Gravity Commons Podcast Cindy Lee: De-Westernizing Spiritual Formation
May 23, 2023
Cindy Lee, a spiritual director and aspiring mystic, dives deep into the need for de-westernizing spiritual formation. She discusses how traditional Western frameworks often overlook diverse experiences and advocates for a collective, cyclical approach to spirituality. Cindy shares personal anecdotes and highlights the importance of engaging with varied cultural narratives. She emphasizes 'holy anger' as a response to injustice and the critical role of imagination in healing. Listeners will gain insights on fostering resilience and embracing community in spiritual practices.
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Crisis Sparks Diverse Reading
- Cindy Lee realized Western spiritual traditions dominated her learning, prompting a personal crisis.
- She then spent two years reading exclusively works by people of color to gain new spiritual insights.
Centering BIPOC Experiences
- Cindy centers BIPOC experiences in her writing to resist the norm of centering white experiences.
- White readers are invited to join but are called to practice not centering themselves.
Western Individualism vs Collectivism
- The dominant Western worldview is individualistic, affecting spirituality and faith practices.
- Cindy balances this with her collectivist Taiwanese heritage in her spiritual formation approach.
