A Liturgy for the Reluctant Explorer

A ritual for handing in your membership and finding your breath.

Note: If you have the time, I recommend re-reading Purity Club Dropout: The Joys of Being a Heretic before continuing on.

The Opening: Setting Down the Weight

I arrive here today with a heavy backpack. It is filled with the stones of “should,” the maps of certainties I no longer believe, and the fear of being found out.

I acknowledge the “Purity Club” that raised me. I honor the parts of it that tried to keep me safe, but I admit that the cage has grown too small for my soul.

[I take a deep breath and visualize setting the bag down.]

The Renunciation: Removing the Filters

Today, I peel back the filters that have blurred my vision:

• I set aside the Blueprint Filter. I will no longer treat my faith as a house that collapses if one brick is out of place.

• I set aside the “Common Sense” Filter. I refuse to be gaslit into believing my honest questions are a sign of rebellion.

• I set aside the Answer-Key Filter. I am done looking for “five steps to a better life” and am ready to look for a real, messy God.