We often act as if we dropped out of our mother’s womb with our current positions on things like racism, sexism, or the environment, but our positions have been shaped and informed by our life experiences, the information we’ve consumed, and the people around us.

We sometimes respond in social media as if we believe one well-phrased argument will change someone’s mind, as if logic alone can lead someone out of a seemingly intractable position. This strange belief actually makes some sense. As humans we like to think we are ruled by logic, that we’re virtuous, smart, and the hero of our own story. Thus, if someone makes a good argument, we can and will change our mind.

However, research shows that’s not how it works. For any of us. That doesn’t mean we’re bad or stupid, merely that we’re … human. People rarely change their beliefs in an instant. Even if the change appears to be instantaneous to you, there was a lot going on under the surface that softened the person’s grip on their previous position.

Calling someone racist or sexist or homophobic or transphobic is usually not helpful to the process of change at all. Be kind. Make your case without demeaning anyone. Know that this process of change is complicated, could possibly take a long time, and may involve far more changes than you realize.

Plant a seed. And nurture that seed with love.

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help others find their unique spiritual path. www.SpiritualGeography.net

Photo by Yulia: https://www.pexels.com/photo/macro-photo-of-butterfly-perched-on-pink-flowers-3805975/

Talking about your deeply held spiritual beliefs with someone is like walking into a room with the other person sitting in the middle and surrounded by eggshells. Some people have a small circle of eggshells around them. They can brush off things they don’t agree without any harm. However, some people have the whole room filled with eggshells so there is barely any space to tiptoe closer. And the eggshells are nearly always invisible.

We never know the breadth and depth of someone else’s pain. We don’t know their history, especially their history around religion and spirituality. Many of the phrases used to explain the unexplainable and comfort the bereaved can have an ugly counterpoint to the intended sentiment, especially if stated in a way that implies the statement is true for all people, all of the time.

The sentiments behind these phrases I hate can be true. Growth can come through any difficult situation. People can find something for which to be grateful – a blessing - even in the midst of devastating events. Spirituality can be deepened as you navigate hard things. But that’s not how it works for everyone. When someone is in the midst of deep pain, saying something the person vehemently disagrees with (“God won’t give you more than you can handle”) can be like pouring salt on an open wound.

Hold lightly your pronouncements about the nature of God and the nature of suffering. After all, there is always more we don’t know than what we do.

About everything.

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help others find their unique spiritual path. https://www.SpiritualGeography.net

For more on words, try this post: Ep 4: Defining God

Photo by Garon Piceli: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-wearing-white-crew-neck-shirt-576926/

Hopelessness is the emotion I fear the most, so I’ve found creative ways to get out of hopelessness without brushing aside any real issues that may have precipitated the feeling. I can’t fix the world. But I can make choices that help me deal with that world better.

Spiritual Geography is an email newsletter/podcast designed to help you find your unique home in the spiritual/religious universe. All content is free. Sign up here:

What I want from others should be what I give to others. This episode uses the concepts of loving-kindness meditation from the Buddhist tradition, but is otherwise non-partisan and should be applicable for any faith tradition (and those without any stated spirituality).

Finding what I want for myself, I send those same wishes to you, and to all of humanity. I want to live in a world where everyone feels loved and valued, is safe and secure, and can achieve their highest potential based on their unique gifts and talents.

This may be a dream, but all positive change starts with an ideal for which to strive. Please envision this beautiful world with me. At the very least, you’ll feel more peaceful and can share this calmer self with others.

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help others find their unique spiritual path. https://www.SpiritualGeography.net

Photo by Joni Miller

We are all interconnected and interdependent. Interconnected with those who came before us - for better or worse. Interdependent on those around us - for better or worse. Our lives weave in and out of each others, creating something no one person could imagine. More than the sum of its parts. Less than the ideal vision of what is possible.

What I do today matters. If I bring my best self into every situation, perhaps I can look back and say that I had a positive impact. Small acts can ripple outward into bigger acts.

Who do you want to be? What ideals are worth fighting for? What legacy do you want to leave?

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help others find their unique spiritual path. https://www.SpiritualGeography.net

Photos by Albin Biju: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-weaving-with-leafs-10387402/

2026 Update: In this early episode of Spiritual Geography, I explore the complicated religious history behind the founding of the United States — and why the architects of the Constitution intentionally separated church and state.

The colonies were filled with Christians who deeply disagreed with one another: Puritans, Catholics, Quakers, Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, and many more. Those disagreements often led to exclusion, discrimination, and conflict. The founders understood that if the government had the power to define “true Christianity,” it would inevitably favor some believers while excluding others.

