[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
had 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 here 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 in
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 mister
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 uplifting 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 beliefs 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 3 s’s 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 had more
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
merits 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 search 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
[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
had 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 here 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 in
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 mister
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 uplifting 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 beliefs 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 3 s’s 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 had more
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
merits 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 search 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
[Music] you
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