I hope you’re lucky enough to have a friend or friends who specifically check on your mental health. Folks who genuinely want to hear about your anxiety, depression, attempts to focus, regulate sleep, etc. It’s pretty wonderful to have permission to talk about these things.
Spiritual activist Bex Mui is taking it one step further. She wants to talk about your spiritual health. In our interview, she explains:
“We've always understood physical health. That's always been a part of our system and our societies. And now we're like growing in our understanding of mental health with its own needs and its own tools. I'm really interested and invested in our spiritual health, especially as queer and trans folks. It's crisis time of isolation and of attacks and of grief and I'm really curious about and always thinking about what are the strategies for our spiritual health that exist?”
I spoke to Bex in anticipation of Radical Soul’s next book club on March 25 where we’re covering her book: House of Our Queer: Healing, Reframing, and Reclaiming Your Spiritual Practice.
The book covers her personal journey to finding the sacredness of her own queerness and how she’s incorporated it into her spiritual practices and identity. It also offers examples of practices that center queerness from Bex’s own “spiritual toolbox.”
Listen to the podcast for more of Bex’s history about growing up biracial with two cultural heritages, her spiralic relationship with the catholic church, her thoughts on spiritual leadership, and more.
Below you’ll find a reflection on centering spiritual health from the podcast and a recent personal experience with Mary K. Greer’s three card spread.
About The Guest
Bex Mui, M. Ed (she/her) is a biracial, queer witch and energy worker committed to the work of LGBTQ+ affirmation. As a spiritual organizer, Bex believes that a spiritually grounded approach to the work of LGBTQ+ advocacy is increasingly needed, as well as an expansive, shame-free, spiritually-grounded approach to sexuality.
In 2021, Bex founded House Of Our Queer, a spiritual playspace committed to enhancing spiritual health for the LGBTQIA+ community. In her book, House of Our Queer: Healing, Reframing, and Reclaiming Your Spiritual Practice, she shares about her spiritual journey being raised Catholic with Buddhist influences, and her current practices including astrology, tarot, sacred sexuality, and honoring ancestors. Through House Of Our Queer, Bex hosts monthly virtual and in-person workshops focused on ritual and reflection. Learn more and stay connected via email, Instagram, or LinkTree.
Why queer folks gravitate to things like tarot and astrology and why we need new spiritual tools
There are certain spiritual practices that show up again and again for queer folks. I asked Bex why she thought we gravitated to them:
Tarot and astrology are ancient practices that are not rooted in patriarchy, they are not rooted in heteronormativity, they are not rooted in sexism, they are not rooted in misogyny, and shockingly, that is different than most religions. And so, they haven't been co-opted against us. There isn't unlearning and pain and processing that we need to do as queer and trans people to use these frames. And so the spiritual offerings that they have can come directly to us without having to mitigate that pain place.
I love this response and it feels true for me and others that I know. The big takeaway here, even if practices like tarot and astrology don’t work for you, is to find tools that aren’t heavy with baggage. Having some of those is fine, as well. We can reclaim certain practices (and Bex talks about this in her book). But having fresh practices that don’t require unlearning can offer us something special and they can center our queerness.
As we build our own spiritual toolboxes filled with new and reclaimed practices, Bex offers some necessary guidance:
We must consider our race, ability, and privileges as we build. We must name and understand the roots of our chosen practices. I also find that some of our greatest supports as LGBTQ+ spiritual folks can come from expanding and digging deeper into the roots of the cultural and religious practices from our own lineages. Whatever is calling to you, please engage with it with intention, respect, and the time and discipline to research and honor its roots.
Assessing spiritual health like we assess physical and mental health
I recently discovered Mary K. Greer’s three-card draw from her classic book Tarot for Your Self: A Workbook for the Inward Journey. For the spread, you pick a card for your body, mind, and spirit.
Here’s Greer recommendation:
“Connect the three cards you drew into one statement. Can you weave a story, or tell a tale using what you see in the cards? Write down your own message using the following format: While my body wants ______________________________________, my mind is telling me ______________________________________, yet my spirit is urging me to __________________________________.”
There are many ways of interpreting these three cards, including your body as your past, your mind as your present, and your spirit as your future.
But what I took from this spread was that I could “check-in” with my body, mind, and spirit about what each needed. I think a lot about what my body needs and managing my mental health. I’m not in the habit of asking my spirit what it needs.
Note: I don’t think these are separate. I think our bodies are very much connected to our spirits. I think when we check in with our bodies, we are checking in with our spirits. Our bodies hold not only our own innate wisdom but also the wisdom of the universe. But there’s something to be gained by considering their needs separately, as well.
My ask for you this week, radical souls, is to check in on your spiritual health. What do you need to spiritually thrive?
This newsletter is free for everyone. Want to support? Buy me a coffee via Venmo or PayPal.
Activist Bex Mui on Spiritual Health