the Islamic prophet Muhammad, my Aunt does not adhere to the Islamic variation of Sufism but instead is part of a variation Sufism that could be most closely associated with Universal Sufism even though my aunt would not refer to it as such. The interesting thing about this form of Sufism is that it does not exist within the traditional framework of Islam and is quite consistent to the theosophist background my Aunt has. She believes in the divine and her prayers all consist of speaking to the divine in various ways of thanks for the things and events in our lives. There is a deep spiritual meaning she derives from this movement which I as a layman have not had the privilege to understand but I do know that for many years she was a teacher and mentor for many interested in the beliefs in the Calgary area. All of which started from her hearing a radio ad for sufi dancing on the radio.
As for my mother, the major influence in my own spiritual growth, she has explored many different religous and metaphysical groups to find spiritual meaning in life. When she was younger, my mother was involved with Rosicrucians, a esoteric movement similar to the Free Masons. Her mothers influence I believe gave her a open mind to different eastern metaphysical influences but still maintained a link to western christianity. When I was growing up she was part of a different church called the unity church which she described to me as being a "new thought church" in which the concept of God was not personified but represented in a form of energy that permeates all things, most of this is what I was taught at a young age in sunday school she placed me in while she worshipped at the church. She has since moved on to a much more eastern oriented belief system, partially related to Tantrism but much like her own Mother, she has never felt the need to openly expound on the virtues of her spiritual beliefs and instead allow me to discover my own independantly. Spirituality is all around us and there is no absolute truth in the ways of the spirit. That seems to be one of the main beliefs key to my mothers and her siblings.
It's amazing what you can find within you own family. I have found a unique belief system that influences an entire generation but never manifests the same way in any one person. My Uncle Bernie, while open to many different ways of seeing the world did not delve quite as far into the metaphysical realm as my Mother and her sister did. But even my Mother and her sister while each looking to the divine energy around us worship and respect it in very different ways, each respecting the others beliefs. The influence of early generations on them, especially the theosophist belief in the beauty of all forms of religon and spiritual beliefs has brought forth diverse family of spiritualists that I am proud to be a part of.
The development of open metaphysical interpretation of the world around us that my was my grand mothers legacy developed from my great grandmother who was a theosophist or a person who believes in all religons in that they are legitimate attempts at understanding the divine. My great-grandmother also went to one of Aleister Crowley's lectures, although I don't know much about her I do believe she must have been an extraordinary woman.
Much like many of my own metaphysical beliefs came from my Mother, my Mother's Mother was a great influence on her children's beliefs. This is not to say their Father wasn't also involved, he was actually the more active in his religous beliefs exploring the Christian Science, united Church and Quakerism along with his wife. But their mother was the one who instilled an openess to metaphysics and esoteric beliefs that would influence all of their religous followings. On the most basic level of metaphysics there was a belief that there was a Universal Energy and that the deity or God was perceived on a personal not a communal level and would differ individual by individual.
As I discovered in my interview with my Uncle, his time in a Quaker boarding school left him with an appreciation of Quakerism that stuck with him for a good deal of his adult life. He associates with a lot of their spiritual beliefs but has not taken on their identity that goes with it. He did not become deeply involved in the esoteric schools of mysticism as his sisters did. Quakerism was and is the main religous influene in his life.
As for my aunt, she also took her mother's theosophist outlook but delved quite deep into one particular eastern, Sufism. Sufism in its traditional form derives its teachings from the Islamic prophet Muhammad, my Aunt does not adhere to the Islamic variation of Sufism but instead is part of a variation Sufism that could be most closely associated with Universal Sufism even though my aunt would not refer to it as such. The interesting thing about this form of Sufism is that it does not exist within the traditional framework of Islam and is quite consistent to the theosophist background my Aunt has. She believes in the divine and her prayers all consist of speaking to the divine in various ways of thanks for the things and events in our lives. There is a deep spiritual meaning she derives from this movement which I as a layman have not had the privilege to understand but I do know that for many years she was a teacher and mentor for many interested in the beliefs in the Calgary area. All of which started from her hearing a radio ad for sufi dancing on the radio.
As for my mother, the major influence in my own spiritual growth, she has explored many different religous and metaphysical groups to find spiritual meaning in life. When she was younger, my mother was involved with Rosicrucians, a esoteric movement similar to the Free Masons. Her mothers influence I believe gave her a open mind to different eastern metaphysical influences but still maintained a link to western christianity. When I was growing up she was part of a different church called the unity church which she described to me as being a "new thought church" in which the concept of God was not personified but represented in a form of energy that permeates all things, most of this is what I was taught at a young age in sunday school she placed me in while she worshipped at the church. She has since moved on to a much more eastern oriented belief system, partially related to Tantrism but much like her own Mother, she has never felt the need to openly expound on the virtues of her spiritual beliefs and instead allow me to discover my own independantly. Spirituality is all around us and there is no absolute truth in the ways of the spirit. That seems to be one of the main beliefs key to my mothers and her siblings.
It's amazing what you can find within you own family. I have found a unique belief system that influences an entire generation but never manifests the same way in any one person. My Uncle Bernie, while open to many different ways of seeing the world did not delve quite as far into the metaphysical realm as my Mother and her sister did. But even my Mother and her sister while each looking to the divine energy around us worship and respect it in very different ways, each respecting the others beliefs. The influence of early generations on them, especially the theosophist belief in the beauty of all forms of religon and spiritual beliefs has brought forth diverse family of spiritualists that I am proud to be a part of.