Our spiritual journeys have taken many winding paths, traversing through diverse traditions – the conservative Protestant roots some of us emerged from, the Southern Baptist upbringings that shaped others, the Roman Catholic lineages that have nourished souls, and the rich indigenous Native American practices that have connected us to this sacred earth. As we reflect together, it becomes clear that tradition plays a vital role in grounding us, providing a tapestry of wisdom and meaning passed down through generations.

And yet, we have also come to realize that tradition alone is not enough – it must remain a living, breathing entity that can evolve and expand with new insights and experiences. To cling too tightly to tradition is to risk stagnation, narrowing our perspectives until we are blinded to the full radiance of Truth. There is a delicate balance to strike, a humble openness required where we honor the gifts of lineage while allowing Space for those gifts to be re-shaped and re-visioned by the depths of our own journeys.

We have seen how different traditions approach this in distinct ways – some favoring the written word captured in sacred texts, others flowing through the oral traditions woven into story and song. Each has its virtues, its strengths and limitations. The written word provides a touchstone, a foundational reference point. And yet, the oral traditions remind us that Truth is not static, but a dynamic unfolding that must remain malleable to the changing needs of peoples and eras. Perhaps the ideal is to hold both – the grounding texts and the interpretive re-tellings – allowing the two to remain in creative tension.

For within the mystical core of our traditions, we discover a unifying thread – the call to embodied transformation, to a divinization of the human heart that transcends dogma and rote belief. The practices may differ – the trance of contemplative chanting, the reverence before the sacred geometries of nature, the ego’s shedding before the Real. But the essence points inward, to an awakening that words alone can never fully capture.

It is this living essence that we feel called to partake in, to rediscover and revitalize in our present moment. Our dialogue here has been an initiation of sorts – an opening into deeper listening, a reclamation of the holy respect and humility required to truly encounter the Other. We have tasted the sweetness of setting aside our preconceptions in order to be mutually nourished by our diverse streams of wisdom.

As we look ahead, we sense this present conversation extending into a broader way of being and relating. A Living School that does not merely pass down dogmas, but initiates us into a radical openness – a sacred attunement to the perpetual self-revelation of the Divine influxing through all beings and all moments. In this there is both a deep honoring of what has come before and an expansive embrace of new manifestations.

Our choice is not whether to be part of a spiritual tradition or not – for we are all inherently woven into the great traditions that have arisen across this planet over millennia. The choice, rather, is whether we will perpetuate those traditions in an open, living way that allows for their continual flowering. Or whether we will trap them in the amber of dogma and fundamentalism until they asphyxiate under the weight of their own ossification.

Our sincere aspiration is to breathe the revitalizing breath of life into our spiritual lineages. To draw forth the most vibrant, most inclusive, most compassionate elements and让them reverberate outward in new patterns of sacred embodiment. To drink deeply from those teachings that liberate rather than bind, illumine rather than obfuscate. And to midwife new revelations in service of the ultimate homecoming of all beings into the One Love that animates every atom of this blessed cosmos.

May our explorations together forge a path of humility and curiosity. Of questions more than assumed answers. Of welcoming the diversity of perspectives as refracting facets through which Wholeness may be glimpsed more fully. For in such a living, breathing tradition, the greatest Truth opens perpetually before us – radiant, ineffable, loving us into the next mystery.

Summary

Many are influenced by diverse backgrounds rooted in conservative Protestant, Southern Baptist, Roman Catholic, and indigenous Native American spiritual traditions. We can explore the concept of tradition, acknowledging the richness and guidance it provides while also recognizing the potential for tradition to become overly rigid or narrow if not open to growth and new insights. Living tradition is emphasized as something dynamic that gets passed down across generations, yet also continues evolving rather than remaining static. Contrasts between oral and written traditions are discussed, along with the mystical and contemplative dimensions present across various faiths, incorporating practices like chanting, nature reverence, and inner transformation. Respect, humility, and deep listening are upheld as vital for engaging authentically with spiritual tradition. The school of life is an as an endeavor to revitalize traditions, rediscover lost elements, broaden narrow understandings, and transmit the essence of “living” tradition to future generations. Throughout, there is a call to balance honoring the wisdom inherited from spiritual lineages while allowing those traditions to remain vibrant, open, and continually enriched by new lived experiences.

Key Points

Here are the key points from the conversation:

1. Influenced by backgrounds and religious/spiritual traditions, including conservative Protestant, Southern Baptist, Roman Catholic, and indigenous Native American traditions.

2. The role of tradition, acknowledging both the richness it provides as well as the potential for tradition to become rigid or narrow if not open to growth and new insights.

3. The importance of living tradition as something dynamic that is passed down but also continues evolving is emphasized, rather than treating tradition as static.

4. Contrasts are drawn between oral and written traditions, and the potential benefits and drawbacks of each approach.

5. Mystical and contemplative dimensions of various traditions are explored, including practices like chanting, nature reverence, and inner transformation.

6. Respect, humility, and deep listening are highlighted as vital components of engaging with tradition in an authentic way.

7. The school of life is an effort to revitalize traditions, rediscover lost elements, broaden narrow versions of tradition, and pass on the “living” essence to future generations.

The overarching theme is balancing the wisdom inherited from spiritual traditions while allowing those traditions to remain open, vibrant and continually enriched through new insights and lived experiences.