Monday, December 19, 2011

Which Spiritual Type Are You?


My walk with Christ has gone on for a whole lot of years now. In modern day Christianity, as with much everything else, there are fads, or popular ways of learning, teaching, discerning, etc. I'm sure most active Christians have taken a Spiritual Gifts Quiz/Test. Well, today I came across a Spiritual Types test, given on the Upper Room website. Quite interesting. My results:
You are a Mystic, known for your imaginative, intuitive spirituality. You value peace, harmony, and inner silence. Mystics are nurtured by walking alone in the woods or sitting quietly with a trusted friend. You may also enjoy poetry, meditation, wordless prayer, candles, art, books, and anything else that helps you connect with God.

Mystics experience God best through rich images and symbols. You are contemplative, introspective, intuitive, and focused on an inner world as real to you as the exterior one. Hearing from God is more important to you than speaking to God. Others may attribute human characteristics to God, but you see God as ineffable, unnamable, and more vast than any known category. You are intrigued by God's mystery.

Mystics want to inspire and persuade others, and need to live lives of significance. At times you push the envelope of spirituality, helping the rest of us imagine who we might become if we followed your lead.

Sometimes you may feel a bit guilty about your need for solitude and silence. If so, you probably have bought into the American myth that says being alone and doing nothing is lazy, antisocial, and unproductive. Stop it -- now. Give yourself permission to retreat and be alone. It's essential for your well-being.

On the other hand, don't get so carried away retreating that you become a recluse. That only deprives the world of your gifts and deprives you of the lessons that come from being with others. Some Mystics may have a true vocation for solitary prayer, but the rest of you need to alternate retreat time with involvement and interaction.

Of course, we can all take this for what it's worth, or you might want to actually stop and take the test yourself. I see it as fun and interesting. It was a kick to read of famous mystics listed:

Thomas Merton | Enya | John (the Gospel writer)
Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God)
Desert mothers and fathers | Charlie Brown
Sister Wendy | Phoebe Buffay | Julian of Norwich
Luke | Anthony de Mello | The Who

Everyone from Thomas Merton to Charlie Brown to The Who! But, I think I'll continue to take my queues from God and not a test some person came up with.

2 comments:

MYstory of HIStory said...

Ok... we did it! - We took the test. According to it I'm a Sage & my husband is a Mystic...tho' after reading the descriptions of both I like to think I'm a combo of the two...tho' my husband seems to think I'm a "wanna be" Mystic -- He's probably right - as I've long wanted to be more like him :)

May the LORD fill you with peace and joy this Christmas and in 2012.

You're a dear friend ... even tho' we've never met! :)

MYstory of HIStory said...

P.S. I elaborated a bit on my test results over at my end today - and linked over here as well :)