For me, growing up as a human being is synonymous with spiritual struggles. Finding one's identity includes finding one's belief, or lack of it, and everything in between... As children, our developing intelects find gaps and mysteries everywhere, and often we are presented with the mystical as a way to fill such gaps and unravel the mysteries of our existence. Spirituality is our heritage as humans ever since the first people rose their gaze into the sun and started worshipping it.
I consider myself a very spiritual person, even though I don't align with any kind of institutionalized faith. However, growing up was hard for me in this aspect. I come from a household with very strict catholic principles, and that can be hard to deal with when it comes to asking questions and doubting all that is presented.
My grandfather gifted me with a great library that included several occultism volumes that my mom tried to keep out of my hands as much as she could (unsuccessfully, I must add); and books are gateways to so much ideas which don't often get along well with rigid dogmas as those of religions.
I jumped from a deep belief in the church to sympathy for the occult to paganism to sheer atheism while I was finding my identity. In my late teenage years hatred against religion grew on me, and I loathed even my mom for believing in "such nonsense".
But I've grown and learnt that life and truth have many ways, that everyone copes with their hardships in their own way. So I made this collages some time ago to celebrate that I finally developed enough empathy to understand my mother and her belief. I used these as covers for a notebook that I gave her as a gift
Nowadays I enjoy very much reading Joseph Campbell, and identifying and deconstructing the myths around me. It has given me the opportunity of seeing that the myths of the catholic church, those of cleansing through suffering, of surrendering to a higher power, of love and submission, of being born defective, longing for sanctity; still linger within me.
Myths have this filthy habit of hiding in our subconscious minds, driving our actions, but bringing them forth and acknowledging the power they can have over us is the first step to breaking free of their chains, leaving behind the toxic aspects and taking with us only what is positive to our desired ways of living.
