Not all who wander are lost…
This line comes from J.R.R. Tolkien poem written in The Fellowship of the Ring, “Not all those who wander are lost"(full poem below), could describe the journey of a faith shifter. It can look like aimless wandering because the path is not yet clear, with no map, different routes to take or try, no “leader” telling you what to do/think or which way to go. A faith shift wander is more akin to a pioneering wilderness adventure, a journey of discovery of self, other and what some call God.
I have worked with so many people on the faith shifting journey. I host faith shift groups - authentic spaces where a small group of people share their experiences, changing faith and beliefs in a non judgmental space. Where questions and doubts are welcomed and each can process where they’ve come from, where they have landed and where they might be going. I also facilitate online retreats and in person retreats - mindful contemplative spaces for those on the faith shifting journey. This new faith shifting space is sometimes disorientating, sometimes illuminating, sometimes exciting and sometimes terrifying. It offers new horizons and dead ends but a way forward from where we no longer fit or can authentically belong. Many us find belonging again in these wandering spaces, with other wanderers, who are moving on into something new, re-discovering what is real, helpful, good and life giving and draws us closer to that great mystery of love both within and beyond that seems to connect us.
If you would like to join the next online Faith Shift Group contact me at anna@livelightdwelldeep.org or check www.livelightdwelldeep.org for retreats I am offering this year to meet others on this journey of recovery and discovery.
Here are a few things I’ve found helpful on my contemplative journey of sifting and re-imaging my christian faith:
Take your time, go slow, there is no hurry.
Give yourself a break from figuring it all out, allow some recovery time.
Pay attention, within and without, notice as much as you can.
Get curious. Try things out. Play. Explore.
Spend time with others on the journey - know you are not alone.
Don’t underestimate the wisdom within yourself.
Spend time in quiet and solitude, draw on nature.
Learn to live the questions and release the need for immediate answers.
Lean into the liminal - the in-between - both the comfortable and uncomfortable.
Let this journey teach you about yourself, others, life and love.
If you would like more of this kind of content - sign up to my mailing list and if you would like to join a Faith Shift Group CLICK HERE.
Here is the full version of Tolkein’s poem from The Fellowship of the Ring:
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring