July 7, 2025 • 19 mins
Hello, hello! Thank you for tuning in to this week’s episode of Chiquis and Chill. Today, I’m breaking down all the reasons why I choose to identify as a spiritual person over a religious person. Plus, I’ll break down some of the differences between the two.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hello, Hello, I'm so happy you're here. Thank you for
pushing the play button on this episode of your favorite podcast,
Cheek is in Chill. Today, I'm going to talk about
something I've mentioned a lot throughout all four seasons of
the podcast, and it's about spirituality versus religion. There's a
huge difference between the two, and I want to share
my opinions about it and why I consider myself a
(00:24):
spiritual person. Are you ready? All right? Let's go. Okay.
So I know this is a very touchy subject, Okay,
And I'm not trying to offend anybody or upset anyone.
This is just my opinion and why I think that
they're both very different because I have been in both spaces.
I have always felt like spirituality has called me since
(00:45):
I was Hm, how old was I? I must have
been twenty three, twenty four, And no one taught me
this because in my family everyone wasn't is very Christian
and that's okay. I was as well. I went to
Christian Church. I was what you call a Bible thumper.
(01:05):
I didn't want to even eat an apple because in
the Bible it says that Eve gave Adam an apple,
and I was like, oh my god, apples are bad.
Like it was. I was very, very religious, and I'm
glad I went through that. I was eleven twelve. I
didn't even cuss guys. I would pray on my knees
every day. It's beautiful. I'm not saying like like I
think of that. Those times. I remember writing down on
(01:27):
a piece of paper everything I wanted to pray about.
It was a long long list, and I would do
it every night and every morning. And I'm very grateful
for everything I learned in Christianity. But the reason why
I decided to step away from Christianity is because I
was disappointed a lot by the leaders of the church,
(01:49):
by the preachers, and I saw a lot of things
that for me were like this isn't very godly. They
were doing things like a married pastor having said with
some of the ladies you know that were a part
of the church, and those ladies were married and whatever.
I'm not judging. It was just something that at my
(02:09):
age where I was like, oh my God, I really
looked up to the pastor I was. I remember like
crying because I was going to that church Wednesdays, Fridays
and Sundays. I was a huge part of it, and
then all of a sudden it was just ripped away
from me. There was a lot going on there, and
mind you, I had a great times there. That is
(02:30):
where at that church where God spoke through a prophet
to my mom's sister about the whole sexual abuse, and
that's how everything happened. Like they mentioned sexual abuse when
they were praying for her, and no one had ever known.
It was just her and I, Rosie and I that
knew about the sexual abuse. So I believe a lot
(02:51):
in prophets and people that have that gift that God
speaks to them or they're very intuitive, and they call
them prophets right in the Christian world. And I lived
a lot of great moments because they helped us through
that very hard time of our life. And then shortly
after that was when all this happened. It just it
was just a season of a lot of deception with
(03:11):
my mom. She was pregnant with Janica, and she was
like seven eight months pregnant, and she found out about
us being sexually abused by my dad, and you know,
it was just a whole thing. So anyway, my whole
point is that I was very engrossed in Christianity. But
I don't know what happened, and I don't know where
I saw it. I can't remember, but I just felt
(03:32):
called to lighting candles. And I was not really taught
that in Christianity. That's more of like a Catholic thing.
And in Christianity it was don't pray to laaalupe. Santos
is just God. God is very jealous God, and God
just wants you to focus on Him, and you can't
even really acknowledge the Santos. And I always felt very
(03:53):
called to Labis Maria, to the Virgin Mary. And I
wasn't sure why, and i'll explain now in a little
bit why. But I just started lighting candles and I
started burning incense, and I started looking more into spirituality,
into Buddhism, and I don't know why. I always felt
in my heart that in a past life, because I
believe in past life. That's something that Christians don't believe in.
(04:15):
But I really I believe in reincarnation and I believe
in past lives, and I feel that in one of
my past lives, I was Asian. So I think that's
why I love Asian food. I love Asians and I
love Buddhism, so I was very called to. Then I
started looking into it a little bit more. And of
course my mom was very traditional in that sense, and
she was very Christian because her mom was very Christian,
(04:37):
and she wasn't very happy. She kind of like, what
is all this blueheia stuff? Like what is this? You know?
Like she didn't understand it, and she would make fun
of it, but she was letting me be. She's like, okay,
my daughter's crazy. And it's okay because I had like
an altar and all these things. It came out of nowhere, guys,
and I hadn't found a church where I felt comfortable
(04:58):
after that whole situation. So this is where my search started,
and this is what spirituality is. And I wrote some
things down and I did some of my research just
to give you, guys, facts on the difference between religion
and spirituality, because and then I'll give you my own opinion.
So what is religion? Let's start here. Religion is a
(05:19):
structured system of beliefs and practices. It often involves sacred texts,
specific rituals, moral codes, and a community of believers who
follow a shared path. Most religions believe in a higher
power like God, and offer ways to connect to the
divine presence. Examples of religious practices okay, Attending Sunday Mass
(05:41):
or going to church to temple, reading sacred texts like
the Bible or Quran, celebrating religious holidays like Easter, Hanukkah,
reciting memorized prayers, Practicing in sacraments like baptism or communion,
singing worship songs. Religion can give you structure, unity, and
a sense of belonging and a spiritual roadmap. Okay, now
(06:04):
what is spirituality? Spirituality is more personal. It's an interconnection
to something greater, whether that's God, the universe, source, love,
or higher power. It's less about rules and more about experience.
It's your soul's way of speaking, feeling, and understanding the
world beyond the five senses. Examples of some spiritual practices
(06:27):
meditation and breath work, journaling, are talking to God like
a friend, spending time and nature, practicing gratitude, sound bass,
reiki or energy healing, lighting candles, or setting intentions during
moon cycles. Spirituality often asks what feels true for me,
what helps me feel connected. It's about aligning with love
(06:49):
and with peace and I'll get more into the differences
side by side. But this is why I started becoming
more spiritual, because after I was let down or disappointed,
and this is something that someone taught me later. And
mind you, after I realized I was spiritual, I did
find a home. It's called Artila, and this is where
(07:12):
my pastor. So I kind of told him. He's like,
now my mentor, and I love him. They're my spiritual parents.
They're great. I still go to the church whenever I can.
I haven't gotten in a long time. But when I
told him I experience with my previous church, the first
church where I found Christianity or I found myself as
a religious person. He said, you know, the mistake that
people often make is they forget that we the pastors,
(07:35):
are also humans and we make mistakes. And I'm not
saying what he did was right, but you were focusing
more on him and you let him disappoint you. Because
God has never disappointed you. God has never let you down.
So after he told me that, I was like, yeah,
you're right, and that's why I was a little bit
more open to going to church. And I'll go to
Catholic church because Emilio is very Catholic. His family's very Catholic.
(07:56):
His grandma, who I freaking love so much, she's Catholic.
And I'll go to church and I don't know. I mean,
I don't know all the prayers, but I am respectful
and me Persino, I might cross myself, and I'm very respectful.
I feel like you can learn a little bit from
every religion and it's all about being respectful. And that's
(08:18):
what spirituality is all about. Because I'll go to a
Christian church and I'll sing and I'll dance and I'll
sing worship songs and I love the presence. And they're
so different. Catholic church is very quiet, you don't speak like.
It's just so different, you know, And you kneel and
you say a lot of prayers and it's a lot
of repetitiveness. And Christianity is loud and there's instruments and
(08:42):
it's different. And I haven't gone to a Buddhist temple.
I want to go so bad. I think I got
to go to Bali, guys. I feel like Bali's calling me.
But anyway, and then I have this other church called
a Gope that that's where I've gone a lot and
that's very spiritual, and they talk about the divine power
and the power within ourselves. And I go back and
(09:05):
forth and I dabble because that's in my opinion. When
people ask me, what's your religion, I'm like, my religion
is called love. I am a spiritual person that I
love and I respect. And one thing that I've noticed
about certain religious and I'm not gonna like it again.
