Joy as Spiritual Practice: Special Interests That Give Me Hope

Some things I'm loving right now...

TW: religious trauma, especially related to neurodivergence

How do you reclaim joy after religious trauma?

After joy meant “J(esus), O(thers), Y(ou)”—that awful acronym propping up a false hierarchy of needs being met?

What if joy actually meant what it says in Merriam-Webster: “a source or cause of delight”?

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Over the past few years, I’ve been wrestling with what these questions mean for me, especially as a nuerodivergent¹ person raised in a religiously traumatic context. Once I learned about special interests, it all began to make sense.

I have been finding so much actual joy (and healing) from diving into my interests—outside the confines of Christofascism (defined by Carolyn Baker as “the blending of authoritarianism and oneself’s interpretation and practice of evangelical Christianity”). These special interests have been a way for me to connect to the divine² in a way that is fully authentic to me. And this authentic connection with divine love gives me so much hope.

Today—in a season and a time in history that is so hard for so many people—I wanted to celebrate the joy-bringing special interests I have…and to invite you to share yours too.³

Some of my special interests:

• history

• religion

• etymology

• rituals (especially regarding finding expansive and inclusive spaces/practices for all)

• witchcraft (which, for me, is skepticism mixed with wonder—using practices/rituals involving moon phases, colors, candles, intentions, herbs, spices, plants, rocks, tarot, the wheel of the year, etc.)

• all the phases and places of books and periodicals (writing, editing, publishing, marketing, bookstores, libraries, reading, etc.)

• dancing (especially interpretive dance and pole fitness)

• thrifting and fashion (especially vintage, whimsigothic, quirky, and witchy aesthetics)

• collecting miniatures⁴

• opossums

• kidlit

• 70s rock

• disco

• Halloween

• making stuff (upcycling; jewelry; hand embroidery; sewing; art journaling; painting; making zines; making pens, magnets, and hair clips out of plastic butterflies and silk flowers, etc.)—and going to craft fairs and other events to see what other awesome and creative humans are making!

• basically anything theatrical

Me, trying to embody joy in authenticity, during a lovely Mod Bettie photoshoot—themed around many of my special interests

In the coming months here at All The Threads, I’m planning to write infodumps posts about several of these subjects and how they relate to my own spiritual⁵ practices.

In the meantime, I want to hear from you: what are your special interests? Tell me in the comments—and cheers to joy and healing together!

In Wonder,

Kandi Zeller (she/her)

KandiZeller.com

1. Although I’m officially undiagnosed, I believe I’m living with AuDHD. I also have been diagnosed with PTSD, which is under the nuerodivergence umbrella.

2. While I am a Christian, my understanding of how God expresses Godself is expansive. Basically, I conceive of spirituality as our experience with divine love and connection. But even that feels a little religious-y. Put another way, I believe spirituality is the place where we as individuals and communities connect with the “force of love that holds up the universe” (in words sometimes attributed to Julian of Norwich), whether we conceive of that love as divine or as the love shared between fellow humans/other creatures or some combination of both loves. It is the place within our bodies and our communities where we find love and connection with all who have come before and who will come after.

3. Inspired by this older but really great post from D.L. Mayfield’s Healing is My Special Interest

4. This has taken many forms over the years, but currently, it involves cute mini animal figurines, Monster High ephemera, and my collection of unhinged wildly quirky earrings.

5. When I describe or experience any tool/practices as spiritual, I want to acknowledge that that is not everyone’s experience. Any practice/tool I share is meant for all, regardless of spiritual label (or lack of label) or whether you experience these tools as spiritual or as some other adjective(s). Labels, while helpful in describing our experiences, are ultimately insufficient, so I want to hold space for that tension here.