Have you had any particularly religious or spiritual experiences this past year?

For the past year, I have been experienced great spiritual upheaval. I have come to believe that, to stay on the up side, I need to make major changes in my career and life: devoting my time to what feels more the right work, changing some of the people and influences surrounding me. I hope to have the outside support and internal strength to take firmer steps toward making this happen.

birth of my child

No

I had an amazing trip through the great American Southwest and journeyed to a place called the Lighting Field and it reinvigorated my stride in a way that had been lacking. And I went to ReBoot!@!

Watching Amichai open the minds of fledgling Rebooters at my first Summit and Soul Spa was pretty amazing. The concept he discussed that morning -- of loving thy neighbor as you love yourself -- provoked the emotional dichotomy I feel between the traditional Jewish response of self-loathing and the relatively novel Jewish concept of self-love. Opening myself up to the possibility was pretty much the closest thing I had to a spiritual experience this year.

Yes, riding along the ocean on my bike, i have again and again heard the tune from aleinu, where we bow down in shul and prostrate ourselves on the floor. i never knew why, six or seven months after the high holidays, it came back to me again and again at various points, particularly when i was cycling by the ocean. and then one day, i went to a lecture on the high holidays by my beloved rabbi and she spoke of that section, that verse, and explained that it's all about letting go, about acknowledging that we don't have control, that there is something bigger than us that we lie down beneath and say, i know that i don't know everything and i release the attempts to try and control all. It felt so powerful to me - me who tries to control the universe and direct every scene from every angle. and yet there i am cycling along the ocean with this vast vast sea besides me and who can help but say, even subconsciously, i give in. i am a small blip in this vastness. And it's a great feeling.

yes. the reboot experience was transformative. felt my latent judaism roil up, felt my past, nana, life, kam, brown, memories, anger confusion toward judaism was, in fact, the strength of my religious experience, that the brokenness of it and all the conflictedness i feel was validated.. didnt make me a bad person, made me human, part of a collective consciousness, a seeker. i remember being in the hotel room getting ready to go to some reboot event and i was cleaning my tattoos... all of them are in the process of coming off... just peeling my burnt skin off and the pus and the blood.... feeling very cared for, like i was my way to see my people and all of the sudden, i was in the right place, and i was understood. that my life was okay, couched in the zeitgest and in the confusion, and that the confusion and the chaos did not mean i was bad or i didnt know, it meant i was in the Good place with the Good people, it meant i was with God. ive also been committed to mysore and to the experience of prayer, of the 10th step and of a greater level of self awareness... all of these have contributed to an expansiveness that makes me feel capable of great healing... healing myself and others in a way i didnt know i wanted to or was capable of. also remember singing hallejulah in the mountains in the morning and heidi knew marisa and we were all together and we were all good.

Not really. It's not that I'm not spiritual—quite the opposite in that I can find joy and transcendence in things as small as a pop song or a short story—it's just hard to really pinpoint anything particularly earth shattering that rises above the other. Two moments that come to mind when I seemed to be in the absolute moment (and a moment of joy) were the R.E.M. concert at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, and then the almost 24-hours straight fever of writing my 7,000 word submission for my novel class.

Humanitarian Intervention On the subject of humanitarian intervention to prevent genocide, Mr. Obama made some assertions about policy and history that at best are fuzzy and which many historians would probably question.

no.

i fell off a trail bike and got a huge gash in my ankle which I was later told could have been fatal.

Big Sur with my boyfriend, ocean lookouts, groves of huge trees, wet valleys. Listening to Obama speak. My son getting into the middle school he wanted-- god was definitely there for that.

Hmm. Good question. I took my kids to high holiday services for the first time. That was both spiritual and the opposite of spiritual, in the sense that it was aggravating. Also, I had a period where I didn't feel well, and that was spiritual, because I found I had to fight to keep my head above the fact of the discomfort.

Traveling alone in unfamiliar places.

In my spiritual tradition, we are taught that mind and body are linked. When the mind is stressed, the body reflects that stress in many ways; and when the body is ill, the mind cannot focus as well on what needs to be done. This mind-body connection was made very plain to me earlier this year when health problems came to a head and I had to do something to "get fixed." My nutritionist recommended a naturopathic doctor and I felt relief after only a few days of treatment. However, my physical ailments were only symptoms of personality and life situation imbalances. Slowly, for the past 6 months, my body is getting better - it's healing itself. And my stress levels have also gone down. While this isn't anything revelatory in the strict spiritual sense, it has boosted my participation in my tradition and that has injected me with great energy, happiness, and a feeling that I can do anything!

i have dreams about my mother where it really feels like she is visiting me. in all of the dreams we either talk about how crazy it is that she died or we are very aware that she can only visit for a short period of time. in all of the dreams she has died though and is so clearly visiting me. we often connect very strongly and when i wake i feel like i have really spent time with her.

None except accepting the course of life with faith as often as possible.

Probably not enough, as we didn't get to synagogue weekly like we used to. The most spiritual experience I had this year was being in Israel for 10 days in March with Nancy and Gila. Going to the wall with them was special. I loved being in Israel. Felt closer to my origin and my roots.

I've tried to take some time each day to gather my feelings and express my gratitude for the day that I have enjoyed. Focusing positively on all things has put balance into my life and rewards have been realized. It is very powerful and wonderful but I am still searching because I have also lost something this year: where I once took a spiritual guide or force for granted in my life and accepted it without worry, now I feel something is missing and I do not know what it is.

I find being a mother to be a deeply spiritual experience. Everday. (Almost.) Over the summer, I consulted with a (Jewish!) spiritual medium and doing so was akin to having a 45 minute conversation with my late mother. During the convo, my mom absolved me of so much of the pain, sadness, worry and guilt I have felt since her death. She told me that I can't spend my life worrying that I too am going to die young of cancer. She blessed the project I am now working on -- a book about her -- so long as it is healing for me and doesn't cause me to meander in the painful memories. And she told me that I don't need to pay a medium to access her -- that she is with me all the time. (Since she told me that through the medium, it conferred upon the medium a lot of credibility. She's not just looking to book her next appointment!)

no i have not. i am still not a believer. when i get real sick or real desperate, i might curse god. a god i don't believe in. that's about it though.