This is not to bash anyone, but certain religious people.
I want to say everyone, but certain religious people I
(09:26):
have found that could be very judgmental and it's their
way or no way, and if you're not doing things
this way, then you're wrong. And I don't agree with that.
I feel like you should be able to express yourself
and call God whatever you feel called to, the higher Power,
the Creator, the Source, whatever it is that you want
(09:48):
to call, as long as God can be a girl
to you, whatever it is, and I always say, is God.
There's a little bit of God in all of us.
We're all stardust, guys, we all are made of the
same thing. It's whatever works for you. If you want
something a little bit more structured, then religion is for you.
And that is okay. As long as you are a
good person that lives with good intentions and has your
(10:11):
heart in the right place and doesn't want to hurt
people intentionally. I think that is having Christ's consciousness. Christ's
consciousness is living the way the Bible says Jesus was.
He was soft, he was forgiving, he was accepting. When
they talk about Jesus being with Mary Magdalene and how
(10:33):
she was, I don't know a lot about the Bible.
I forgot to be honest, but I remember this story vaguely,
but about that she was I believe a prostitute. I believe,
and he accepted her. That is Jesus showing us how
we should be because in certain religions, is you're gay,
you're not accepted, you're a transgender, you're not accepted, you
(10:53):
can't come here, or there's a lot of judgment, and
Jesus wasn't like that. That jesus consciousness is I accept you.
It is not my place to judge you. I love you.
I have to love you because you are a brother,
you are a sister. Whatever choices you make with your
life and however you want to live is your choice.
That's you with God, and it's none of my business.
(11:15):
My business is to love you, to care for you,
to uplift you. Now, if you're out there killing people
and doing bad things and I can't be a part
of that, that's completely different. You get me. But a
Christ's consciousness is yes, maybe sometimes turning the other cheek.
It's all in there, and it's People take it so literal, though,
and that was me. I took it literal. I did
not want to eat apples in my home because apples
(11:36):
were bad. That's where I feel some people go wrong
and where I went wrong personally. I was taking the
Bible and taking the things that I was hearing at
church way too literal. And I wasn't allowing my inner God,
my inner spirit, my Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit that
lives within me to work through me. Because I feel
(11:57):
like that's why I'm called to spirituality. It is a choice.
I wake up every day and I choose to pray,
and I choose to have a connection, and I choose
to meditate. It's not because if you don't do this
you're going to hell. Like that doesn't work for me,
It's not a good fit for me. It is my
choice at my pace and the way that feels comfortable
(12:18):
to me lighting a candle, lighting some baosantho to get
all the negative energy the way, because that is very real. Guys.
Energy is real. We are all made of energy, whether
you want to accept it or not. It's scientific. We
come from the stars. We are energy. We are all connected,
which is why when someone walks into a room and
they are moody or something's going on, you feel it
because we are energy. I just wanted to explain the
(12:47):
difference because I do sometimes feel judged by certain people
even around me, because of what I believe in. Because
I have a Buddha in my home. Mind you, I
do hear that Buddhists don't like the Buddha to be
used as decor or anything like that. It's very sacred
and I respect it very much. I have it there
(13:08):
because it's a big, beautiful Buddha that's a fountain, and
I've posted it on my social media sometimes as a
God morning, and I have it there to remind me
to be zen to live peacefully. Like Buddha was so awesome.
The things he's like to Jesus, you know, and the
teachings and everything and how he led was just I
connect so much with that, So for me, it's just
(13:28):
reminding me of his teachings and that's it, not in
any way to be disrespectful. So I have felt judged
because when I was really close to my grandma and
I had a Buddha at my other house, my very
first house that I bought myself, it was also a fountain,
and she was not happy with that. She said that
(13:50):
those types of things hold demons in them, and that
yoga was also bad. And I don't judge her because
this is what she has been taught or what she
has learned and gathered from her religion. And again I
respect it. I don't agree with it, which is why
I have another bood. I don't care because I believe
(14:12):
in it and I love the way it makes me feel.
I don't go to church every Sunday, but I connect
every day. And I have noticed that people, again not everyone,
but there are a lot of people that go to
church every Sunday, are there at every service, and are
not nice. And I've experienced this Firstthanda and I'm not
(14:32):
going to say any names, but that are very critical
and the first to throw a rock and pretend like
they're perfect. And I've experienced it. I'm just like, dude,
I would never do that. I would never say that. Like,
that's why I'm so comfortable. And I love what I do.
Spirituality is what I practice and I believe in it
(14:52):
and it works for me and it doesn't have to
work for you. But we have to learn to live
in peace and to respect everyone's opinion. And that's that,
And that's having christ consciousness and loving loving at the
end of the day, just loving and radiating love and
being love and being peace and being light in the
world in whatever way that you want to do it.
(15:13):
Just don't be mean about it, and don't try to
push your beliefs on other people. I don't agree with that.
Like for me, it's you're pushing me further away. Let
me be let me figure it out. And again, I
love going to Christian church. I just went, I don't know,
like two months ago, Jennaka invited me to her church
(15:34):
and it's beautiful and I loved it and it was
a great service and it was awesome. And I take
what I need to take and that's it, and I
don't get fixated on it, you know, And that's how
I live my life. And I think more people need
to be like that. That's just my personal opinion. Like
respect people, respect their decisions, respect their choices, respect the
way that they want to live their life. If they
(15:56):
need pray or pray for them, not because they live
a life that you know agree with, you're not going
to pray for them. You're not going to send them light.
It's like, no, that's not in It's not right. Okay.
So religion it follows sacred texts. Spirituality follows inner guidance, religion,
(16:18):
community based spirituality, self led journey religion, moral codes and commandments, spirituality,
values based living, religion, belief in a specific God, spirituality
broader or more universal belief, religion, structure and rules, spirituality,
(16:39):
flow and freedom. One isn't better than the other. They're
just different paths. Religion may say this is the way,
while spirituality whispers find your way. Can you be both? Absolutely?
You can go to church and meditate. You can read
the Bible and pull an oracle card. I do it.
You can light a candle to pray and feel God
(17:01):
in a sunrise. I do that all the time. Being
spiritual doesn't mean rejecting religion. It means choosing what resonates
many people like me blend both worlds, taking what feeds
the soul and leaving what doesn't. The key is authenticity, guys,
and my personal reflection on this is I grew up
(17:22):
with religion. I knew about God, but for a long
time I didn't feel God. My journey into spirituality started
when I began asking deeper questions, when I wanted a
more intimate relationship with the divine. And now I still
carry the love and reverence of my roots, but I
also embrace silence, intuition, and stillness. I talk to God
(17:43):
every day, but not always through a prayer, Sometimes through
a song, a tear, a moment of deep breath. Sometimes
I even dance guys in my restroom, and it feels amazing.
I feel like I'm connecting to God like kind of
like our ancestors used to do, like Danzas, you know,
like dances. Okay, anyway, I'm almost done. Okay, be patient.
I don't think you have to be religious or spiritual.
I think you just have to be real. So whether
(18:04):
you're meditating, going to church, journaling, or simply trying to
do your best with love, know that your path is sacred.
God isn't looking for perfection. God is looking for presents.
So anyways, guys, thank you, thank you so much for listening.
I hope that this resonates with you, and I hope
that it helps you find your way in some way somehow.
(18:26):
Whatever works for you, whatever fits you, I'm gonna love
you regardless. I'm not going to ever make you feel
like you're not welcome into my space because you don't
believe in what I believe and I think just it's
all about being respectful and yeah, that concludes this episode.
