I had a surprising realization this morning: that I would have been grateful if my Hindu teacher had been familiar with the Christian baptismal service and its powerful implications – knowing that this had been my background – and encouraged me NOT to take initiation with him. To be a serious student of Vedanta or Buddhism is one thing; actually to be initiated with a Chosen Ideal other than Christ can cause cognitive and spiritual dissonance – and has done just that for me. Many people I respect most are open to the teachings of all faiths, respectful of all, but consistently claim a single identity in one tradition. I’ve come to feel that "mixing" – or trying to mix – can be unwise and interfere with the work of Spirit in our lives. — L.S., California

Dear L.S.,

Thank you for expressing a feeling that many people share in these times when we have the luxury of exploring the richness of spiritual traditions from throughout the world and across the ages. That expansiveness is cause for profound gratitude. Yet we also need, as always, a practice that concentrates us and draws us all the way down into a single well towards the Water which is the substratum of all. As you wisely note, each tradition has an energy signature all its own. Many of us find that developing an identity with a single one provides us the central axis and depth we need.

What’s interesting about your own dilemma is that – while writing about the dissonance you feel, as though two tides were colliding – you are actually taking a step back on to the beach. Your “surprising realization” makes you the observer of these tides. In that moment, you see that all along, you have most strongly identified with the loving mark bestowed on you by Christ at baptism. That very personal love characterizes your own path more than anything else.

At the same time, you wish that your Hindu teacher had recognized that initiating you might not “mix” with your Christian roots. By that recognition, you allow the two tides to separate again, and you plunge into the one most meaningful to you.

Others may take a different approach. For some people who are blessed with multiple initiations in different traditions, each new energy adds something essential to their spiritual life. The risk in multiple initiations is becoming scattered; the blessing is abundance. The risk in a single initiation is becoming narrow; the blessing is focus.

Each of us finds our own way on the continuum between a singular or multi-faceted orientation. As we progress, even our disappointments and uncertainties have much to teach us. Always, we can be grateful for the guidance within the depths of our hearts, speaking to us intimately and personally about the truest course for us towards a Home we all share.

Many blessings,
Patricia Campbell Carlson