I go to shul whenever I can. Saying the Shema at BJ is a beautiful religious communion and I look forward to it weekly. Perhaps I will have a religious experience today on my way out to Bolinas

I feel a real connection to the world around me and feel moved by simple things - sunlight sparkling from dewdrops on the tips of grass, the cooing of doves in the morning, the sound of wind whipping tree tops during a late night storm, the laughter of children, the smiles of lovers. I feel such a deep "connectedness" at times - a feeling that there is a web that connects it all and that I am a part of it. It is a peaceful, serene feeling - a spiritual feeling.

yes and through them i realized that it is my responsibility and mine alone to take care of others for according to the laws of the highest views on karma and emptiness as outlined in the lineage of the Dalai Lamas, our reality and everything in it is our own karmic projection that, although made up of a series of mental images that function very validly, is the result of CAUSES. MEANING, we must serve others because their suffering IS in fact our fault IF you understand where your reality is coming from at the most fundamental causal level. all beings deserve to be happy and we must, at the individual level, take responsibility for their happiness. it's how you get enlightened. taking care of others is the number one first classe ticket to ending your own samsara. period.

I have not. Sadly it seems to have been a somewhat hectic year of managing small crisis events (car repairs, getting a new car, new lease for wifes business, economy tanking,etc..) It isn't an excuse, but I need to step back sometimes or get outside more and just have some more "down time" that I can have those moments.

Spiritual, yes. Religious, not any that I can think of. Well, I guess you could say my entire trip to Hawaii was breathtaking. You would think that watching the sun rise above the clouds would top the charts, but it was something much more simple than that that captured my soul. We were riding on Captain Dave's boat, back to shore after a six hour tour of Lain'i. I was gazing at the water, and for some reason I was completely in awe. There's something about the sea: Its connective nature, or perhaps the fact that it welcomes all, yet punishes some. It is not selective about its wrath, she treats everyone equally. It is your own inability to swim or take refuge that could endanger you, not the objective ocean's. Perhaps it is that she harbors life. That's an understatement. I don't know what it was, but I felt beautifully tiny and insignificant, like I was a "fraction of a whole," as Connor Oberst might say. One of the most remarkably spiritual experiences for me in the past year or so has been listening to "Across the Universe" by the Beatles. No matter whose version of the song it is, the first few chords of the song seriously strike my heart and mind simultaneously. I have no idea what the song actually means but I have this vague feeling of connectedness with everyone and everything in the world, all good and all evil, and it's all beautiful. The very beginning of the song reminds me of a certain scene that I've created in my mind without fail: I'm on a cliff overlooking a crowd of civilians swimming in a lake or an ocean or some sort of ambiguous body of water. Suddenly it starts to rain, but not pour, and there's thunder. Everyone swims away except for two people, a girl and a boy, who, without explanation, swim towards each other. I don't know why but I think this is so beautiful. I've tried to illustrate it graphically time and time again, but it's next to impossible. I think to me it is like, life is hectic and there are rough times, but with the right companionship you can weather anything. Actually, that may not even be right. I don't like to latch meaning onto this scene, it's too perfect and it says too much that I can't necessarily even say with words. It's just a really really great, deep feeling that I hold dear to my heart. Also, reading Franny and Zooey opened my eyes to new definitions of knowledge- ones that concern spirituality and religion. It is easily one of my favorite books now. That, and I frantically scurried about HPB looking for an informative novel on Buddhism after discovering that Salinger is Buddhist. Perhaps it has yet to open some doors for me.

I've begun discovering the power of my body.

I actually haven't. I don't know if I've had any religious or spiritual experiences in a long while. I guess I'm just not looking for them. Most of my notable experiences have been personal (reflection) or visceral. Like one night, after thinking about Jaclyn for a week or so, I gave her a call. Out of the blue. And asked her what she thought of me—if there was anything there. There wasn't. So I walked around campus for about an hour in the middle of the night, just enjoying having everything to myself, as they say. But I hate that saying. I wasn't enjoying it because I had everything to myself. I was enjoying it because it was serene; I could focus. I simply haven't been that spiritual in the past year. Or few years.

I don't know if dreams qualify as spiritual experiences, but my dreams have come to mean a lot more to me in the last 6 - 9 months. The dreams of not being able to find my classroom, of being in torrential lakes, and of not being to scream have given way to new experiences in dreamland. I now seem to scream in dreams, float in water, have learned to fly, and have made my way to class, albeit late. In research, I have discovered that most of these images mean that I am letting go of something heavy off of my shoulders.

No. That was easy.

I was in a boat with someone who didn't believe. The weather turned and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

I longed to feel like I could abdicate responsibility and trust that some greater power would take control. But I feel that I have that greater power inside of me

No, I can't say that I have. I'm still trying to figure the whole divine thing out.

no

I have experienced synchronicity. Signs of water overflowing and a knowledge that I am in the right place right now.

Not yet, but I hope to. I keep meaning to email Rusty from Texas Wesely, but I always forget. I know, it's really bad to let other things come in the way of God. But it's not like I've given up on him because of school. I just don't worship like I know I should. I'm hoping to become more involved in my faith this year.

I've had some dark moments where I really felt to need to call on a higher power but felt just as strongly that there was no higher power there for me, so I guess I really desire a religious or spiritual epxperience or awakneing.

Not really. If anything, I'd say I've become less spiritual and more jaded. Probably because of the ease with which I've been able to bend my previous moral sensibilities.

i took an intuition workshop where we talked to our souls. my soul told me "you are going to die". then... "all is/will be well".

Yes. Unfortunately, they have not been good experiences. This year I became very disconnected to my Temple. Services became "camp meetings" The only thing missing was the smoors! I'm very unhappy about this and don't know what I'm going to do about it.

