[Music]
5:30 a.m. monks and orange floor-length
robes hold prayer beads in their hands
and wear them around their necks as they
complete their morning tasks and prepare
for the day a low continuous buzz fills
the Hari Krishna temple in San Diego
California as the faithful speak and
chant ancient and powerful mantra a
Swami dressed in ornate robes sits on a
decorated altar in the corner of the
temple he meditates with a laser focus
not moving a muscle for hours 11 a.m.
thousands of worshippers and colourful
African attire pray loudly and fervently
energetic head motions and hand gestures
accompany their prayers frenetic group
energy electrifies the enormous tent a
sea of plastic chairs as far as the eye
can see but no one is seated everyone is
on their feet praising and worshipping
massive Pentecostal church in Lagos
Nigeria 4:00 p.m. a woman approaches a
labyrinth
tucked away among the trees at a retreat
in Tecate Mexico first she approaches
the entrance takes a deep breath then
begins the walk those mid walk silently
beckon her to join they seamlessly
invite her to relax relate reflect in
the center of the labyrinth a man sits
quietly contemplating the mysteries of
the maze imagine a global spiritual
interfaith journey time spent with
pastors and priests preachers and
teachers reverence rabbis Imams monks
musicians and ministers I’m living it
through my 52 weeks of worship project
which began in 2010 when I made a
personal commitment to visit a different
place of worship every week for a year
whether that place reflected my own
religious beliefs or not since then I
have visited countless sacred spaces
from the southside of Chicago to South
Africa from Brazil to Brooklyn but I’m
not here today to talk to you about
religion or Dogma or which path to
salvation is the surest or the shortest
or the safest is that a sigh of relief I
hear I’m here to talk to you about
navigating sacred spaces and being
courageous enough to give yourself
permission to walk through those spaces
to find your place the place that
challenges you while nourishing you
completely and thoroughly but first let
me take you back to 2009 that year was a
holy triumvirate of personal pain for me
in April my maternal grandmother passed
away unexpectedly she was the only
grandmother I ever knew in August my
father died cancer and as the Year came
to an end I was deeply betrayed by a man
who I once thought might be my husband
and the father of my yet unborn children
after this year full of loss I started
wondering how I could heal from all of
that pain those of you who might have
suffered the loss of a love or the death
of a loved one know how it could make
you question everything you once
believed and I was no different so I
decided to spend countless hours in
unfamiliar situations with people I
didn’t know experiencing rituals and
traditions I knew nothing about and
sharing my pain and grief with strangers
seems like a logical choice right I
simply wanted to believe that goodness
still existed in the world and so I
looked for it everywhere
in two eyes of every person that I met
not just in my home church or only in
familiar places my grandmother used to
say if you’re looking for something you
should really look everywhere and so
that’s what I did and I wasn’t
disappointed in churches and mosques and
synagogues and living rooms and temples
i sat side by side with people of
different faiths we prayed for each
other there was something wonderfully
comforting about walking into a new
place of worship and knowing that people
were there on that day to stand before
God however they perceived him her or
they to be they silently fought their
own battles and celebrated their
victories and encouraged me to do the
same I soaked in the kindness of
strangers every service visitors like me
were welcomed and hugged and loved and
every service I was accepted
unconditionally even when it was
completely clear I was not a regular
member of the community I was accepted
in one congregation everybody stood up
and saying for me I was the only mr. to
that week
those kindnesses helped to sustain me
and played a huge part in my healing so
when I tell people about my spiritual
journey and variably they asked the same
for questions first what was the most
memorable thing that she ever saw second
what have you visited my own religious
community third what have you learned
and finally what advice do you have for
me if I am seeking a stronger more
authentic connection to the divine well
first let me say there are a lot of wild
and wonderful ways that worship takes
place from watching the spontaneous
conga line form in front of me at an
LGBT friendly Pentecostal church to
standing in a room full of seekers
dressed in white watching a medium
perform spiritual surgeries with a knife
that looked to me like something I might
just find in my kitchen – having a
conversation with a young girl
reading a children’s book by l ron
Hubbard as we both waited for a service
at a storefront Scientology Center I
just tried to go with the flow
there were some times where I felt
completely comfortable and some times
where I stood out like a sore thumb and
there were times where after I went home
I thought well I never really need to
experience that ever again but what
became crystal clear is that there is a
safe and sacred space for everyone who
seeks it no matter who you are what you
choose to believe or what you don’t
believe I love when people ask me did
you visit my religious community when
I’m asked did you visit a Sikh temple or
did you spend any time with atheists or
have you heard of the Church of the
Flying Spaghetti Monster which is a
thing what I hear is do you see me do
you see who I am what I believe what
sustains me how do you experience my
religious traditions my cultures Oprah
has said that based on the many