I'm so grateful that you're here. I'm grateful that you
(18:46):
choose to come back to become a bigger, better version
of yourself. Cheeks and Chill, It's all about chilling, growing
and glowing. I love you, guys. I'll catch you on
the next episode of Cheeks and Chill. This is a
production of iHeartRadio and the Microdura podcast Network. Follow us
(19:08):
on Instagram at Michael Doura Podcasts, then follow me Cheeky's
That's c H I t U I s. For more
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wherever you listen to your favorite podcast
Hello, Hello, I'm so happy you're here. Thank you for
pushing the play button on this episode of your favorite podcast,
Cheek is in Chill. Today, I'm going to talk about
something I've mentioned a lot throughout all four seasons of
the podcast, and it's about spirituality versus religion. There's a
huge difference between the two, and I want to share
my opinions about it and why I consider myself a
(00:24):
spiritual person. Are you ready? All right? Let's go. Okay.
So I know this is a very touchy subject, Okay,
And I'm not trying to offend anybody or upset anyone.
This is just my opinion and why I think that
they're both very different because I have been in both spaces.
I have always felt like spirituality has called me since
(00:45):
I was Hm, how old was I? I must have
been twenty three, twenty four, And no one taught me
this because in my family everyone wasn't is very Christian
and that's okay. I was as well. I went to
Christian Church. I was what you call a Bible thumper.
(01:05):
I didn't want to even eat an apple because in
the Bible it says that Eve gave Adam an apple,
and I was like, oh my god, apples are bad.
Like it was. I was very, very religious, and I'm
glad I went through that. I was eleven twelve. I
didn't even cuss guys. I would pray on my knees
every day. It's beautiful. I'm not saying like like I
think of that. Those times. I remember writing down on
(01:27):
a piece of paper everything I wanted to pray about.
It was a long long list, and I would do
it every night and every morning. And I'm very grateful
for everything I learned in Christianity. But the reason why
I decided to step away from Christianity is because I
was disappointed a lot by the leaders of the church,
(01:49):
by the preachers, and I saw a lot of things
that for me were like this isn't very godly. They
were doing things like a married pastor having said with
some of the ladies you know that were a part
of the church, and those ladies were married and whatever.
I'm not judging. It was just something that at my
(02:09):
age where I was like, oh my God, I really
looked up to the pastor I was. I remember like
crying because I was going to that church Wednesdays, Fridays
and Sundays. I was a huge part of it, and
then all of a sudden it was just ripped away
from me. There was a lot going on there, and
mind you, I had a great times there. That is
(02:30):
where at that church where God spoke through a prophet
to my mom's sister about the whole sexual abuse, and
that's how everything happened. Like they mentioned sexual abuse when
they were praying for her, and no one had ever known.
It was just her and I, Rosie and I that
knew about the sexual abuse. So I believe a lot
(02:51):
in prophets and people that have that gift that God
speaks to them or they're very intuitive, and they call
them prophets right in the Christian world. And I lived
a lot of great moments because they helped us through
that very hard time of our life. And then shortly
after that was when all this happened. It just it
was just a season of a lot of deception with
(03:11):
my mom. She was pregnant with Janica, and she was
like seven eight months pregnant, and she found out about
us being sexually abused by my dad, and you know,
it was just a whole thing. So anyway, my whole
point is that I was very engrossed in Christianity. But
I don't know what happened, and I don't know where
I saw it. I can't remember, but I just felt
(03:32):
called to lighting candles. And I was not really taught
that in Christianity. That's more of like a Catholic thing.
And in Christianity it was don't pray to laaalupe. Santos
is just God. God is very jealous God, and God
just wants you to focus on Him, and you can't
even really acknowledge the Santos. And I always felt very
(03:53):
called to Labis Maria, to the Virgin Mary. And I
wasn't sure why, and i'll explain now in a little
bit why. But I just started lighting candles and I
started burning incense, and I started looking more into spirituality,
into Buddhism, and I don't know why. I always felt
in my heart that in a past life, because I
believe in past life. That's something that Christians don't believe in.
(04:15):
But I really I believe in reincarnation and I believe
in past lives, and I feel that in one of
my past lives, I was Asian. So I think that's
why I love Asian food. I love Asians and I
love Buddhism, so I was very called to. Then I
started looking into it a little bit more. And of
course my mom was very traditional in that sense, and
she was very Christian because her mom was very Christian,
(04:37):
and she wasn't very happy. She kind of like, what
is all this blueheia stuff? Like what is this? You know?