No, i don't believe in god or any of that, but i do have fear of when people talk about december 21st 2012 being the end of the world, that means i wont even get to see my birthday that year. Religiously connected or not apocalyptical point of view is frightening.

yes small group leading is probably going to push this even further

I started doing yoga and getting more in touch with my self. That and being out doors bring me closer to everything I need to be in touch with. I realize my self and the love I have to give when I love myself first.

An event that happened this year that has made me want to get closer to g-d and learn about Judiasm occured on a vacation to Spain. We visited Montserrat, a beautiful church on top of a mountain. It was such an inspirational place full of peace and serenity. I learned that Montserrat was a place that people would pilgrimage to to ask the infamous Black Virgin Mary for help in health. When I walked up and saw her something came over me and I asked her to help me figure out what was wrong with my health. It was a powerful moment. One that was quite strange since I am Jewish. But nonetheless I felt that she was there to listen and would pass on my message. When I got back from my trip, a week later I was finally diagnosed. I am not sure if it was pure timing or coincidence, but this event certainly made me think. I felt as though I had reached my low. I realized that as a human I could no longer do anything else for my health. I reached out to g-d to help me.

Just this week I went to a stranger's funeral at Arlington Cemetery. The words of god were spoken from the book, and tears were shed. I felt an honest calm being around people who surrendered to their suffering and woes- morn to move on.

Not really. But if making love with a man again, after 12 years, is spiritual than yes ;-)))

I think the closest I've come to anything spiritual has been while playing with my dogs in the surf. A few times now I've been knee-deep in the ocean with the waves crashing around, watching my dogs eagerly leap over the chop to join me, and I've thought, wow, I can't believe I get to do this, it doesn't really get any better.

i've worked on expanding compassion for others and myself, on letting myself realize that all things in life are temporary, and it is okay to let go of things and ideas and even people to let others come in, or even to just enjoy the emptiness that arises.

There have definitely been moments where I've asked for guidance from someone greater than me - a force, a presence...in a way that I haven't before. I have asked questions of the universe and ask the universe to give me strength in moments, to help me see answers, to help guide me to do the right thing. I have tried to look inward in moments rather than going to the rest of my friends to ask them what they think is the "right" thing to do...to ask myself and my instincts what I believe the right thing is...

No, I am an atheist and don't believe in some "higher power". I feel that the universe just looks after itself.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 I had Tant Diamante take me to visit Moshe's grave today. She taught me which buses to take, where to get off so I can find my way to the graveyard alone before I leave Israel. I need some time alone there. I don't need to sit by his grave to talk to Moshe. At the same time, there is something powerful about being close to where his body lies buried, and the site is so quiet and beautiful. It feels like neutral ground, free from distractions. Tant Diamante and I watered the plants on and around Moshe's grave as well as those around the surrounding graves, put flowers into the two marble vases on each side of Moshe's grave (I got him sunflowers; it seemed appropriate to bring "Moshe" some yellow to share something of myself with him), lit candles. By the time we were done with the maintenance work, Oncle Çelebi had gotten off work. He arrived with prayer books in hand. We pulled three plastic lawn chairs into the shade under the tree in front of the grave. Oncle Çelebi began reading his prayers under his breath, Tant Diamante sat in silence for a while until she began crying, got up to throw her tissues away, and upon returning to her seat wondered aloud at how much the tree we were sitting by had grown since they planted it six years ago. I, meanwhile, sat behind my uncle listening to his mumbled prayers which seemed to get louder in cadence at the end of distinct sections. I cried behind my sunglasses and wiped my tears away before my aunt, who had said she doesn't cry much at the grave anymore, could see them and cry even more. I thought about the man Moshe was, a cousin in that old time sense of the word, a brother. I thought about all the qualities in him that I hope to come across again in someone, about how much I miss him, how I wished he could see the woman I have become at 32 (the age he was when he died)—stubbornness, opinionated Kapuya thickheadedness and all. I pictured how fun it would be to take the time to discover all those quirky similarities between us that are now mostly up to Tant Diamante and Tant Röne to reveal to me. I imagined laughing with him and giving him a hug. I tried to guess what we would talk about over drinks once again, now, no longer teenagers. I imagined myself telling him about my visit to New York in June. I wondered what insight and perspective he'd give me about the people I love. I wondered if there were signs and wonders around me right then that could give me something, anything. I quieted my mind and just sat there for a while. And suddenly, it? his words? came to me. Live. I almost heard it; the word resonated in my brain so: l i v e. You're alive. So live. In that moment, I almost got a bird's eye view of all the thoughts and worries that have been on my mind, especially since April. I thought about relationships, friendships, numerous missives that have gotten me into my head to the point of playing mind games with my own self, to the point of giving myself shit about mistakes I have made with no sense of compassion, to the point of elevating other people's needs above my own, to the point of enduring punishing silence when I obviously love words so much. So live.º These words were so simple I couldn't cry anymore. I sat there with a smile of understanding and clarity on my face. And yet it's hard to know immediately what to do with what I understand. What I know is I'm a woman of words; this is my first step of covering some distance, maybe even recovering something. I can only do my part. Live. Love.

i have had a number of spiritual experiences. in particular, i was dealing with a family crisis, overwhelming, seemingly without resolve. consuming. at a certain point, i realized i had to change my thought process about what was occurring. in a moment of that decision there was a lift, a lift of darkness that felt generations old. my mother's-mother's pain, confusion, dilemma, agony, challenge. it was as if the decision returned me to my highest self. a genuine point of growth, freedom, safety, trust, calm, knowing, connection, grace.

yes, but it was a loss of spirituality. I've never believed in the bible, but I've always 'believed' in something beyond myself and the obvious. something happened. maybe just time passing. more than likely the loss of his love. probably a combination of both. I cant feel hope. I dont feel like I believe. Im at a point where it is just as likely for there to be nothing but blips and then it's over, than it is for there to be an interconnection of all things and a transcendence. I can feel it tipping toward the feeling of nothing and meaninglessness. another couple of years. it ruins everything. it hurts. it's hopeless.

He has left me. But He still likes to watch me. Just to see me suffer. One day, I'll get back to you.

Kind of realized that women are the mothers of us all, and we can pass energy between each other, and sometimes we need that. Some men are the fathers, whilst others are always just the children.

The African American music concert at Welspring was the most spiritual experience I have been apart of. I felt hope and faith in every bone of my body. The music was so uplifting.

Everyday is a spiritual experience for me. Being alive is a religious experience for me. Just look at flowers, or your friends, hear a child's laughter, laugh like a child...

When the biggest snowstorm this city has ever known hit, I took a long walk through the fields behind my house and felt more at peace than I had in years. Everything was so white and beautiful and silent. No cars, birds, or people. I walked by myself for at least an hour just listening to the earth. It was a spiritual experience for me, because sometimes the beauty of nature suggests a higher power at work.

Yes.

I stood by the ocean and it opened me again. very refreshing. I re-connected to what was important to me. I love the big sky, its openness and never ending light. That was how it felt to me that wonderful low tide in December. It was relief. Lots of fresh air, wind blowing, moving, not talking too much. just a peace. Also I learned to meditate last year. I had a very very hard day on the all day retreat. My feelings that day still scare me and overwhelm me. I love the feeling of getting to the inside of me. I'm still hesitant to move my body in ways that my hurt me. Some of that was my fear on that day. (also this year I have two new instructors that I really trust with my body and enjoy moving with) Is this spiritual? in ways for me it is. I connect to myself, relax, give myself time and recognize where I am. It is not about the accepting, it is stating what is right now. That is comforting to me. so the connection between the natural world and my mind coming to a peaceful place is spiritual to me. religion, eh? not for me so much this year.

While many would think that going to Israel for 2 weeks would be a religious or spiritual experience, it was not. It was much more of a cultural and geographical experience with little to really do with religion. It could have been the way the trip was organized, or it could have just been me.

nothing special, though getting to know matt and having other people to talk to has made it easier to actualy speakout that I dont believe in any religion and also made me aware that i am not a total outsider for doing so.

I have. I felt the understanding and presence of some higher power. But to say only this would be very vague. I believe in no gods that control my fate and give me life. I don't think that they are the ones who decide on our life. These beings give us our choices, and they are a common thread through the thing we call life. It is the universe.

I lost God, and I couldn't be happier.

I have no such an experience in religious in past year. But does coincidence counts ?

I have had spiritual experiences in finding myself, and inner happiness. I can't really think of anything else, as I am not very religious.

Religious experience: reading "the God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins had a profound effect on my thinking. I totally concur with his arguments and his writing opened up so much more scope. He is a genuine champion of rational thinking and man's ability to use his brain for himself and not be deluded by others. The insidiousness of teaching religion to children was a chilling revelation. We should all read this book and reflect within ourselves! Spiritual experience: A holiday in Byron Bay and environs was sublime.

Nothing I'd consider profound. This past year has been one of the most un-spiritual years of my life, at least in terms of religion. But I have to say that whenever I felt I was in my element, or was in the most creative mood, I always believed there was a higher power moving me. A recent reunion with CLC friends also brought back fond memories of my spiritual abundance back in college.

My day to day life is spiritual. Probably the most beautiful moment I had this year was laying under a tree with Matthew. I hadn't really seen a tree from such an extreme angle in a long time, the sunlight was tumbling through the leaves and barely graced us as we cuddled. I curled up next to him and felt that life was perfect in that moment.

I suppose that I read a book about Buddhism and realized that perhaps in some ways I'm a Buddhist. I do not really know if I believe in a higher power, and I'm not sure that I ever really will know. I think our definitions of religion and God are muddled. It's too difficult to separate what I believe into easy categories. I don't think that I feel a need to bow down to some greater power as an expression of my gratefulness at being alive. I believe that you try to live your life as best as you feel you are able, enjoy it, enjoy it, enjoy it, for heaven's sake!, and hopefully you will have no regrets.

No, i haven't

I realized this year that my spiritual and religious views are entirely personal and cannot be changed or forced upon anyone else. I remember bad news after bad news hit and all I could do was sit and listen to music that comforted me, and all I remember was waves of comfort and the feeling of someone embracing me. The next morning when I awoke it was better.

I was in the car with a friend and I asked her if she was ever envious of people who had faith in a higher being. We agreed that people who had religion always had a go to and that was something to be jealous of. I'll never have someone I can always rely and will always know will be around. The Idea of an eternal love. I wish I had that, but that's as far as it went for religious experiences.

no

Listening to Deepak Chopra talk about synchronicity on Big Ideas. Starting to read Carl Sagan's "The Varieties of Scientific Experience."

I have had dreams in which I have been overwhelmed by the presence of God. I am not religious, but am very spiritual. However, I have always had a problem connecting with God, until now. Sometimes spiritual experiences are not epiphanies, but rather slow awakenings.

I finally had the courage and the strenght to forget all the religious cages I was trapped in by the education I received.

Sim. A espiritualidade mais especial, digamos, mais uma vez revelada.

I don't think I have had too many. My relationship with God has waned this year. Not on purpose. I used to pray each nigh - I need to get back to it. My experiences with faith in myself have grown. It's been a trying year - losing a job, trying to break down some of the walls that I've build around myself; I do believe that I've grown - gotten in touch with myself. But I need to do more to rebuild my relationship with my faith...with God.

To be honest, no. I think that the only time I went to mass this year was when the whole family celebrated my grandmother's birthday. It has made me realize how much I have been neglecting my faith. Maybe that's why my life has been quite a mess... maybe.

No, this is one thing that saddens me, school has taken over my life pretty much and I don't feel as if i'm getting out there and exploring the culture around me. This is why i'm taking a class on religion in culture, i want to learn more than whats just beyond my door step, I want to know what people are praying to or studying around the world

In the past year I think that God is trying to unsettle my life for a good reason. I've discovered how to fear him in an AWE-some kind of way. At one point, I was in Hawaii after a series of events and I found myself on the edge of a cliff that had been carved out by thrashing waves for hundreds and thousands of years. I thought to myself, I could be killed at any moment, any moment now I could slip on these rocks or get knocked over by a massive wave. But at the same time I was so amazed and captivated by the beauty in front of me, I became strangely self aware and in complete awe. I realize that the beauty in front of me was the same relationship that I have with God, and that at any moment, he could turn my life upsidedown, but it is ok, because his work is beautiful, and he knows what is happening.. at the beginning of the summer also I had almost a quarter life crisis, where I had this unstoppable restless spirit about me, and I could hear God calling me to do something great, but I still have no idea what. Maybe I'll know a year from now.

Yes, Ros Hashona we sat on the Bima and I carried the Torah around Micah. I have not felt this religious and spiritual since I lived in Highland Park in the 70's. It was wonderful. I told Judith about it too.

Studying the biological sciences, it's becoming clearer and clearer that there cannot be a higher being, and spiritual experiences are simply the work of our imaginations. But I am not a complete non-believer yet.

yes! i listened to a long lecture about biblical criticism and it made me feel like such a tribal person, that the jewish people, of which i am a part of, are SUCH tribe, with a rich mythology, and it all made me think alot about abraham and isaak and whether or not it matters whether they are real, becuase in the end we have these GIANT FIGURES and they rule our religion, and it is amazing! i am proud to be part of it. the way we all pray together, even if its not real, even if god is fake, makes it all so cool. !!!

I was in Israel and it was walking through the town of Sfat an ancient town of kaballah that a unexplainable aura that overwhelmed me and ultimately made me realize just how ancient my religion was and that i was but a grain of sand in the desert in the scope of this timeframe

In general I have enjoyed the shabbat service more and been comforted by it, therabbi's sermon and being in my community

Not really. But this year a girl told me/us about her experiences. Amazing!

Yes. I experienced the loveliness of God and how I am alive in Him. I now know that I can stand tall and walk straight because of His blessings that fall unconditionally on me.

I too stood by the ocean and it opened my heart again. I re-connected to what was important to me. I love the big sky, its openness and never ending light. That was how it felt to me that wonderful low tide in December. It was relief. Lots of fresh air, wind blowing, moving, not talking too much. just a peace. Also I learned to meditate last year. I had a very very hard day on the all day retreat. My feelings that day still scare me and overwhelm me. I love the feeling of getting to the inside of me. I'm still hesitant to move my body in ways that my hurt me. Some of that was my fear on that day. (also this year I have two new instructors that I really trust with my body and enjoy moving with) Is this spiritual? in ways for me it is. I connect to myself, relax, give myself time and recognize where I am. It is not about the accepting, it is stating what is right now. That is comforting to me. so the connection between the natural world and my mind coming to a peaceful place is spiritual to me. religion, eh? not for me so much this year.

I was pretty shocked by the event in which a girl died when there was a flood in my city, she was basically swallowed by the sewage system. Her mother was on TV crying, it just touched me. I prayed to God for her & for her mother, I prayed like I hadn't prayed in a long time.

Engagement: took a full 29 minutes to recover speech, and several more days to come back down to earth. Scuba diving: Bonding with a tiny Territorial Damsel Fish

Out at the beach on a clear night on the periphery of a crowd I didn't know, I looked up into the cloud-clad moon for miles. The winds shifted the luminous billowing cumulous skirts until all I could see were stars and garters. The sky was vast and empty and the nestled puncuation of the moon ended a thought that began with the restless shuffle of the sea.

I'm not sure if it counts, but I have become a lot less religious and far more spiritual. Less structure. Less dogma. Less concept. I'm finding my religion in being contently tired. In laying in bed after sweating in Eric's arms. In laughing so hard I can't breathe.

nothing . its good to be like that .

I think I need to start going to church. I kind of lost that dedication to get up every Sunday morning. But I always try to do the sign of the cross every time I feel afraid. I like to remind myself that I still can keep that close connection to God. Another thing I should work on is praying before sleeping because I used to always do that for a peace of mind and comfort.

Not really, but I am looking to change that. I plan to go through my first real fast this Yom Kippur. I was cheating before, like drinking water and chewing gum. Also, would like to attend Shabbat Services on regular basis.

Yep, I discovered the Flying Spaghetti Monster Church. I'm an atheist and proud to be it. I love to mock other's religions. Religion is dumb.

Reading Exodus and visiting Israel this summer reaffirmed my love for Israel. Reading Exodus was like reading the bible for me.

My spiritual journey continues. My work with college age students consistently leads to questions regarding the role of faith in the process of maturation. My students go through significant cognitive dissonance when their faith runs up against the values of the majority population here in Missouri. "I just want to be a good Muslim," "I am a good Buddhist, but the barriers within America are so tough," "Where do I fit into the college environment as a Jew," "We Sikhs are so alone here," "Hinduism is devalued by my friends," are all statements I've heard this past year. Assisting them in their spiritual preservation has been heart rendering at times. I hope that I've been able to help in some way.

Did boomers for the first time.

I have had a growing knowing that when I put aside the fear and anxiety and send out a request into the universe, I usually get a positive answer, that often it's a surprise, different from my expectation but one that is more satisfying and inclusive. It usually shows up quickly, and this year I've noticed it more than previously. My husband took me up in his airplane and the entire electric system failed. I did not panic or check out rather watched and trusted that all was right in God's universe. he landed the plane safely. Money was a roller coaster adventure but instead of getting undone when the cupboards were dusty and the accounts went dry, I spoke of my need and was rewarded by trusting. We bought a hanger, paid our sons hefty tuition, and mike changed jobs. during one of the worst financial periods in the last fifty years.

