What Does Your Spirituality Mean To You? A Bahá’í Perspective
Introduction by Cole Goodwin
Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.
Each week, spiritual leaders and learners will share their take on some of humanity's biggest questions, starting with: What does your spirituality mean to you? And ramping up into discussions about the nature of existence, the soul, the divine, and of course…a question as old as time itself: why are we here?
Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!
Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.
This Month's Question: What does your spirituality mean to you?
Why this question was chosen: This question asks us to examine what purpose and function our (faith, practice, belief system, philosophy) can serve in our lives. As well as how spirituality can guide our actions and way of walking in the world.
Jessica Waggoner Hoff is from White Salmon. She has been a member of the Bahá’í Faith for about twenty years, which is about the same amount of time that she has been a mother to her two grown sons. She lives in Husum with her husband Gary Hoff and dog Hilda. Jessica and Gary are bilingual, language teachers (English and Spanish).
Learn more at: gorgebahais.org. We also have one public and one private Facebook group for Bahá’ís in the Gorge.
The official website sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’í Faith in the United States is Bahai.us, and the official Website of the Worldwide Bahá’í Community is Bahai.org.
A Bahá’í Perspective
By Jessica Louise Waggoner Hoff
I have believed in God for as long as I can remember.
Maybe that was the influence of relatives who lived next door. They are Protestants and very loving people. I am sure that all made quite a positive impression on me in my early childhood.
I remember that after I had learned to write, I once composed a prayer on paper and then delivered it to God by putting it in the yard with some dirt on top. I did this all on my own accord.
My parents had grown up attending Mass regularly as well as Catholic school. Before I was born, Mom prayed each day for Dad to return from his deployment to Vietnam. Around the same time as his return, however, prayer disappeared from the family. My older sisters had been baptized but I was not. We had no affiliation with any religion as a family.
At age 15, I had an out-of-body experience in the course of a minor accident on a bicycle. I flew over the handlebars and just popped out of my body. Without my actual eyes, I peacefully watched myself falling. Then, I re-entered my body upon impact to the ground. I was banged up but conscious and just lied on the ground for a while to reflect on what had occurred.
Like the rest of my immediate family members, I was not affiliated with a religion at the time. When I later joined the Bahá’í Faith, I learned that 15 is the beginning of the age of spiritual maturity. I don’t think this is why I had the out-of-body experience; I think this could happen at any age. I do remember contemplating matters of the world more deeply at this age and onward though.
I believe all young people wake up to the world and all of its issues at this age. They begin wanting to make a difference in meaningful ways. Like many youths, unfortunately, I did not feel very powerful to initiate change in the world.
When I encountered the Bahá’í Faith in my late twenties, hope grew in me. I saw a Faith that was inclusive of all people and of other Faiths. Children and adults were actively working for positive changes in their own hearts and studying and teaching how to have good character. I know this can be done in all religious traditions and even in secular settings but this is where I saw people most active in the process.
One of the simple ways that I do this is with the aid of technology. I have an app, which was created by The Virtues Project® and is available to anyone for free: virtuesmatter.org. The material for all books, apps, and other programs created by The Virtues Project was mined from all the world’s religions, both from sacred texts and from oral traditions. How ironic to use a modern mobile phone to access the teachings from all the ages. It works though! These teachings guide me each day.
For these two decades, I have appreciated reading and reciting the prayers written by three central figures of Faith: The Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. SHOULD BE: For these two decades, I have appreciated reading and reciting the prayers written by three central figures of the Faith: The Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
My spirituality also gives me a framework to come to terms with the deaths of my friends and family as well as with my own eventual death. Both the out-of-body experience and my religion have helped me embrace a belief in the existence of an everlasting soul.
While I am still here, my Faith helps me live a better life. There are some vicious strains of anxiety running through my family lines. I was not able to dodge them in this life. My Faith helps me cope as an individual living well in this world and accompanying my sons as they strive to do the same.
I humbly offer this article as an individual and as a Bahá’í.
For more information on this religion, I encourage people to explore the websites below as well as the works written by the central figures of the Faith mentioned above: The Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Also, I encourage you to contact the administrative body called the Local Spiritual Assembly (LSA) of the Bahá’ís of Klickitat County at this email address: bahaiklickitat@gmail.com. We are here to serve all people residing in this county regardless of religious affiliation.
Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.
The Roundtable Mission and Vision
The goal of these roundtable writings is to:
Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.
The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…
This is not a place for arguing about dogma.
This is not a place for ‘hating on’ or putting other belief systems down.
This is not a place for excluding, discriminating, or promoting fear or violence towards other people based on their race, color, ethnicity, beliefs, faith, gender, sexuality, ability.
This is not a place for hatred.
This is not a place for fear.
The Spiritual Roundtable IS..
This IS a place for hope.
This IS a place for joy.
This IS a place for comfort.
This IS a place for big questions.
This IS a place for learning.
This IS a place for sharing.
This IS a place for caring.
This IS a place for sharing what is special about your beliefs.
CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.
If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com