Like she didn't understand it, and she would make fun
of it, but she was letting me be. She's like, okay,
my daughter's crazy. And it's okay because I had like
an altar and all these things. It came out of nowhere, guys,
and I hadn't found a church where I felt comfortable
(04:58):
after that whole situation. So this is where my search started,
and this is what spirituality is. And I wrote some
things down and I did some of my research just
to give you, guys, facts on the difference between religion
and spirituality, because and then I'll give you my own opinion.
So what is religion? Let's start here. Religion is a
(05:19):
structured system of beliefs and practices. It often involves sacred texts,
specific rituals, moral codes, and a community of believers who
follow a shared path. Most religions believe in a higher
power like God, and offer ways to connect to the
divine presence. Examples of religious practices okay, Attending Sunday Mass
(05:41):
or going to church to temple, reading sacred texts like
the Bible or Quran, celebrating religious holidays like Easter, Hanukkah,
reciting memorized prayers, Practicing in sacraments like baptism or communion,
singing worship songs. Religion can give you structure, unity, and
a sense of belonging and a spiritual roadmap. Okay, now
(06:04):
what is spirituality? Spirituality is more personal. It's an interconnection
to something greater, whether that's God, the universe, source, love,
or higher power. It's less about rules and more about experience.
It's your soul's way of speaking, feeling, and understanding the
world beyond the five senses. Examples of some spiritual practices
(06:27):
meditation and breath work, journaling, are talking to God like
a friend, spending time and nature, practicing gratitude, sound bass,
reiki or energy healing, lighting candles, or setting intentions during
moon cycles. Spirituality often asks what feels true for me,
what helps me feel connected. It's about aligning with love
(06:49):
and with peace and I'll get more into the differences
side by side. But this is why I started becoming
more spiritual, because after I was let down or disappointed,
and this is something that someone taught me later. And
mind you, after I realized I was spiritual, I did
find a home. It's called Artila, and this is where
(07:12):
my pastor. So I kind of told him. He's like,
now my mentor, and I love him. They're my spiritual parents.
They're great. I still go to the church whenever I can.
I haven't gotten in a long time. But when I
told him I experience with my previous church, the first
church where I found Christianity or I found myself as
a religious person. He said, you know, the mistake that
people often make is they forget that we the pastors,
(07:35):
are also humans and we make mistakes. And I'm not
saying what he did was right, but you were focusing
more on him and you let him disappoint you. Because
God has never disappointed you. God has never let you down.
So after he told me that, I was like, yeah,
you're right, and that's why I was a little bit
more open to going to church. And I'll go to
Catholic church because Emilio is very Catholic. His family's very Catholic.
(07:56):
His grandma, who I freaking love so much, she's Catholic.
And I'll go to church and I don't know. I mean,
I don't know all the prayers, but I am respectful
and me Persino, I might cross myself, and I'm very respectful.
I feel like you can learn a little bit from
every religion and it's all about being respectful. And that's
(08:18):
what spirituality is all about. Because I'll go to a
Christian church and I'll sing and I'll dance and I'll
sing worship songs and I love the presence. And they're
so different. Catholic church is very quiet, you don't speak like.
It's just so different, you know, And you kneel and
you say a lot of prayers and it's a lot
of repetitiveness. And Christianity is loud and there's instruments and
(08:42):
it's different. And I haven't gone to a Buddhist temple.
I want to go so bad. I think I got
to go to Bali, guys. I feel like Bali's calling me.
But anyway, and then I have this other church called
a Gope that that's where I've gone a lot and
that's very spiritual, and they talk about the divine power
and the power within ourselves. And I go back and
(09:05):
forth and I dabble because that's in my opinion. When
people ask me, what's your religion, I'm like, my religion
is called love. I am a spiritual person that I
love and I respect. And one thing that I've noticed
about certain religious and I'm not gonna like it again.
This is not to bash anyone, but certain religious people.
