How to Discover Your Spiritual Identity

Asking the question of spiritual identity is asking the question, “What do I believe?” For many people, what they believe to be true about the spirit, whether or not it exists and to what extent people interact with the spirit, comes from personal experience. Very few people actually and authentically believe without experience. These experiences can range from feelings, dreams, statements you have said that came true, or anything else along these lines. Based on these experiences, we identify what we believe. Though there can never be a universal step-by-step, there are a few tips that you can use in order to assist you on your journey.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Interest in the spirit
• General curiosity

1. Use journals. Writing down your thoughts and questions and, in time, answers that you find are crucial. The reason it is called spiritual identity, is because there is more than one flow. You need to write down what you find and compare what you are discovering a few years later, to see how they differ, to see how they are the same. If anything, it can be encouraging to see how far you have come in one, two or three years, and it is possible to do that with a written log.
2. Conduct interviews. If your family is anything like mine, my parents were both Christian and with their own individual belief system. Friends and other loved ones also have their own experiences and beliefs. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone on this quest. Ask those around you and learn from their experiences. It is cliché, I know, but it will save you tons of time.
3. Learn history. Check out the history of the people that asked this question. You can find loads of literature written in the classical and medieval periods that were centralized on this subject. Remember, however, that the literature written in the medieval period was designed to Christianize Western Europe and to hold the church together. Take that into consideration when you do your research. Suggested reading includes Plato, St. Patrick, St. Augustine, Confucius, the Bible and the Torah.
4. Ask questions. The keystones to all spiritual identity is laid by you getting alone, either in bed with your favorite tea or on a trail in the middle of the forest, and ask the question, “If there is a god, show yourself to me.” Ask and silence yourself, allowing for an answer. This is the most important part of this search, as it usually is the cornerstone to many people’s identities. As for me, doing this was what brought me to what I believe and how I have chosen to live my life.
5. Examine all answers, feelings and thoughts that materialize during your search. Write them down in your journal. Once an answer is received to the questions you asked, don’t stop the communication. In other words, do not stop asking questions, seeking out answers, no matter what you find. Spiritual stagnation is for the religious, but spiritual maturation occurs through aggressive persistence. Never say “Enough.”