Sharing My Beliefs + An Invitation to Share Your Own

A while back, I came across a post by @johndoer123, What do you believe in? It led me to write this in the comments, which I want to expand on:

I believe that there is a creative force that animates the universe, one which cannot be wholly understood. I believe that we, as living beings, are reflections of divinity, and that we are tasked with stewardship of the world on which we find ourselves living.
I believe that we express our wishes into the world, through meditation, prayer, spellcraft, whatever means we personally choose, and by being mindful as we express these wishes, we bring ourselves into closer alignment with nature and the divine.
I believe that Gd, gods & goddesses, whatever people worship, are representations of a divine cosmic force, and each person finds what resonates with them most; to me, all are one.
I believe that belief is a thing we choose, and it can free us, if chosen knowingly and with joy. Nothing I believe is threatened by another's differing belief—I have chosen what I need, and so have they. It is no one's right to force their beliefs on me, and if my own do not resonate with them, they are free to disregard them.
I believe that my own consciousness will dissipate into the world upon my death, and all that was me will become part of all that is beyond me, on a cellular and spiritual level. I do not believe in heaven, but in a return to the whole of creation. I will end, and what was my body and spirit will never come together again. I believe that it is incumbent upon me, given the fleetingness of my own existence, to do as much good in the world as I possibly can in the time I am given, however long or short that time may end up being.
And, since I suppose it's relevant here, I'm Jewish. Pretty reform, kinda witchy. (By which I mean, I use some metaphysical tools, like tarot, as guides. Trusting in the creative force of the universe to help me. That sort of thing.)

Me wearing my favorite magen david necklace, which bears the Hebrew word חי, meaning 'life'

One of the beautiful things about being Jewish, for me, is the diversity of belief and practice across the faith. Some Jewish people believe the Torah is divinely given, while others do not. Some believe in reincarnation, some believe in the existence of a heaven and a purgatorial place for atonement and redemption, some believe in a future resurrection at the coming of the Messiah, and some believe that this one life is all that we are given.

Some keep kosher. Some value learning and speaking Hebrew. Some cover their heads at all times, some only during services, some not at all—and none of these are universally gender-specific practices. Some read the daf yomi, or daily page: the same page from the Talmud is read by Jews around the world each day, one after the other; the complete cycle of pages takes seven and a half years to complete.

Some Jews think the Genesis story about the creation of the world and everything in it is utter fact, while some think it is metaphor. Some Jews believe there is only one G-d, some believe there are many but only one ought to be followed, and some don’t believe in the existence of any gods. This plurality of beliefs and expressions of faith is beautiful to me.

There are people who think that religion and science are incompatible, but I disagree, for the same reason that I think Judaism and tarot are compatible: if I believe that there is a vast, unknowable, divine, creative force responsible for all existence, I can believe that evolution and oracle-telling are both guided by that force—and I do. There is so much wonder and space and possibility in the universe, and I find that my spiritual beliefs are wide and deep enough to gather these various aspects into a cohesive whole. I can know and understand how a rainbow is formed, and still see a deeper, more magical meaning for it.

Recently I’ve been expanding my religious education. I’ve begun to read the daily talmud page, and I’ve returned to reading the weekly parsha (weekly reading from the Torah, read on an annual cycle). In reading the daf, I have begun to think more critically about what I believe and why I believe it, where the views of the rabbis conflict with my personal beliefs, and what that means for me. As part of that process, I have felt more connected to a global community of Jews, even despite our differing beliefs. This process of going deeper into our history and tradition has been a comforting one for me, and I’m looking forward to all that I will learn in the years to come.

The Talmud teaches that only those who believe in the possibility of a resurrection in the World to Come—the world of the messianic age—will partake of that resurrection, which seems like a sensible way of viewing things to me. It teaches that righteous people of any faith are eligible for a place in the World to Come, presuming they believe such a world is possible (Christians, for instance, and those who believe in reincarnation, potentially).

It also teaches that the soul will return to G-d, and experience in a purer form all the good they have done in the world, or the harm they have caused. This is analogous to “heaven” or “hell,” but the pain of experiencing harms wrought is a cleansing process, so that any soul can eventually be healed and bask in G-dliness.

Though these teachings do not match my personal beliefs, I take comfort in them. Just as the Rabbis made it almost impossible to actually enact the death penalty, in spite of its pervasive presence in our holiest book, our understanding of life and afterlife is quite humane, in my opinion, and that’s a big part of why I value Judaism so much.

So, after all of that, I want to invite you to share your own beliefs, if you would like, in the comments below. Do you share some of mine? What do you find most compelling about what you believe?

Thanks for reading!

Pictures by me unless otherwise noted.

Divider created by javehimself, and used with gratitude.

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