Spirituality That is Authentic and Self-Directed, Without Ties to Religion is Valid. Find it While Reading My Nonfiction Books During The Holiday Season.

A Merry Christmas To One and All,

Learning and discover your true, unique spirituality by choosing a path of authenticity, free from religious ties or from anything or anyone.

This approach allows you to explore your beliefs and values, paving the way for a more fulfilling and enriching journey of living. And it is why I enjoy writing my nonfiction books: to share my experiences as a former nun, spiritual advisor, and inspirational speaker. Some may need validation, knowing spirituality comes from our souls, our hearts, and from another. Especially through the holiday season.



“This being the holy season of love, joy, forgiveness, and goodwill, and we enter into a New Year, we may do so with gratitude and embracing the uplifting power of the moment.”

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As I shared within the opening of one of my nonbooks, “The Healing Swords of Love and Innocence,” I share some of my personal experiences with religious practices, my spiritual life then, and why I choose an authentic spiritual path of living today. Having a sense of liberation and freedom to make these choices that feel ‘real’ to you is what is essential.

You will have a more satisfying, blissful, and happier life when you do. I hope what I share below from my book will clarify the importance of cultivating your spiritual journey from within yourself, including love and innocence…

From The Author

“When I was fifteen years old, my mother suffered from a mental breakdown. As a result, much of our home was destroyed. This was my childhood home, where I felt love and protection. The destruction of my physical home also nearly destroyed my own mental well-being. Imagine being taken to a police station as a teenager with your grandmother and twin sister sitting by your side, wondering if you were going to be sent away somewhere.

Thankfully, my mother’s employer learned of our situation and stepped up, offering to place us under his protective care. Still, this terrifying experience affected me so deeply that I feared I would lose my mind. This fear turned into despair. I thought of ending my own life. From my birth, I had been raised in the Roman Catholic Church. I had had nuns as teachers. My uncle was a priest. What saved my life was a painful decision that I decided to make.

Perhaps a decision that no young girl should ever have to make. Yet the church assured me that God would love and protect me if I chose to join a religious order. They, in a sense, would become my new family. So, at age sixteen, I left my sister, grandmother, and mother to join them. For the next twenty-one years of my life, I served God as a nun. It was a good life, and I learned much about prayer and contemplation.

Yet, after spending two decades of my life in the convent, I found myself growing outside of the professed religious doctrine. It no longer fit who I had become. Throughout my life, I have always been fascinated by swords and by the opulence of love. Into my thirties, I began to discover the Sword of Light, realizing all along that it had been hidden inside me, just waiting to shine. I was now ready and eager to leave the contemplative life, so that I
could begin a new life in the world.”

“Again, over the course of striving to find my authentic and spiritual self, I ultimately felt compelled to leave the Order. Yet, as I left, I kept the monastic wisdom I had acquired and the valuable experiences from my fruitful work as a counselor; later on, I became a writer, met my husband, and became a wife. Our spiritual self, love, and innocence are with us during every moment of our lives, urging us to become more aware.

Throughout our lives, many might don veils and carry many swords. Yet we will also find those who will bring us back to the light, whether they be wise elders, healers, high priests, or priestesses. We may always find consolation in the Holy Cross, which offers us compassion and where we will receive grace and abundance that resides in our visions, dreams, prayers, and moments of silence.”

During the course of your life journey, it is my sincere hope that you will discover that, ultimately, love is all that matters.


~Elizabeth Upton