During a recent session with my therapist (where Jungian free association reigns supreme), I meandered into the topic of spirituality. Specifically, I was attempting to unravel a couple of things that have lain dormant and cloistered somewhere deep within the recesses of my subconscious self.

Religion and spirituality have never been a duality in my mind. They have always been merged together, doomed to share each others negative connotations. The reasons for this are legion and would be difficult to get into here. (Suffice it to say there are childhood issues at play, perhaps something I’ll delve deeper into at a later date).

Because of my innate fears and deep suspicion of religion, it has been nearly impossible for me to develop a spiritual persona. As I was saying, I was chatting about this with my therapist when, and I hope you’ll pardon the expression, I had a revelation of sorts. The gist of this popped into my head:

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.
Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, [a] because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

Genesis 32:24-30

Wrestling with God…what a perfect metaphor.