The Interfaith Journey

by: Jared Kinikini

Standing at the precipice of this new age, one can’t help sensing somewhat daunted, or even, bewildered. Maybe, you also feel as if you don’t even have a clue as to how, or in what ways, your life will change with the dawning of the new day. The world is transforming right before your very eyes in ways that seem to render everything that you know, or think you know, as immaterial for the exigencies of the moment. It’s as if the word OBSOLESCENCE was the recurring news headline, staring at you every morning over your coffee, printed on a newspaper that is itself, obsolete, and no longer in existence! What does it all add up to? If the news of the day is spewing out information to us at a rate so fast that it doesn’t make sense for us to even print it out anymore, does that make it any less real? Or, are all of the world’s events just destined to be contained and recorded in some digital archive, the magnetic resonances of nonsensical ones and zeroes bouncing around in the cloud?

Oddly enough, I find solace in the wisdom of the ancients. Words, which were sputtered off thousands of years ago, and yet, still hold validity and relevance today, seem to help the whole metabolic process of ingesting today’s hyper-reality. Perhaps the fact that within the words of these ancient sages there are messages and lessons that are still applicable for us here today in modernity only adds to their austere permanence. Those juxtapositions are tested truths from ages past with the circumstances of today. Nevertheless, we need to see if they still hold true as that process renders the impermanence of today’s world into a much more substantial and digestible palate. Much like pairing a meal with a wine of a rare and superior vintage, the gastronomic effect is optimized. This analogy then, precludes the question of whether or not wisdom and truth ever become obsolete, because, like many fine wines, they seem to just get better with age.

Indeed, when sensing puzzlement, and even cluelessness, if we pay attention to the echoes of the past, we may still yet have a pointer, a sign, a clue, or maybe just an inkling that helps us move forward! An allusion to the Greek myth of Ariadne and her life-saving spool of thread seems to be the perfect allegory in which to illustrate and shed light onto our present situation. If you will recall, the Princess Ariadne saves Theseus from getting lost in the Labyrinth and getting eaten by the Minotaur. She does this by giving him a spool of thread that he could and did use in order to navigate his way out of the fabled maze. By using the thread, Theseus marked where he was going by knowing where he had already been, and thereby deduce where the dead-ends were and so on. So, using that innovative but simple tool that Ariadne had given him, Theseus navigate his way through the twists, turns, and dead ends of the convoluted labyrinth to finally escape and gain his freedom once again.

Ancient mythologies are a never ending source of profound psychological insights. Indeed, the majority of mythologies are, in fact, allegories that describe various processes within the human psyche and are meant to guide human growth and spiritual development, which is much like what organized religions could and sometimes does aim to do in today’s world. So, in order to find our way through the Labyrinth that is existence, or even, the puzzle of what it means to be human, what we need, much like Theseus, is a tool that helps us move forward. This spool of thread can mark our path, as we travel, and guide us, show us the places that we have been, and compels us into the direction that we should go in order to find our liberation. This pointer can guide us through the weave of time and space and we can thereby understand better the fabric of our reality. But what is this thread?

The thread that weaves its way connecting peoples, cultures, and civilizations, throughout history is what is known as the Truth of Spiritual Wisdom. The world’s religions and philosophical schools have sought to define what truth is and how it is best applied into our lives. These truths have manifested themselves repeatedly throughout all of the spiritual wisdom traditions and religions and no single one faith can claim a monopoly on it. Take for example the Golden Rule, it can be found in almost every religion and wisdom tradition, in one form or another, with a precision of fidelity that is truly uncanny. This is an example of a truth that is both, timeless, and universal, and is a commonality that is shared throughout humanity.

Religion that is not focused on its spiritual wisdom can become a point of divisiveness. Many see the negative aspects of exclusivity that to often accompanies the practices of organized religion but we also recognize they have also have often found important truths that exist in its many forms. Unfortunately, at other times, many of these same institutions have sought to either hide those truths for the edification of themselves only, or alternately, have tried to force their negative views onto others. However, with that being said, Truth found in Spiritual Wisdom is a truth that can help us navigate our way through the twists, turns, and dead ends of the convoluted labyrinth of life to finally escape and gain our way to a life worth living. This application of the Truth of Spiritual Wisdom is wisdom in action for us to use.

Indeed, it seems that in order to navigate your way through the onslaughts and rigors, the twists and the turns, the dead-ends and already travelled paths, it is helpful to utilize the tools that have been left to us by generations past. So, if the cacophony of the choir and the pontifications from the pulpit have failed to ameliorate our existence and edify our soul, do not be discouraged. There is another way to spiritual ascension and progress. The key is to find the common thread that weaves its way through time and space, through cultures and civilizations, and through mythologies and religions. This is what the Interfaith is all about. It seeks the common truths of that all traditions share. It looks for and finds the bridges that can be built between all religions and philosophical schools. Indeed, Ariadne has left her thread, weaving it through the weft and warp of time’s fabric, not discriminating from culture to culture, and it is up to us to use it as we discover our why out of our life’s labyrinth.

Interfaith is about philosophy but more significantly it is a venue by which you can conduct a broad and comprehensive survey of man’s pursuit for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, throughout the ages. With discerning inquiries that go beyond religious rites that were practiced in man’s prehistory in caves and artfully created buildings of today and beyond the extremely regimented religious castes who built the monolithic wonders of Stonehenge and the Pyramids, you will realize that our very DNA has encoded the human quest for transcendence from our earthly realm. From pre-history, to paganism, to monotheism, and on to philosophy, the quest for truth is the tie that binds us all together. So, consider Interfaith as the means to seek the most challenging but nevertheless the most practical truths that are always front and center for humankind. Why not endeavor and aspire to study the various wisdom, faith, and philosophical traditions in order to see how, essentially, they speak the same truths, but in their various different ways? It is the ultimate journey for those who wish to be or are seekers. To see how you can start this mind and soul expanding journey of becoming an interfaith minister, please go to interfaithacademy.org for more details.

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