MyOutSpirit.com Gay Spirituality Blog

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Cultivating Healthy Spirituality

From Peter Savastano, Ph.D., writing in a wonderful essay on "On Being A Lamp Unto Oneself: Cultivating Healthy Spirituality" in White Crane Journal.

For approximately twenty-five years, I was a student and practitioner of astrology, even having lectured and done it on a semi-professional basis. I have long been fascinated with various forms of divination. As an anthropologist of religion, my fascination with these intricate symbolic systems continues, but I rarely if ever employ a specific form of divination in my own life any longer. Probably the most important lesson I learned from using such systems is how to more easily access my innate capacity to read and discern the movement of the spirit in my own life and in the lives of others. I have also learned that a large part of healthy spirituality, in regards to the capacity to divine the movement of the spirit for others, is to know when to speak and when to keep my mouth shut. More often, the leading of the spirit I receive about the lives of others is to keep my mouth shut, thus allowing others to work out their path to healthy spirituality in their own way and in their own time.

This is a small taste. Read the whole article. Thanks, Peter!

Thoughts on the passing of an anti-gay preacher

GLBT reactions to the passing of the Rev. Jerry Falwell are a fascinating study in contrasts. One of the most balanced and decent statements came from Matt Foreman, head of the NGLTF. He said:

The death of a family member or friend is always a sad occasion and we express our condolences to all those who were close to the Rev. Jerry Falwell. Unfortunately, we will always remember him as a founder and leader of America’s anti-gay industry, someone who exacerbated the nation’s appalling response to the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic, someone who demonized and vilified us for political gain and someone who used religion to divide rather than unite our nation.

That seems to strike just the right chord. Humane in its sentiment and yet unfliching in characterizing Falwell accurately as the "leader of America's anti-gay industry".

Queerty does a round-up of the GLBT reaction. Kudos to the blog for including this rather balanced and humble sentence: "Yes, he had his moments of insane roaring, but for the most part, the late reverend took a measured approach to his bigotry. He may not have been the most progressive figure, but he's certainly someone who should be remembered as an effective leader, intelligent politician and, most of all, someone who made the country debate some seriously heavy issues."

Other reactions were closer to pure anger and contempt, even at a sacred moment of a man's death. Gay City News does a roundup of some of the loathesome comments by gay activists who couldn't help but revel in glee.

Some members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and other far-bizarre groups (bless their souls) held mocking and irrelevant celebrations of Falwell's death. I hope the juvenile self-expression felt good to them, because I can't for the life of me think that such street theater held any other constructive purpose other than the venting of rage. Unless, of course, the purpose is to make statements by the NGLTF look measured and civilized by contrast.

Criticizing Falwell's politics and bigotry is fair, whether he's dead or alive. But allowing the worst instincts of anger and contempt to set the tone for any person's passing is simply immature at best.

Those would would dance on Falwell's grave would do well to ask themselves how their loved ones would feel were they subject to such ridicule at a time of their grief. Doing unto others as you would have them do until you is not an easy teaching of spirituality, but it seems the appropriate one in this case.

Spirituality should involve treating others with respect in moments such as the passing from life into death, even if those others haven't always treated you or your group with respect. "Love your enemies" is hard counsel to accept, but it is the calling of our better natures.