interviews she’s done with people of
different walks of life over her career
that everyone just wants to be heard
preferably without judgment and I agree
everyone wants to be seen everyone wants
to be heard and when I tell people I am
trying to experience as many different
ways of worship as I can I am asked
repeatedly please include the one that
matters to me
please help people to see me so what did
I learn I learned about courage and
humility and I witnessed the pure power
of prayer and silence and meditation I
learned that most people understand deep
down on some level that each of us have
the potential to be a villain or a
victor and so seek to fortify ourselves
with positive uplift in worship so that
we can be the best version of ourselves
that we can be and I learned that family
is the first congregate
and that right now so many of us are
digging deeper into their families faith
traditions to find meaning or we’re
running from it as fast as our legs can
carry us to find something anything
completely different than what we were
taught as children and some people are
simply carrying on a family tradition of
non belief and finally I learned that
the people you love stay in your heart
and near your spirits long after they’ve
left this earth and if you wake up every
morning and put one foot in front of the
other in faith everything else will work
itself out so if you’re looking for a
stronger more authentic connection to
the divine as I was I offer you the
three essence first step out of your
comfort zone
second step into someone else’s shoes
and finally shut up and listen
step out of your comfort zone everyone
should at some point find themselves in
a place where they totally stick out and
they don’t know the rules why not have a
wild and humbling an unforgettable
experience most places of worship have
an all are welcome approach find a place
that’s in the same religious tradition
as the one in which you were raised then
find something completely different pick
a place with an amazing choir and go
there and then to pick a place where you
know you probably won’t go more than
once visit an enormous place of worship
or one that’s breathtakingly beautiful
and then visit one that’s small and
unassuming an intimate the open phone
first ask whatever question you need to
feel comfortable do I need to cover my
head how long does the service do I need
to take off my shoes and speaking of
shoes step into someone else’s it has
been my experience that there’s always
someone who is willing to invite you
into a new situation and show you the
rules if your eyes are open and you’re
paying attention be a bridge builder why
not
if not you then who and finally shut up
and listen no one is gonna make you
change what you believe if you don’t
want to as a matter of fact one of my
cardinal rules as I was going on this
spiritual journey was I never prayed to
any gods I just met or didn’t understand
but what became clear is that even when
it was difficult and sometimes it was if
I just sat and observed respectfully and
silently I would definitely learn
something about myself and I’m or than
likely learned something about the
people who were so kind as to invite me
into their sacred space and so I learned
to just shut up and listen if you follow
these three steps you may find yourself
on a transformative journey where you’re
able to see your own reflection as many
mirrors as you dare to look in and you
may or may not have an epiphany about
what path to salvation is right or best
or special but she may conclude that
simply taking the time to examine your
own beliefs is worth it to contemplate
what drives you
what matters and once you do that you
may cultivate a deep respect for anyone
who has asked those hard questions done
that hard work regardless of whether or
not they come to the same conclusion
that you did or not and you may start to
see fewer differences between yourself
and others and a little more divinity in
everyone so I haven’t somehow become
magically blind to the many ways that
religion can divide us there will never
be a time when negative images of
religion do not exist but those negative
images sit side-by-side with so many
instances of people who inspired by
their faith have done great things there
are countless stories of those who aim
to spread love and build up rather than
spew hate and tear down
many reflects a divine energy that
defends and comforts those in need
rather than deceiving and confusing
those very same people don’t let the
difficult images in religion today
prevent you from finding authentic
connection to the divine and a community
that it can help to strengthen your
spiritual foundation if you’ve searched
with an open heart and good intentions
you may find that community and you may
find that it’s full of people searching
for truth just like you are I truly
believe that navigating sacred spaces to
find the place in the universe that
sustains you is worth it I challenge you
to look until you find that place don’t
take no for an answer find that place
and stand in your power in that place
and once you do that I challenge you to
be courageous and humble enough to
embrace the truth that I hold quite dear
it is quite okay to believe one thing
completely and stand shoulder to
shoulder with other people who believe
something completely different the world
needs you to do just that thank you
[Music] you
5:30 a.m. monks and orange floor-length
robes hold prayer beads in their hands
and wear them around their necks as they
complete their morning tasks and prepare
for the day a low continuous buzz fills
the Hari Krishna temple in San Diego
California as the faithful speak and
chant ancient and powerful mantra a
Swami dressed in ornate robes sits on a
decorated altar in the corner of the
temple he meditates with a laser focus
not moving a muscle for hours 11 a.m.
thousands of worshippers and colourful
African attire pray loudly and fervently
energetic head motions and hand gestures
accompany their prayers frenetic group
energy electrifies the enormous tent a
sea of plastic chairs as far as the eye
can see but no one is seated everyone is
on their feet praising and worshipping
massive Pentecostal church in Lagos
Nigeria 4:00 p.m. a woman approaches a
labyrinth
tucked away among the trees at a retreat
in Tecate Mexico first she approaches
the entrance takes a deep breath then
begins the walk those mid walk silently
beckon her to join they seamlessly
invite her to relax relate reflect in
the center of the labyrinth a man sits
quietly contemplating the mysteries of
the maze imagine a global spiritual
interfaith journey time spent with
pastors and priests preachers and
teachers reverence rabbis Imams monks
musicians and ministers I’m living it
through my 52 weeks of worship project
which began in 2010 when I made a
personal commitment to visit a different
place of worship every week for a year
whether that place reflected my own
religious beliefs or not since then I
have visited countless sacred spaces
from the southside of Chicago to South
Africa from Brazil to Brooklyn but I’m
not here today to talk to you about
religion or Dogma or which path to
salvation is the surest or the shortest
or the safest is that a sigh of relief I
hear I’m here to talk to you about
navigating sacred spaces and being
courageous enough to give yourself
permission to walk through those spaces
to find your place the place that
challenges you while nourishing you
completely and thoroughly but first let
me take you back to 2009 that year was a
holy triumvirate of personal pain for me
in April my maternal grandmother passed
away unexpectedly she was the only
grandmother I ever knew in August my
father died cancer and as the Year came
to an end I was deeply betrayed by a man
who I once thought might be my husband
and the father of my yet unborn children
after this year full of loss I started
wondering how I could heal from all of
that pain those of you who might have
suffered the loss of a love or the death
of a loved one know how it could make
you question everything you once
believed and I was no different so I
decided to spend countless hours in
unfamiliar situations with people I
didn’t know experiencing rituals and
traditions I knew nothing about and
sharing my pain and grief with strangers
seems like a logical choice right I
simply wanted to believe that goodness
still existed in the world and so I
looked for it everywhere
in two eyes of every person that I met
not just in my home church or only in
familiar places my grandmother used to
say if you’re looking for something you
should really look everywhere and so
that’s what I did and I wasn’t
disappointed in churches and mosques and
synagogues and living rooms and temples
i sat side by side with people of
different faiths we prayed for each
other there was something wonderfully
comforting about walking into a new
place of worship and knowing that people
were there on that day to stand before
God however they perceived him her or
they to be they silently fought their
own battles and celebrated their
victories and encouraged me to do the
same I soaked in the kindness of
strangers every service visitors like me
were welcomed and hugged and loved and
every service I was accepted
unconditionally even when it was
completely clear I was not a regular
member of the community I was accepted
in one congregation everybody stood up
and saying for me I was the only mr. to
that week
those kindnesses helped to sustain me
and played a huge part in my healing so
when I tell people about my spiritual
journey and variably they asked the same
for questions first what was the most
memorable thing that she ever saw second
what have you visited my own religious
community third what have you learned
and finally what advice do you have for
me if I am seeking a stronger more
authentic connection to the divine well
first let me say there are a lot of wild
and wonderful ways that worship takes
place from watching the spontaneous
conga line form in front of me at an
LGBT friendly Pentecostal church to
standing in a room full of seekers
dressed in white watching a medium
perform spiritual surgeries with a knife
that looked to me like something I might
just find in my kitchen – having a
conversation with a young girl
reading a children’s book by l ron
Hubbard as we both waited for a service
at a storefront Scientology Center I
just tried to go with the flow
there were some times where I felt
completely comfortable and some times
where I stood out like a sore thumb and
there were times where after I went home
I thought well I never really need to
experience that ever again but what
became crystal clear is that there is a
safe and sacred space for everyone who
seeks it no matter who you are what you
choose to believe or what you don’t
believe I love when people ask me did
you visit my religious community when
I’m asked did you visit a Sikh temple or
did you spend any time with atheists or
have you heard of the Church of the
Flying Spaghetti Monster which is a
thing what I hear is do you see me do
you see who I am what I believe what
sustains me how do you experience my
religious traditions my cultures Oprah
has said that based on the many
interviews she’s done with people of
