I am a Tool Box Mystic

I used to be a Christian. I became disenchanted with the dogmas, so I left the tradition. But I found prayer and much of the imagery helpful, so I kept them.

I studied Buddhism for a while but I found I didn’t resonate with the idea that all life is suffering, so I put it aside — but I held onto the idea of meditation and mindfulness.

I studied Hermetic and ritual magick traditions, but I kind of found it populated by Edgelords and drama queens, so I tend to stay on the outside, now — but I find certain rituals and banishings really useful, so I still use them.

I call myself a Toolbox Mystic. I believe in a results-oriented spirituality. Use what works, set down what doesn’t.

I was accused by a family member in the ministry of worshiping “foreign gods.” By that he meant, not worshiping Jesus. I wanted to ask him if he knew Jesus was a foreign god. I mean, he sure wasn’t American. I also wanted to ask him why he used the word “foreign” as a pejorative, but I feel like there’s probably a lot going on inside him I didn’t want to get into…

I don’t worship any Gods at this moment. But, the people who do… the people who are a part of the various practices listed above and various practices not mentioned at all, aren’t evil, child-sacrificing, God-hating monsters. They were and are people just like you. They were raised with traditions that are important to them, want the best for their kids, and have a desire to embrace the unknown that’s as earnest and sincere as any Christian.

Partisanship isn’t just for politics. I feel religious partisanship is every bit as closed off, superstitious, and life-denying as political partisanship.

Part of my mandate in life is to show people that God doesn’t speak a certain language. Christians speak to him in prayer, Eastern religions use chants, and other traditions use rituals. He isn’t stumped or confused by any of it.

I’m not proselytizing. The world has enough of that. But if you’d like to be a toolbox mystic, I can tell you what I do, and maybe we can have decoder rings or membership cards we carry in our wallets. I don’t know. Hollar at me.