Spiritual Journeys

This session is the second of five introductory sessions for a Small Group. Members are encouraged to discuss their spiritual/religious roots and influences, and to think about where they are in their own spiritual journey, and where they would like to be.

Member Preparation

In preparation for this session, take some time to read the following quotes and to think about where you are on your spiritual journey.

"The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination." - Don Williams, Jr.

"A holy restlessness is what prompts the pilgrimage of the spirit — a journey real or metaphorical that calls us away from what we have grown to think of as our home in order to discover a deeper sense of being at home with our human nature." - Rev. Sarah York, Pilgrim Heart: The Inner Journey Home

"Personal answers to ultimate questions. That is what we seek." - Alexander Eliot

"The most important questions don't seem to have ready answers. But the questions themselves have a healing power when they are shared. An answer is an invitation to stop thinking about something, to stop wondering. Life has no such stopping places, life is a process whose every event is connected to the moment that just went by. An unanswered question is a fine traveling companion. It sharpens your eye for the road." – Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom

"We are not born all at once, but by bits. The body first, and the spirit later... Our mothers are racked with the pains of our physical birth; we ourselves suffer the longer pains of our spiritual growth." - Mary Antin

" Our real journey in life is interior; it is a matter of growth, deepening, and of an ever greater surrender to the creative action of love and grace in our hearts." - Thomas Merton

"Any path is only a path, and there is no affront to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you." - Carlos Castaneda

"Life is a bumpy road." – The Buddha’s First Noble Truth

"It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." - E. L. Doctorow

These questions provide ways you may want to approach this topic. Remember to focus on just one or two of the questions, if you choose to use them, as this will allow you to explore the topic in more depth.

  • What do you see as the primary aim of your current spiritual/ religious life? Have you had different goals before, or do you anticipate different goals later in life?
  • What are the roots of your present spiritual/religious life? What other religions or belief systems have you belonged to or spent time exploring? Have you incorporated parts of these faiths into your current beliefs?
  • What role have family, friends, spiritual mentors, or others had along your spiritual path? Have certain people helped or hindered you along your journey?
  • What makes something a spiritual practice for you? Do you consciously incorporate any spiritual practices into your life? If so, what do they include? Are there any that you would like to learn more about or add to your life?

Special Materials

  • Name tags and marker(s).
  • Group Agreements written out on a large piece of paper or poster board, to be posted on the wall.

Further Exploration

  • “Travel guides for the spiritual journey,” Rosemary Bray McNatt. UU World (March/April 2002)
  • “Spiritual Practice: Questing,” Spirituality and Practice website
  • Katherine Kurs, Searching for Your Soul: Writers of Many Faiths Share Their Personal Stories of Spiritual Discovery (Schocken, 1999)
  • Sarah York, Pilgrim Heart: The Inner Journey Home (Jossey-Bass, 2001)