different walks of life over her career
that everyone just wants to be heard
preferably without judgment and I agree
everyone wants to be seen everyone wants
to be heard and when I tell people I am
trying to experience as many different
ways of worship as I can I am asked
repeatedly please include the one that
matters to me
please help people to see me so what did
I learn I learned about courage and
humility and I witnessed the pure power
of prayer and silence and meditation I
learned that most people understand deep
down on some level that each of us have
the potential to be a villain or a
victor and so seek to fortify ourselves
with positive uplift in worship so that
we can be the best version of ourselves
that we can be and I learned that family
is the first congregate
and that right now so many of us are
digging deeper into their families faith
traditions to find meaning or we’re
running from it as fast as our legs can
carry us to find something anything
completely different than what we were
taught as children and some people are
simply carrying on a family tradition of
non belief and finally I learned that
the people you love stay in your heart
and near your spirits long after they’ve
left this earth and if you wake up every
morning and put one foot in front of the
other in faith everything else will work
itself out so if you’re looking for a
stronger more authentic connection to
the divine as I was I offer you the
three essence first step out of your
comfort zone
second step into someone else’s shoes
and finally shut up and listen
step out of your comfort zone everyone
should at some point find themselves in
a place where they totally stick out and
they don’t know the rules why not have a
wild and humbling an unforgettable
experience most places of worship have
an all are welcome approach find a place
that’s in the same religious tradition
as the one in which you were raised then
find something completely different pick
a place with an amazing choir and go
there and then to pick a place where you
know you probably won’t go more than
once visit an enormous place of worship
or one that’s breathtakingly beautiful
and then visit one that’s small and
unassuming an intimate the open phone
first ask whatever question you need to
feel comfortable do I need to cover my
head how long does the service do I need
to take off my shoes and speaking of
shoes step into someone else’s it has
been my experience that there’s always
someone who is willing to invite you
into a new situation and show you the
rules if your eyes are open and you’re
paying attention be a bridge builder why
not
if not you then who and finally shut up
and listen no one is gonna make you
change what you believe if you don’t
want to as a matter of fact one of my
cardinal rules as I was going on this
spiritual journey was I never prayed to
any gods I just met or didn’t understand
but what became clear is that even when
it was difficult and sometimes it was if
I just sat and observed respectfully and
silently I would definitely learn
something about myself and I’m or than
likely learned something about the
people who were so kind as to invite me
into their sacred space and so I learned
to just shut up and listen if you follow
these three steps you may find yourself
on a transformative journey where you’re
able to see your own reflection as many
mirrors as you dare to look in and you
may or may not have an epiphany about
what path to salvation is right or best
or special but she may conclude that
simply taking the time to examine your
own beliefs is worth it to contemplate
what drives you
what matters and once you do that you
may cultivate a deep respect for anyone
who has asked those hard questions done
that hard work regardless of whether or
not they come to the same conclusion
that you did or not and you may start to
see fewer differences between yourself
and others and a little more divinity in
everyone so I haven’t somehow become
magically blind to the many ways that
religion can divide us there will never
be a time when negative images of
religion do not exist but those negative
images sit side-by-side with so many
instances of people who inspired by
their faith have done great things there
are countless stories of those who aim
to spread love and build up rather than
spew hate and tear down
many reflects a divine energy that
defends and comforts those in need
rather than deceiving and confusing
those very same people don’t let the
difficult images in religion today
prevent you from finding authentic
connection to the divine and a community
that it can help to strengthen your
spiritual foundation if you’ve searched
with an open heart and good intentions
you may find that community and you may
find that it’s full of people searching
for truth just like you are I truly
believe that navigating sacred spaces to
find the place in the universe that
sustains you is worth it I challenge you
to look until you find that place don’t
take no for an answer find that place
and stand in your power in that place
and once you do that I challenge you to
be courageous and humble enough to
embrace the truth that I hold quite dear
it is quite okay to believe one thing
completely and stand shoulder to
shoulder with other people who believe
something completely different the world
needs you to do just that thank you
[Music] you
Please follow and like us: