I didn’t really have a “religion of my youth” to reject. But I rejected other things related to my family and upbringing. And only several years into sobriety was I able to soften enough to grieve what I lost through that rejection and let some of it back in - slowly, carefully, protecting myself as best I could and can.
I didn't have a religion of my youth, but certainly Christianity was the community religion. I recall around age 7 a teacher told me something related to Christianity (perhaps a moral lesson) and I said, "But I'm not Christian." She replied that "We all are." Although there was some Christian teaching at the school and some threads of Christianity in my family, that didn't sit right with me. I didn't identify as Christian and didn't see my parents as Christian either. As a teen my mom told me I could believe whatever I wanted and I deeply appreciate the freedom that gave me to explore. I do grieve the loss of ritual, celebration of milestones, etc but my grief is more for the pre-Christian knowledge and rituals of my ancestors. I see those as being rooted in observation of nature and that is now a large part of my practice. Ultimately I have chosen a blend of shamanic journey work, land-based nature observation, Yoga, and meditation. There is much more I could say about the structure and practices these offers, but I could just as easily express the challenge that comes from weaving these together within myself and within a culture that is not cohesive spiritually.
I didn’t really have a “religion of my youth” to reject. But I rejected other things related to my family and upbringing. And only several years into sobriety was I able to soften enough to grieve what I lost through that rejection and let some of it back in - slowly, carefully, protecting myself as best I could and can.
I didn't have a religion of my youth, but certainly Christianity was the community religion. I recall around age 7 a teacher told me something related to Christianity (perhaps a moral lesson) and I said, "But I'm not Christian." She replied that "We all are." Although there was some Christian teaching at the school and some threads of Christianity in my family, that didn't sit right with me. I didn't identify as Christian and didn't see my parents as Christian either. As a teen my mom told me I could believe whatever I wanted and I deeply appreciate the freedom that gave me to explore. I do grieve the loss of ritual, celebration of milestones, etc but my grief is more for the pre-Christian knowledge and rituals of my ancestors. I see those as being rooted in observation of nature and that is now a large part of my practice. Ultimately I have chosen a blend of shamanic journey work, land-based nature observation, Yoga, and meditation. There is much more I could say about the structure and practices these offers, but I could just as easily express the challenge that comes from weaving these together within myself and within a culture that is not cohesive spiritually.