I want to say everyone, but certain religious people I
(09:26):
have found that could be very judgmental and it's their
way or no way, and if you're not doing things
this way, then you're wrong. And I don't agree with that.
I feel like you should be able to express yourself
and call God whatever you feel called to, the higher Power,
the Creator, the Source, whatever it is that you want
(09:48):
to call, as long as God can be a girl
to you, whatever it is, and I always say, is God.
There's a little bit of God in all of us.
We're all stardust, guys, we all are made of the
same thing. It's whatever works for you. If you want
something a little bit more structured, then religion is for you.
And that is okay. As long as you are a
good person that lives with good intentions and has your
(10:11):
heart in the right place and doesn't want to hurt
people intentionally. I think that is having Christ's consciousness. Christ's
consciousness is living the way the Bible says Jesus was.
He was soft, he was forgiving, he was accepting. When
they talk about Jesus being with Mary Magdalene and how
(10:33):
she was, I don't know a lot about the Bible.
I forgot to be honest, but I remember this story vaguely,
but about that she was I believe a prostitute. I believe,
and he accepted her. That is Jesus showing us how
we should be because in certain religions, is you're gay,
you're not accepted, you're a transgender, you're not accepted, you
(10:53):
can't come here, or there's a lot of judgment, and
Jesus wasn't like that. That jesus consciousness is I accept you.
It is not my place to judge you. I love you.
I have to love you because you are a brother,
you are a sister. Whatever choices you make with your
life and however you want to live is your choice.
That's you with God, and it's none of my business.
(11:15):
My business is to love you, to care for you,
to uplift you. Now, if you're out there killing people
and doing bad things and I can't be a part
of that, that's completely different. You get me. But a
Christ's consciousness is yes, maybe sometimes turning the other cheek.
It's all in there, and it's People take it so literal, though,
and that was me. I took it literal. I did
not want to eat apples in my home because apples
(11:36):
were bad. That's where I feel some people go wrong
and where I went wrong personally. I was taking the
Bible and taking the things that I was hearing at
church way too literal. And I wasn't allowing my inner God,
my inner spirit, my Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit that
lives within me to work through me. Because I feel
(11:57):
like that's why I'm called to spirituality. It is a choice.
I wake up every day and I choose to pray,
and I choose to have a connection, and I choose
to meditate. It's not because if you don't do this
you're going to hell. Like that doesn't work for me,
It's not a good fit for me. It is my
choice at my pace and the way that feels comfortable
(12:18):
to me lighting a candle, lighting some baosantho to get
all the negative energy the way, because that is very real. Guys.
Energy is real. We are all made of energy, whether
you want to accept it or not. It's scientific. We
come from the stars. We are energy. We are all connected,
which is why when someone walks into a room and
they are moody or something's going on, you feel it
because we are energy. I just wanted to explain the
(12:47):
difference because I do sometimes feel judged by certain people
even around me, because of what I believe in. Because
I have a Buddha in my home. Mind you, I
do hear that Buddhists don't like the Buddha to be
used as decor or anything like that. It's very sacred
and I respect it very much. I have it there
(13:08):
because it's a big, beautiful Buddha that's a fountain, and
I've posted it on my social media sometimes as a
God morning, and I have it there to remind me
to be zen to live peacefully. Like Buddha was so awesome.
The things he's like to Jesus, you know, and the
teachings and everything and how he led was just I
connect so much with that, So for me, it's just
(13:28):
reminding me of his teachings and that's it, not in
any way to be disrespectful. So I have felt judged
because when I was really close to my grandma and
I had a Buddha at my other house, my very
first house that I bought myself, it was also a fountain,
and she was not happy with that. She said that
(13:50):
those types of things hold demons in them, and that
yoga was also bad. And I don't judge her because
this is what she has been taught or what she
has learned and gathered from her religion. And again I
respect it. I don't agree with it, which is why
I have another bood. I don't care because I believe
(14:12):
in it and I love the way it makes me feel.
