Alessandra Calderin has a very no-nonsense approach to health and spirituality that I really appreciate. As you might know, I’m studying for ordination as an interfaith minister. One of the things that I haven’t been looking forward to is joining the conversation about spirituality on the internet. No matter what your background is or beliefs are, most of us can agree that spirituality on the internet can get weird, mean, oversimplified, and shallow. I like to go deep. So sometimes I think it’s better just to stay out of it. But I can’t help but wonder if I’m really so alone in the way I think about it? Am I the only one asking the kinds of questions I ask? Then I met Alessandra and I realized that no, I am definitely not alone.

Often, when spirituality is discussed on the internet, it takes on characteristics similar to a religion with its own jargon and its own sets of assumptions. As with any religion, if you don’t agree with those assumptions or understand the jargon, it can seem as if you’re on the outside looking in. In this episode, Alessandra and I talk about spiritual jargon and examine the ideas behind the words. We’ll be using a blog post she wrote as our guide called Decoding Spiritual Jargon. 

You’ve probably heard some of the words we discuss in this episode. Maybe you have strong feelings toward them, good or bad. It might feel weird to hear us play with them, question them, and dig deep into what they mean. The point of this exercise is to encourage exploration and the freedom question; to approach what we learn from spiritual teachers with curiosity, and with a healthy skepticism.  

Meet Alessandra Calderin

Alessandra is the mentor, educator, and writer behind Boneseed, a private practice devoted to helping people cut the shit and be themselves. Throughout her personal journey and studies in various healing modalities, it became clear to her that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to health, despite what the gurus may say. That’s why her practice serves as an inclusive playground that keeps agency where it belongs, within you. Alessandra has over 500 hours of yoga, mentorship, and facilitation training, in addition to plenty of self-study, and can be found slinging knowledge on her website, newsletter, and @bone.seed.

Links to some of the books and ideas we discussed:

• Rise Up Good Witch
• Book: Barefoot on Holy Ground by Gloria Karpinski
• Article: “‘Conspirituality’ – The overlap between the New Age and conspiracy beliefs” by Jules Evans
• Article: “Spiritual bypassing, Christian bypassing, Stoic bypassing” by Jules Evans
• Jessamyn Stanley – Yoga teacher, writer, body positivity advocate