. I, _\ __ r; 12 | Out in the Mountains |December 2000 Burlington ’ 850-6350 Montpelier 229-5220 JOSIE JUI-IASZ, MA Lic. Psychologist - Master LYNN GOYETTE, Ms, MA Lic. Clinical Mental Health Counselor BILL lVlCBROOlVl, MSW Lic. Clinical Social Worker insurance accepted sliding fee scale Ala COUNSELING CENTER or NORTHERN VEnMoNT - Susan McKenzie MS. Licensed Psychologist—Master Experienced therapist specializing in the individual and relationship issues of Lesbian Women and Gay Men Quechee 802 .295-5533 Insurance Accepted-Sliding Fee Scale Michael Gigante, Ph.D. Psychosynthesis Counseling, Psychotherapy, 8 Consultation (802)254-8032 53 Myrtle S_t., Brattleboro, VT 05301 email mgigante@together.net Janet Langdon, M. Div. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy - Pastoral Counseling Individuals & Couples Piver Road, Putney, VT 05346 802-387-5547 %_ 8 Feminist Theranv 7 Leah Wittenberg ' Licensed Mental Health Counselor Psychotherapy -for individuals and couples 82 Church St., Burlington sliding fee scale O2)658-9590 ext.4 FAITH MATTERS In the reverend clirlsllne leslle Faith Matters and SourceMatters The best definition I’ve ever heard for the word “spirituali- ty” comes from a book entitled Coming Out Spiritually: The Next Step by Christian De La - Huerta. This is a book by a gay man who believes, as I do, that coming out spiritually is the next step of maturation for the GLBT community. Many GLBT folks have tabled, even arrested, their spiritual matura- tion process because of the magnitude of abuse they have received at the hands of patho- logical theologies. In spite of this terrible reality coming to terms with our spiritual orien- tations is just as important, just as essential, as coming to terms with our sexual and gender ori- entations if we are to know genuine wholeness and health in our lives. A De La Huerta’s definition is this: spirituality is the willing- ness to be sourced by some- thing other than ourselves. This definition reverberates so ‘truthfully for me that I tell as many people as I can about it. This definition never fails to convey the authenticity on which it rests. It is‘ broad enough to include every spiri- tual path known to humanity and clear enough to convey ' that not a one-of us can live well without being sourced by something other than our- selves. I believe that The Beloved Creator of All Life intended each of us to struggle with and define for ourselves what the sources “other than ourselves” need to be. In fact, I believe the purpose for a spiritual being having a human experience is all about doing the work of figuring out what sources other than our- selves really deepen, strength- en, and nurture our relationship with The Beloved Creator, our planet, each other, and our- selves. This is the spiritual journey about which so many speak but few ever really define, and it’s why there are as many spiritual paths as there are. Some of us are sourced by beautiful music, while others of us are sourced by the vast and astounding world of nature and our universe. Some of us are sourced by religious rituals, traditions and scriptures, while others of us are sourced by serving others out of a deep compassion for their plights. Some of us are sourced by._ being actively involved in jus- tice-making, while some of us are sourced by living quiet lives of prayerful reflection. Some of us are sourced_by being artists, writers, dancers, and visionaries, while some of us are sourced by the work of such people. Some of us are sourced by serving as guides and mentors to those seeking authentic lives, while some of us are sourced by giving back double portions of what we have received. I hope that it is obvious by now that there is no single, one and only one way to be sourced ' by something other than our- selves, in spite of what_many Swedish Massage LEON 0. ‘‘LEE'' RAMEY, LMT, NCTMB NATIONALLY CERTIFIED IN THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE & BODYWORK NATL CERT. # 15-5067-O0 ' MEMBER FSMTA Middlebury, VT 802-388-9760 802-777-6399 BOB GREEN M.A. LICENSED CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR South Burlington (802) 658-2390 _ , (800) 830-5025 Individuals and Couples Practice limited to male clientele THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE William Coil, NCMT 802-658-2390 800-830-5025 religious traditions preach and teach. It is important to note, however, that being sourced by" something other than ourselves does not include gorging our- selves onthings that do not really source us in the ways we need to be sourced. What we choose to be sourced by does make a qualitative difference. Those who choose to be sourced by too much money, food, power, drugs, alcohol, status, and/or stuff tend to wonder why they wake up feel- ing empty and unfulfilled when the time comes to take stock of how they have lived their lives. Learning the differences between the junk-food sources, and the nutritional sources is a big part of the spiritual journey. This December, as we con- sider where we are in our spir- itual journeys, I hope we‘ will all make time to consider what sources other than ourselves really matter to us, really nour- ish and strengthen us in our daily lives and relationships. In so doing, we will deepen a faith that matters and makes a difference inour lives for the better. . Perhaps we might not over- spend any of our precious resources this holiday season in pursuit of that which really does not source us after all. Perhaps we might even experi- . ence a truly sacred and holy holiday season as we ponder‘ what it means to be spiritual beings having a human experi- ence. Rev. Christine Leslie, a pas— . toral counselor in private practice near Burlingt0n,Co- director of The Samadhi Singers, & the Protestant Campus Minister at U Vll/I, can be reached at 802-860-7106 or revcsl@a0l.c0m. V