Four Steps to Becoming Relig-ish

Rachelle Mee-Chapman, author of the new book Relig-ish: Soulful Living in a Spiritual-But-Not-Religious World, is a spiritual director to the so-called “nones” (people with no religious affiliation). She offers these four steps toward becoming what she calls relig-ish:

1. Get Curious: When you are exploring your relig-ish path, it helps to be exceptionally curious. When you bump into a spiritual practice that you want to explore don’t ask if it’s “right” or “wrong.” Instead ask, how might this work for me? What might it bring me? How might I adapt it to be right-fit for my life?
2. Trust Your Gut. A key relig-ish shift is to move away from external authority and move toward internal authority. Instead of trusting a priest, an expert, a leader—trust your gut. What does your body say about a new practice or adjusted belief? Is there ease in your shoulders? How does your breath respond? This internal guidance is key to building a relig-ish life.
3. Embrace Mystery. Whether you are religious or relig-ish it’s going to take some faith. There will be spiritual things you don’t yet understand and questions that don’t yet have answers. Don’t wait until you know it all, step into the mystery. (It’s the way to knowledge.)
4. Repeat, repeat, repeat.