But this episode goes beyond history and politics. It asks deeper spiritual questions:

Can any person fully know the Infinite?

What happens when certainty becomes coercion?

How do we live together with humility and grace when our beliefs differ?

At its heart, this conversation is about spiritual diversity, love, and the recognition that sincere faith can take many forms.

Because maybe the goal isn’t forcing uniformity.Maybe the goal is learning how to live together with integrity, freedom, and compassion.

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, spiritual coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help spiritual wanderers fina place they can call home, navigating by the light of Love. https://www.SpiritualGeography.net

Photo by Francesco Ungaro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/grayscale-photography-of-cathedral-ceiling-1170070/

I have never understood evangelism. How can someone be so certain? And not merely certain for themselves, so certain they know what is right and true that they believe everyone should think and feel the same way?

I first encountered evangelism as a freshman in college. I was left with a negative impression. And I came away with one solid foundation that has ruled my faith ever since:

If God excludes anyone from heaven, that’s not a God I want to worship.

The assumptions upon which I base my beliefs are vastly different from the faith assumptions of an evangelical Christian. I believe we either move toward or away from Love. I believe we have the capacity for growth even after we die. I believe in a Divine Love so pure and powerful that even the most unrepentant soul wants to get closer to that love, wants to change and grow after seeing the impact of their human life on themselves and others.

I could be wrong. No one has full comprehension of the great Mystery of life and death. But I believe the nature of the Transcendent is Love. Love for everyone.

No exceptions.

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help others find their unique spiritual path. https://www.SpiritualGeography.net

Interested in learning more about and/or purchasing the Spiritual Geography Card Deck? Click here: https://www.SpiritualGeography.net/using-the-card-deck

Photos by NothingAhead: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-a-clear-glass-ball-lying-on-sand-on-a-shore-at-sunset-20737610/

Everyone’s spirituality contains elements that are not provable. Wondering whether what you believe is true is a perfectly understandable human reaction.

[I reference the day my brother died in this episode. The full story is in Episode 1 Spirituality Doesn't Fit Into a Box ]

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help others find their unique spiritual path. https://www.SpiritualGeography.net

Interested in learning more about and/or purchasing the Spiritual Geography Card Deck? Click here: https://www.SpiritualGeography.net/using-the-card-deck

Photo by Johannes Plenio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-photography-of-boat-on-water-during-sunset-1118874/

We spend a lot of time asking who's right, but far less time asking what our beliefs are actually producing.

There are an infinite number of expressions of spirituality. Not all of them will resonate with us; some we might find uncomfortable … or think the belief or practice is silly. I won’t judge someone’s spirituality by whether it’s right or wrong, since that knowledge is far beyond my human capability. But I can look at someone’s spirituality to see the fruits of their beliefs and practices.

Spirituality can be life-giving, helping inform and improve your relationship with yourself, your relationship with others, and your relationship with the Transcendent. Finding how someone’s spirituality is life-giving to them can help you move away from judgment and into curiosity.

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help spiritual wanderers find a place they can call home, navigating by the light of Love. https://www.SpiritualGeography.net.

Photo by Tom Swinnen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-apples-on-tree-574919/

Our belief systems are based on many assumptions that we rarely investigate. What you assume matters, because the rest of your beliefs sit on top of that foundation. Even if I were able to uncover and list all of my assumptions, I still wouldn’t be able to prove my spiritual beliefs.

Although I can’t offer a proof as to the accuracy of my beliefs, I don’t need to fully see or understand all the mysteries of the universe to believe in the existence of an infinite love.

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help others find their unique spiritual path. https://www.SpiritualGeography.net

Music is very personal. We each have songs we like, musical styles we appreciate. Our spirituality has the same sort of individuality. Some of us like to interact with the Transcendent through nature … others through ritual … others through deep prayer or meditation. Preferring one method over the other doesn’t make someone wrong or less spiritual or in any way inferior. Merely different.

Spiritual Geography is an email newsletter/podcast designed to help you find your unique home in the spiritual/religious universe. All content is free. Sign up here:

Perhaps if we invite people to connect with the Transcendent in a way that works for them, that connection will be sought over and over again. The end result would be more love and peace in the world. What can be wrong with that?

Joni Miller is a writer, researcher, coach, and speaker who uses her knowledge, education, and love of all things spiritual to help others find their unique spiritual path.

Spiritual Geography is an email newsletter/podcast designed to help you find your unique home in the spiritual/religious universe. All content is free. Sign up here: