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This is a popular phrase being used currently among people in spiritual communities, new-agers, and those who think of themselves as philosophically open-minded and driven.

Personally, this particular phrase gets on my nerves at times, but that鈥檚 more of a personal issue I have with it sounding pretentious and in general, being overused. 聽I do understand its popularity. It allows someone to make a statement that they own their individual beliefs. Even so, it鈥檚 not my preferred means of expression.

There is a saying that goes along these lines. 鈥淭here are three understandings of truth: your truth, my truth, and the actual truth. 鈥�

No. Not really.

There are TWO understandings of truth: Subjective Truth and Objective Truth.

Objective Truth may also be interchanged with the word Fact.

When the phrase, 鈥渕y truth鈥� is used, what is generally meant is 鈥渨hat is true to me or true for me based on my own experience and understanding.鈥� 鈥� That鈥檚 a subjective truth. It is valid and meaningful, but only exists for that person or for people who share that experience or belief.

Subjective Truth is saying that something is true based on experience or opinion. It has been substantiated, but is not necessarily true in all situations. For example, a statement of subjective truth is, 鈥淎pples are delicious.鈥� That may be completely true for someone like me, who greatly enjoys apples. Based on my own experiences, I love them. I use them in cooking, I eat them raw, peeled, chipped and dehydrated, covered in candy and caramel and peanuts, etc. To me, apples are truly delicious. However, that is not a true statement to someone who detests them or might be unfortunately allergic. 聽That truth is based on my own experience and while many may agree with my statement and find it true for themselves as well, it is not what could be considered a universal or objective truth.

Objective Truth is something that is true regardless of personal experience or opinion. 鈥淎pples may be red, green, or yellow.鈥� Or 鈥渁pples are a fruit鈥�, are both objectively true statements. They have nothing to do with whether someone loves or hates eating apples. This is a truth that exists regardless of personal experience or opinion.聽When explaining something, it鈥檚 important to clarify how words are used so that everyone involved understands the meaning of the vocabulary.

Religious truth is subjective, not objective. Fundamentalism happens when this distinction isn’t understood. The mistake of thinking that because something is subjectively true for one religious person or group must make it objectively true and applicable to all people is a big problem. (Which I’ll expand on in another blog at some point).

I鈥檝e given definitions for subjective truth, objective truth, and how those relate to words like my truth and fact. Now I鈥檓 going to define religion, belief, faith, and practice so that it can be explained what those phrases mean in context and relation to spirituality and philosophy. A religion is a structured set of beliefs and/or practices used to help people who share a similar understanding of deity in making a connection with that deity and each other.

Religion is a man-made creation. 聽It is like a 鈥榙ivine language鈥�. I heard a beautiful and eloquent explanation of this while listening to a lecture given by author and historian Reza Aslan. I am paraphrasing here, but essentially what he said was in regard to explaining how he went from being culturally Muslim to being a practicing Christian to being a practicing Muslim. In speaking to his audience, he said:

I鈥檓 a Muslim because the symbols and structure used in Islam resonate with me as a way to connect with God. Islam is the 鈥榣anguage鈥� I use because it rings true and has special significance for me. It allows聽 me to make a connection with others who have the same experiences and beliefs. If I said to this audience right now, 鈥淚鈥檝e been washed in the blood of the lamb鈥�, raise your hands if you understand what that phrase means. [Many, but not all hands are raised in the audience]. Look around. All of you who understand what the symbolism and meaning in that statement actually says have made a connection with me and with each other. You know what my meaning is when I say that. I鈥檝e just shared a profound spiritual experience with you that was expressed through metaphor and symbolism. To others, it doesn鈥檛 mean anything because they don鈥檛 understand that language. I might as well be speaking in Mandarin Chinese.

That鈥檚 religion 鈥� a chosen 鈥榣anguage鈥� for expressing that connection to deity and others within that community. My religion is Pagan Witchcraft/Wicca because that set of practices and that community helps me to have a connection with like-minded people as well as being connected to the Divine. I could say and I have said, “I’ve heard聽the call of the Horned Piper and danced to his music.” Would everyone who might hear that know what it means? No, probably not. But to those who do understand what that means, it expresses a profound spiritual experience.

Belief is often confused and interchanged with Faith, so I鈥檒l do my best to explain how they鈥檙e different and how they can overlap. Belief is when you think something is a certain way and is often based more on experience than not. I believe that the sun will rise in the morning tomorrow. Based on the current time of the year that I鈥檓 writing this, it will rise a bit earlier and a little bit farther to the north east than it did this morning. I believe this because it鈥檚 done so every single day for the past thirty-eight years I鈥檝e been alive. I have no reason to believe it won鈥檛 rise again tomorrow morning. You could also say that I have faith that the sun will rise in the morning. However, if I鈥檓 being completely honest, it might not. Some weird freak event of nature could cause it to explode or collapse or something. Some sort of cosmic event could cause our planet to stop spinning, which is necessary to have a sunrise. If there is some kind of supremely powerful galactic race out there that wants to destroy us, they could transport themselves to our solar system and blast the sun to bits with a huge weapon. 聽Anything could happen and my belief would be proven wrong because the sun did not rise.

Faith is when you think something is a certain way, potentially backed up by experience, but kind of exists in its own little bubble where experience might not truly change it. I often say that I鈥檓 a Witch, a Pagan, because to me these practices and philosophies fit with and explain how I see myself, the universe, and the Divine. If I ever found meaning in another religion that did the same thing, that fulfilled the same need, I might convert, but as that has not happened, I have not done so. I suppose I鈥檓 open to the possibility, but I don鈥檛 think such is likely to ever occur. My faith is best expressed through these things. I have faith that this is the path I鈥檓 meant to be on. I have faith that the oaths I took to the gods I follow are valid and resonate with me, and I鈥檝e experienced them keeping up their ends of things, so my faith remains, and I remain a Witch.

I could say that I鈥檓 a Witch because that鈥檚 my truth, but those words tend to ring empty and pretentious to me. I prefer to say that based on my experiences, my personal understanding of the universe and my connection with it, my own internal philosophy and beliefs, my spirit鈥檚 joy at doing what I do and being what I am is why this is right for me. My ecstasy found in drumming and trance, my experiences of feeling magical power flow to or from me, that I am compelled to do this, to be this. For some people, 鈥渕y truth鈥� is enough. For me, it鈥檚 not. Not when so much more can be expressed and shared outside of those tiny, pithy, overused-to-the-point-of-being-meaningless words.

The truth is I just enjoy words and talk too much.

And that’s both subjectively and objectively true.