As far as I’m concerned, there are very few things in life which must be done one particular way.  A “right” way rather than a “wrong” way.  There are “effective” ways and “efficient” ways and “preferred” ways, but there is very seldom one single objectively “right” way.

Interestingly enough, there are usually a lot more “wrong” ways than “right” ones.  If a methodology is ineffective, it’s wrong.  But just because a methodology is effective, that doesn’t mean it’s the one, singular “right” way.  In other words, there are more things which disqualify a manner of approaching a project than there are things which define a way as “right” or “best”.

This is especially true in spiritual terms.

Establishing a spiritual tradition for oneself is not an endeavor which lends itself to “best practices” necessarily.  What works very well for one person may not work at all for another.  Certainly there are many things we should absolutely all avoid: blind devotion to a spiritual leader, for instance.  And while I think we can often glean wisdom and guidance from those who have similar beliefs and goals and outlooks, there are probably as many good ways to build a spiritual practice as there are people looking for meaning in the world.

So on the “wrong way” list, perhaps we should add “letting someone else tell you the best way to find your spiritual path”.