Finding My Religion: How to Explore and Embrace New Spiritual Traditions

At some point in your life, you may find yourself wondering whether the religious tradition (or lack thereof) in which you were raised is still the best fit for you. This is not such an unusual occurrence – as people’s lives change, their spiritual needs change too. Some individuals are no longer close to their family of origin, and thus no longer see the need to retain the spiritual practices of that family. Others find that a crisis, such as divorce, death, or even a series of more minor losses, creates a need for a new kind of faith. Some see spiritual exploration as an opportunity for personal growth. Still others wish to explore new religious traditions simply because they are curious.

Exploring a new faith can be beneficial in many different ways. Besides learning about people, ritual, history, and culture, an individual may find that her life is enhanced emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. She may find comfort and peace in the new traditions that she never experienced before.

But exploring new religious faiths may also be challenging in ways the seeker does not expect. Even when a person considers himself open-minded and tolerant, prejudices may crop up. He may have been unaware of these biases, and confronting them may be somewhat shocking. Learning about the rituals of other religious traditions may stagger the imagination of even the most creative individual. He may have great difficulty understanding the reasoning of those who practice them and may feel very uncomfortable attending them, or even too uncomfortable to be present at all for some rituals. The history of some religious traditions includes bloody conflict and nearly every tradition has leaders who, at the least, committed less-than-admirable acts. Learning about these issues may create a conflict for someone who has begun to like and respect the tradition he is studying. A religious explorer may struggle with hearing ideas and tenets that conflict with the religion of his childhood. Even when the tenets of the old religion and the new religion agree, finding that his childhood spiritual tradition has ideas in common with other traditions may make it seem less unique and conflict with what he has heard all his life, sparking feelings of loss and identify confusion. And last but not least, a person using his study of new religious traditions as a tool for psychological introspection may struggle mightily with the intellectual and emotional growth process.

With this in mind, here are some tips for studying new-to-you religious traditions:

1. Keep an open mind – but prepare to open it still further. Your mind is only open to the extent that it has previously been challenged. Opening your mind to study new religious traditions will probably still be a formidable task.



2. Be prepared for some anxiety from your family and friends. They may see your exploration as a desire to change, and whether that is the case or not, they may perceive you as moving away from them. Gently but firmly assure them of your ability, like a tree, to stretch your branches in many directions while remaining firmly rooted in the ground.



3. Prepare yourself for emotional upheaval, especially if you are in or recently emerged from a crisis situation. Whether or not your religious search seems connected to your current stage of life, it may shake things up for a while. Learning to live with ambiguity, conflicting feelings, and temporary emotional confusion will actually create greater stability for you in the long run.



4. If your search gets too confusing or tiring, take a break. Give yourself time to process what you have learned. Attend a few meetings or lectures here and there if you don’t want to abandon the mission entirely. Renew your quest when you are rested, refreshed, and energized.



5. Look for opportunities to allow your search to take you in new directions. Your interest in new spiritual traditions may lead you to meet new people, travel to new places, and experience many new things. Keep your principles intact and your wits about you, and enjoy the ride!