Maybe just that, I can feel my longing for God like a thirst in my body.

The only thing I can acknowledge was my trip to Europe-going to church on Christmas in Spain and listening in this ancient cathedral the mass in spanish. Going to the Vatican and seeing the high church there. but being struck by how much symbolism is in the church. Fascinating. I wouldn't call these experiences personally spiritual,though. I guess the personally spiritual past for me this year was the overwhelming feeling of syncronicity and that as I moved toward something there were energies coming toward me to help,or situations presenting themselves.

I see God everyday in all things and in all experiences. Everyday is a gift and a blessing no matter what happens good or bad. I have seen God move in my life and take me where His will will be done, not mine.

hmmm...not really. i guess religion/spirituality has sort of taken a backseat this year.

No specific particular experiences come to mind. I do find myself enjoying religion more though. I enjoy Shabbat services now more than I have in the past. I think I enjoy the constancy and the familiar rhythm of how the service progresses. It is stable. I know the progression. There are no curve balls.

The Tashlich service was wonderful and uplifting!

went to church and read the bibel and prayed for strenght on the tractor it made me feel good

I don't really know what to say about this. I have put this question off till the last day. It is the last hour actually that i can even answer it. I have been thinking about this damn question for days. I am writing in short and sweet sentences because i feel even now i am stalling. Basically i can sum it up as this: I am not a religious person, and it is really hard for me to think of a spiritual situation. But Maddie just explained to me that a *spiritual experience* could be a moment where you seem to have an out of body experience. I finally knew what i had to write about. It was during our trip to Montana. It was our first night there, in Cody. I was on the phone with Maddie and i told her "you really should see this, it feels like someone is opening up the sky just for me to see the stars" I looked all around and there was sooo many clouds that were hiding the wonders of the sky from everyone. But there was a HOLE in the sky right above me. I wish i could write down what this meant to me, but it is just not coming out right. But basically i think she thought i was kidding about how amazing this was to me at the time. and of course like my normal self i joked about it, thus giving her full reason not to understand what i meant about how wonderful i felt. I literally felt like for the 15 hours i had driven all the way up to the NORTH, and for whatever reason there was something out there or some reason that made me feel special. Made me feel like i was the only person out there who got to see this beautiful sky. I wish i could have shared this with her, but hopefully i will be able to have an experience like this but completely new in itself. I guess the post that i thought i had the least to say, is the longest. I am glad i saved this for last.

everything. i think most anything significant is a time to think. I am not sure how everyone else processes things, but me it with my mind and heart. and when those to combine this time for reflection is always spiritual. and living in such a loud and busy house i take so many quiet moments and enjoy them, and then give thanks for them.

i met a woman cantor debbi who has spiritually effected me. she will be marrying us. i hope she is great. other than that, not really. i learned that even though i am trying to be more religious, being a reform jew is fine and where i belong.

It is hard to say. Tripping was pretty much the closest I have come to have anything beyond human experience. Also the death of my grandma Nina.

My trip to Israel included many spiritual experiences. Some of which include watching the sun rising over Masada and standing at the Western Wall. I was shocked at how powerful it was to be in the presence of the Wall.

i am almost 8 months pregnant, and feeling a living being kicking inside me is so miraculous...and makes me feel more spiritually connected than I believe anything ever has. i feel like daily i have spiritual experiences...seeing the sliver of moon tonite, the sunset in sante fe last night, the beauty and smell of a rose openning, the taste of a freshly roasted chili pepper, all point to the magic of this universe. for me when i open my heart to the everyday miracles - the awesomeness of our world, it is so easy to believe in a higher power...it is not necessarily religious for me, but definitely spiritual.

I've walked in nature, I swam in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, I've seen the beauty of a Nebraska lighting storm streaking horizontally across the plains. I feel grateful for the gifts of life, nature, beauty, and kindness every single day. I am not always happy, but I always know that I am lucky. I am blessed.

MANY! A particular one, however, was at Agape church. I was surely lost in the idea that one more job was gone, I had no money, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I prayed heartily to ask God for guidance and a sign that would show me the way I needed to go. After service, I was shopping around in the bookstore and was guided to a particular shelf. I told myself my answer was there, and I started scanning the books. One of the books stood out as not matching the others, and I picked it out. It was a book on pastoral counseling. I noticed there were marks in it, and that it was also a $30 book. I couldn't afford that, but I wondered if it was at a used price. I asked at the register if they sold used books, and if there was a different price for this book. they said they didn't know how that book got there and that they normally don't sell used items. I asked if they would sell it to me, and the gentleman said "just give it to her for $10." I could afford that! I started to cry in line, and I even told the woman behind me the story. she looked at me kinda funny, but I was on another level. this was a huge sign... I am actually from a background of psychology. I still wonder if this meant I should also be a pastor or go to seminary. I have always wanted to preach to congregations... and for some reason there is still some doubt with what seems like an obvious sign to me.

I've started to study Gemara.

I realized that my life is as good as it is because I've dedicated myself to being of service. I also discovered I can stand my own company. I was in a movie theatre [by myself] watching previews, ipod on, listening to "Time of our Times" by Badly Drawn Boy and I had a moment... a moment of happiness, surrender and acceptance. I realized that NOONE could've have told me this is where I'd be and this is how I'd feel... G-d has a life in store for me. My job, it seems, is to show up, be of service, love and have fun. The rest of it is G-d's business.

I watched the birth of my first grandchild and was given the tools with which to cut the umbilical cord from my daughter to her daughter. It was not only deeply emotional, but I felt in a real way that I was releasing my daughter to be the woman and mother she is destined to become. It was bittersweet - letting someone I love so much go into her own destiny, knowing we had turned a page in our relationship forever - she's not a baby anymore - she's a grown woman and a mother and a wife. I got a small insight into the way the Creator allows us to go into our lives knowing we may or may not feel the need to call out for help again.

For my girlfriend and my year anniversary, we drove four hours to a small town on the outskirts of Arizona, in the middle of march. I hadnt taken any time to see snow last winter, so being able to walk around seeing my breath with the crunching sound of snow underneath my sneakers was refreshing. The epiphany of the moment reminded me how much I needed to escape my daily life to remember what is really important in life.

Nop.

I thought of my uncle one day this August,having not seen him for quite a few months.The last time I met him I was told that his health is degading as he has diabete and just had a heartbypass operation. Just moments after that, my cousin(his daughter)called to inform me that he is hospitalised. I went to visit him in the hospital and consoled him. He passed away the next day. When I share this instant with my cousin, the daughter told me my uncle was also telling her he had not seen me for quite a while and missed me recently.

no

I think a few. started doing a Melton Adult Jewish study course. it wasn't an immediate religious experience but through the year it has grown into a truly enriching one. read God is a verb and there's some amazing stuff in there. especially one mediation practice that he takes you through. doing the meditation was a singular spiritual experience. also realising the power that is held in the indictment not to speak lashon hara. once you grasp this and try to put it into practice you are immediately elevated.

In the days before Rosh Hashanah, I went with my family to the cemetery where my father, Jakob Mogilnik, z"l, is buried. I'm not sure if it's a religious or spiritual experience. It is always an awful one. I prefer to go with my children and my husband; I think I'm afraid to go alone. Taking my father's spirit of decency and commitment to justice with me, I went to Pennsylvania to knock on doors and make phone calls for Barack Obama, just before Rosh Hashanah. I very much considered that "praying with my feet."

Being with my family at services on Saturday mornings - and Friday nights - is spiritual for me, as often as I can manage to go. We didn't go often in August because my husband had surgery, and it was draining for him to be out at night, but the week we did go back when he still had bandages across half his neck and we said prayers for his healing and all those who were ill and injured made me feel like it could really make a difference. And I haven't felt that way in at least two years.

No

yes. everyday single day i am somehow reminded that god exists. in nature, my children, my relationship with my husband, my close extended family, my blessed life.

Travelled to Israel, London, Rome, Paris, this year. I felt history rather than just remembered it. Realized that we are part of a story that is still being written and we are one chapter, one link in a chain stretching back through time.

no. but many people around me have. i dont get organized religion really. i mostly stay away from it. i think that people are often too consumed into it and cant see the reality around them. i've never had any religious experience and dont think that i ever will.

No. I've had experienced loads of crazy coincidences that make me almost sure there is 'something else' though.

No.

When Elisa's dad ended his life, and I attended the funeral. I was very confused about God, and about heaven, and about dying. The thought of life ending scared the shit out of me (still does, actually... probably still does for you, too, future Taryn). I didn't know if I could believe in a life after death, but I so desperately wanted to. Sometimes I felt like an angel for God. Every once in awhile, I could "make" things happen for me. I would think it and wish it and it would come true. One night, I fell asleep thinking of Elizabeth Smart, who had been missing 9 months (the media storm that surrounded her kidnapping had simmered, she was not on television anymore). It was a random thought to have. I prayed for her. (We were about the same age). I woke up early the next morning (I leave my TV on at night) to news that she was found safely. Literally, the next morning. I felt like an angel. I also could make the boy I wanted to talk to in high school magically show up in a desolate hallway in the middle of class sessions. But that was the only reason I could believe in God. And I had to chalk that all up to coincidence. Dying would still scare me. But at Elisa's dad's funeral, there was some part of the beautiful service that spoke to me. the pastor (preacher? w/e) said, in so many words, that God loves those who even deny that he exists. (I used to debate with Jonathan that God was fictional). I just felt so in touch with God at that moment... when I needed him the most (I was facing death right in front of me for the first time... I did not sit in on my grandparents' funerals). I still don't know if I believe in God, but just writing this down is confirming a faith in me right now. I'm sure I'll feel it even more in a year.

No, I have not. This year I went to a debate about the existence of God while at OU, and while I thought this would be a really enlightening experience, I was disappointed. The professor arguing in favor of God's existence did so through horrible reasoning and convinced me of absolutely nothing. Right now I am at a point where I sometimes believe in god, when the world seems to large and unbelievable to comprehend. But usually, in everyday life, it is very very hard for me to comprehend his existence or believe in it in any way.

Yes, saying Kaddish for my father. The year was both short and long. I was lonely in missing him; I was together in mourning with my family. I could feel his presence in my life, and in my prayers; And there was a hole in the universe that he once filled. I viscerally felt the impermanence of life, Yet also experienced the touch of the eternal.

No

I've been touched by the beauty of nature and by the kindness of friends and strangers.

Panic Attacks: flowing through the feeling of different identity's from my past

Yes Kol Nidre this year (written after Yom Kippur) Found I could lift myself to a spiritual level, and had patience and commitment to my davening. Hopemy prayers will be listened to and answered and my thanks to G-d received.

Czułam czuwanie dziadka

I went to a Buddhist temple for the first time, which was an amazing experience, and i think it changed my views on religion and the church as a whole

No - quite the opposite.

No :-(

I've recently begun to contemplate that when I look up at the stars, I'm looking into the universe as it was sometimes thousands, if not millions of years ago, and that I'm seeing far into the past before I was born. I never really considered it in that way until recently, and somehow I draw comfort from it.

Meeting Lee Barron was a spiritual experience, warming and deeply inspiring. Writing the beginnings of "Psalm" was akin to divine connection.

Yes. traveling to ISrael, jerusalem... Aish: learning and making a committment to more and observe more

I had a beautiful passover with family on the East Coast. I went to a traditional ortho wedding in Los Angeles that was sweet and wonderful. Everyday is spiritual for me.

No, sadly not.

I sat in the back seat of my friend Claire's Volvo, and I felt so at peace. The people around me were so genuine, the air wooshed through the 4-door sedan. It was a beautiful time. I also traveled to Thailand, and there I learned a lot about myself. As I watched my students' faces while working on diction, I learned that I should be a teacher someday.

