The Human Experiences Religion Never Owned

Many of us learned very early which parts of ourselves were acceptable and which parts needed to be hidden, corrected, mistrusted, or “put to death.” Over time, this creates a kind of internal fragmentation where you stop experiencing yourself as a whole person and instead begin sorting yourself into categories:

• good parts and bad parts
• spiritual parts and worldly parts
• acceptable feelings and dangerous ones.

And the strange thing is, even after leaving religion, many of us continue doing this to ourselves without realizing it. We may no longer believe the same doctrines, but we still instinctively deny ourselves deeply human experiences because some old conditioning inside us still whispers: You’re not allowed to have that.

I see this especially around spiritual experiences.

A woman leaves religion and suddenly feels embarrassed that she still longs for awe. She questions herself for feeling emotionally moved by symbolism, ritual, dreams, or mystery. She becomes suspicious of her own experiences because she is terrified of being “fooled” again or becoming irrational or losing herself.

But here is what I wish more women understood: Religion does not own these experiences. Religion does not have a monopoly on inner peace, hope, joy, love, etc. These things existed long before religion, and they exist far beyond it.

Human beings have always searched for meaning. We have always gathered around fires telling stories. We have always been moved by collectively singing songs or drumming, we've felt goosebumps under starry skies, sensed something stirring inside us while standing in nature, or have even found comfort in symbols and rituals that help us feel connected to life.

None of that belongs exclusively to religion.

And I think many women accidentally abandon beautiful parts of themselves because they associate those parts with the system they left. They think: “If religion manipulated my spiritual longing, maybe I should shut that longing down completely.”

But healing is not found in becoming less human; it is found in integration. It is found in bringing the exiled parts of yourself back home and learning how to sit beside them. Even the part of you that wants both discernment and enchantment; grounding but also mystery.

Honestly, I think that is part of what Camp Enchantment is really about.

Not replacing one belief system with another, but creating a space where women can reconnect with the parts of themselves that still long to feel moved by life. A space where curiosity, symbolism, dreams, beauty, wonder, storytelling, intuition, and meaning are not treated as embarrassing or irrational, but as deeply human.

This summer, we’re going to gather around a virtual campfire and tell the stories of our lives under metaphorical stars. We’re going to laugh, reflect, notice what stirs inside us, and practice listening to ourselves again.

If some part of you misses feeling enchanted by your own life, maybe this is your invitation back to it.