Mythology
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. Please share a historical story that inspires you. If you discovered that the story was historically inaccurate (or even untrue in some fundamental way) how much would it matter to you? Would it change your feelings toward it?
2. What is a myth that you have lived with that has been unhelpful for your spiritual, intellectual or emotional growth? Have you found another story to replace it?
3. A ritual is a direct participation in a myth. It is something that the human psyche longs for. If we don’t create rituals for ourselves consciously, then we’ll do it unconsciously…What is a ritual that you have consciously chosen for yourself? How is it serving you? Upon reflection, what is a ritual that you have unconsciously chosen for yourself? How is it serving you?
4. A principal function of mythology is to give meaning and direction to what is unknown. Religion has its mythology, art has its mythology, science has its mythology, etc. What’s one story that you have chosen to believe is true, regardless of its current ability to be known?
Simplicity
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. First off! Can you please explain the fundamental basis of your Spirituality as simply as you can?
2. There is nothing simple about choosing simplicity. What makes it so hard? What’s one thing that you could choose to do today to make your life more simple?
3. If one is good, more must be better! Have you ever considered that the reason the Interfaith movement is not more popular than it is may be due to a perceived complexity? Is Interfaith Spirituality its own unique form of Spiritual materialism?
4. No one wants things to be more complicated than they already are, but things sure do often move in that direction! What’s been your biggest challenge/or greatest insight while moving toward simplicity in your Spirituality?
5. Complication and disorder seem to be the antithesis to leading a simple life. However, these attributes are often what give life meaning and make us who we are. What’s something in your life that’s messy and cluttered, that you would have no other way?
Fate & Destiny
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. “Fate” is the root of words such as “fatalism” and “fatalistic”…but is also connected to words such as “fortune” and “providence.” What comes to mind when you consider the word fate?
2. Both the Oxford and Merriam/Webster Thesaurus states that it’s acceptable to use the words fate and destiny interchangeably. Do you agree or disagree?
3. What is something in your life that feels like fate and also something that feels like destiny? How is one affected (or influenced) by the other?
4. Does your current understanding of fate and destiny provide comfort; create anxiety (or a bit of both)?
The Quest
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. The search for meaning and connection to something larger than ourselves is hardwired into humanity. Why do you think that is? Why is it that we always seem to continue searching no matter what we find?
2. What is something you have discovered that continues to provide great meaning to your life (something that you can’t imagine letting go of)? What is something that you found that you had to let go of?
3. The quest is ongoing! What is something that you are still looking for?
4. Are you on a quest for truth or happiness? How are these motivations the same? How are they different?
Ancestors
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. Please speak about an elder relative that has passed along…What did they teach you? What are you carrying from them that you consider ancestral wisdom?
2. Also, please speak about someone who wasn’t a blood relative, but taught you as much (or more) than a relative. What did you learn from them that you still practice in your daily life?
3. Considering the Hillman quote…what do you feel deep in your soul that seems to be part of your ancestral heritage and personal story (regardless of where your biological family comes from)?
4. As you move toward becoming an ancestor; what would you like to be remembered for by your descendants/family?
Nature
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. Is having a connection with nature a large part of your religious and/or spiritual beliefs? If so, has it always been or did it change through time?
2. What is a spiritual understanding that has been unlocked for you by observing nature?
3. Has it ever felt like a struggle to reconcile your human nature with Nature?
4. Sometimes, the only way to learn is the hard way. What is the toughest lesson that nature has taught you?
Wonder
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. Can you describe a past experience that placed you in a state of pure wonder?
2. When was a time that while exploring something that you were wondering about, opened up a door to greater understanding?
3. It is generally understood that our sense of wonder declines with age. However, it has also been shown that this does not have to be the case. What do you practice in your life to cultivate wonder?
4. What do you still wonder about? What’s your favorite (open ended) “I wonder” question?
Belonging
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. What was something that you were introduced to as an adult that has since become a very large part of your life? What has it connected you to? How has it inspired/changed you?
2. Goethe (the poet/dramatist/polymath) stated; “Tell me with whom you associate and I will tell you who you are.” How have the groups that you have been interested in changed over time? What makes a community attractive to you now?
3. What is a community that you let go of? What did you gain by letting go? What did you lose?
4. Groucho Marx humorously said: “I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member!” Knowing where you belong and where you don’t is important. What is a community that you would like to explore, or get closer to?
Transformation
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. Change is a constant in this Universe and transformation is its natural function…Could you please share a current shift in thought, interest or action that you may be experiencing, or a cultural shift that seems positive at this time?
2. We change, we learn and we grow! As you contemplate the course of your inner life, what is the most transformative way in which you feel that you've changed?
3. Inner Transformation can come in short bursts of epiphany and rapture, but more often occurs in slow, undramatic and incremental movements. Can you please speak to a personal experience…fast, slow, or an example of both?
4. The Franciscan Father Richard Rohr says that the biggest disappointment that he has experienced as a priest is the lack of spiritual curiosity among his parishioners. He believes that spiritual curiosity holds the key to inner transformation. Do you agree? Can it sometimes be a slippery slope?
Pilgrimage
ChatWisdom Queries:
1. If you could leave right now on a spiritual pilgrimage, where would you go and why?
2. When was the last time (that by going out) you had an inner experience?
3. What’s one thing that you are still trying to figure out about your personal journey?
4. It’s been said by many that the journey itself is the destination. How do you feel about this statement?