I don't go to church every Sunday, but I connect
every day. And I have noticed that people, again not everyone,
but there are a lot of people that go to
church every Sunday, are there at every service, and are
not nice. And I've experienced this Firstthanda and I'm not
(14:32):
going to say any names, but that are very critical
and the first to throw a rock and pretend like
they're perfect. And I've experienced it. I'm just like, dude,
I would never do that. I would never say that. Like,
that's why I'm so comfortable. And I love what I do.
Spirituality is what I practice and I believe in it
(14:52):
and it works for me and it doesn't have to
work for you. But we have to learn to live
in peace and to respect everyone's opinion. And that's that,
And that's having christ consciousness and loving loving at the
end of the day, just loving and radiating love and
being love and being peace and being light in the
world in whatever way that you want to do it.
(15:13):
Just don't be mean about it, and don't try to
push your beliefs on other people. I don't agree with that.
Like for me, it's you're pushing me further away. Let
me be let me figure it out. And again, I
love going to Christian church. I just went, I don't know,
like two months ago, Jennaka invited me to her church
(15:34):
and it's beautiful and I loved it and it was
a great service and it was awesome. And I take
what I need to take and that's it, and I
don't get fixated on it, you know, And that's how
I live my life. And I think more people need
to be like that. That's just my personal opinion. Like
respect people, respect their decisions, respect their choices, respect the
way that they want to live their life. If they
(15:56):
need pray or pray for them, not because they live
a life that you know agree with, you're not going
to pray for them. You're not going to send them light.
It's like, no, that's not in It's not right. Okay.
So religion it follows sacred texts. Spirituality follows inner guidance, religion,
(16:18):
community based spirituality, self led journey religion, moral codes and commandments, spirituality,
values based living, religion, belief in a specific God, spirituality
broader or more universal belief, religion, structure and rules, spirituality,
(16:39):
flow and freedom. One isn't better than the other. They're
just different paths. Religion may say this is the way,
while spirituality whispers find your way. Can you be both? Absolutely?
You can go to church and meditate. You can read
the Bible and pull an oracle card. I do it.
You can light a candle to pray and feel God
(17:01):
in a sunrise. I do that all the time. Being
spiritual doesn't mean rejecting religion. It means choosing what resonates
many people like me blend both worlds, taking what feeds
the soul and leaving what doesn't. The key is authenticity, guys,
and my personal reflection on this is I grew up
(17:22):
with religion. I knew about God, but for a long
time I didn't feel God. My journey into spirituality started
when I began asking deeper questions, when I wanted a
more intimate relationship with the divine. And now I still
carry the love and reverence of my roots, but I
also embrace silence, intuition, and stillness. I talk to God
(17:43):
every day, but not always through a prayer, Sometimes through
a song, a tear, a moment of deep breath. Sometimes
I even dance guys in my restroom, and it feels amazing.
I feel like I'm connecting to God like kind of
like our ancestors used to do, like Danzas, you know,
like dances. Okay, anyway, I'm almost done. Okay, be patient.
I don't think you have to be religious or spiritual.
I think you just have to be real. So whether
(18:04):
you're meditating, going to church, journaling, or simply trying to
do your best with love, know that your path is sacred.
God isn't looking for perfection. God is looking for presents.
So anyways, guys, thank you, thank you so much for listening.
I hope that this resonates with you, and I hope
that it helps you find your way in some way somehow.
(18:26):
Whatever works for you, whatever fits you, I'm gonna love
you regardless. I'm not going to ever make you feel
like you're not welcome into my space because you don't
believe in what I believe and I think just it's
all about being respectful and yeah, that concludes this episode.
I'm so grateful that you're here. I'm grateful that you
(18:46):
choose to come back to become a bigger, better version
of yourself. Cheeks and Chill, It's all about chilling, growing
and glowing. I love you, guys. I'll catch you on
the next episode of Cheeks and Chill. This is a
production of iHeartRadio and the Microdura podcast Network. Follow us
(19:08):
on Instagram at Michael Doura Podcasts, then follow me Cheeky's
That's c H I t U I s. For more
podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
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Host
Chiquis
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