No, quite the contrary!!! I'll probably end up leaving it all by this time next year, it feels as if I'm just going along for the ride.

My daughter was Batmizvahed and converted which was really her experience but I had the honor of participating in it. This year I have been reassessing my spiritual practices and am still in that process. I need to spend more time in the coming year focusing on my spiritual life.

No... except for the confirming that attitude is everyting... that negative views or thoughts will result in failure and positive thoughts and views won't guarranty success but will provide hope and happiness... my view that I am too dumb to know I should be unhappy is actually that I have learned that happiness is a choice you can choose despite any circumstances!

Morning and Evening prayer for 11 months

It's not necessarily a spiritual experience, but I've written more than usual this year, and also have a new-found appreciation for Chabad. My meditations continue, but a bit more sporadically now.

i made my final project about dreams, i think that our dreams reflect on our life, i believe in the power of our dreams

Not really, that's always been a quiet area for me.

On the contrary, this year my belief on religion and the spiritual has declined greatly. This year has been greatly idle with very few experiences, so I have to answer no.

YES, in July 2008, Roger and I went to Lake Louise and I specifically dwelled on how to reslove things with Norman. Although I did not come out of that trip right away weith the answer, I had a most awesome experience feeling HaShem in the stillness and the gradiose of the mountains which calmed me and infused me with a love and depth I hadn't ever felt. It was a beautiful feeling.

Not really. Recently lying on Billy's bed staring at his ceiling I realised that catastrophe could strike at any moment and the world could end. I could end. The people I love could end. And whilst it was disconcerting it didn't really scare me.

No. I wish I could say that I had been awestruck by scenery so beautiful, it hit me at another level. I have never felt so completely disconnected from the idea of a higher being. I used to think it was fine to be spiritual and agnostic, because religion is a man-made creation, therefore doomed to failure for its imperfections. Now, I think it's bullshit to say spirituality is the way to go over religion, because spirituality is the same thing. I doubt even more now than I ever have before that there is anything out there, but I wish I could believe in the power of something, because I would find that would give me more hope than anything else. I hope that I can find something to believe in that will give me hope, because I don't think you can be happy without some level of hope, and as of right now, everything seems pointless.

I have been more attracted to renewing and reconnecting with being observant in my judaism

I just feel I am more spiritualized. But I dont no why

This was the year that I spent figuring out exactly how I want to incorporate Jewish traditions into my secular life. This, ironically, was the most significant religious experience that I've had to date. I want to continue to refine this so that I feel at peace with my version of a Jewish life. Jewish music in synagogue is still the most powerful tool that my community has to give me overwhelmingly beautiful feelings of spirituality.

I have not and I have thought about my commitment to my faith often. I've been leaning farther and farther away from Christianity - due to stereotypes that I see playout within the Christian community as well as other factors. I've been on this self-governing path for some time now - a journey of self-discovery that has somehow limited my connection to religion. I have found comfort in convening with believers, praying about likeminded concerns, causes...however I've been exploring alternative religious experiences, like meditation and yoga and have been interested in learning more about Buddhism - possibly even converting.

No, not really. I don't really go in for much religious/spiritual things. I have realised though that being yourself and not being afraid of that and what other people think is the way forward.

Yeah, a funeral. I'd never been this involved in death, and it gave me a new outlook on what happens next

It would seem so.

Not really. I've moved away from Christianity that I was moving toward last year and returned more to the searching of the metaphysical. I want a significant spiritual experience, but I don't think I've ever had one.

not really, in fact i was upset by problems of membership at my templle and ended up leaving and i am looking for a new spiritual home now.

Yes, I've taken up meditation and slowly found my way towards quieting my mind and being more present. The results have been my ability to expand my awareness and live with less emphasis on time. Also, I've had some amazing revelation about my perception of reality while ingesting psychotropic mushrooms as well as smoking salvia. I believe such chemical compounds allow for a removal of the veil that shields my consciousness from the truth of my existence. A few epiphany have included a greater understanding of my attachment to people or emotions, my purpose in life as well as how much harmony there really is in my path so far.

Yes, I read A New Earth which brought to the forefront a spiritual consiousness...a sereness and an erergy...for a short time before i defaulted back to my usual anxious state fueled by an over active ego

no

In roughly the last year, I discovered meditation. I don't do it enough (if, at all), but I recognize when it happens, whether when I'm taking a moment to myself, or exercising on the spin bike. I'm not sure it's what I'd call religious or spiritual, but I do realize I would like to have more of them. Separately, when I first moved to Los Angeles last fall, I worked on a story for a magazine about rabbis in LA. I started investigating local temples and meeting with rabbis and I recognized how integral the Jewish faith is really to my personhood. I don't think enough about going to temple for services and, really, I should. I never thought it would, but it gives me a sense of family and comfort in a city that's not really yet my own. One night this year, I went to the gay and lesbian temple in West Hollywood. A transgender rabbi spoke, and, honestly, her courage truly blew my mind as well.

I have had my home blessed.

After working for Hillel, I needed a break from Jewish. I reconnected with Judaism after a several month hiatus by interning for Hillel. I realized that Jewish life was apart of my life--no matter what form it comes in. I am hoping to keep it in my life and find the community that I feel most comfortable. I don't want to be religious but want to continue to be social. I began wearing my gramma's jewelry and feel a desire to visit her grave. I am hoping to make this possible in the near future and connect with her again. I want to be more religious or spiritual but I feel alone. My parents don't support it and I think the only way I will keep Judaism around in my life is if I find someone Jewish to date/marry. I say that this isn't important to me but it really is. The only problem is that sometimes I don't feel Jewish enough for people.

No.

not a religious person at all. spiritual wise.....hmm.

the outpouring of love and support after my mom died. i'm not a christian, but she was, and the reaction of her church was inspiring. it really showed me the meaning of true christian spirit. and it showed me how one person leading a simple life, can affect and touch so many others on a deep personal level.