What role does Spirituality have in Restorative Justice?

What role does Spirituality have in Restorative Justice?

Does it have any role at all? Is Spirituality simply one way of approaching the work? Or is

RJ, at its core, deeply spiritual?

For me, I currently stand firmly on the side that RJ is Deeply Spiritual.

I remember when I first went through Circle Training with Mother Cheryl and CJYI. I felt like I had spiritually awakened. I felt like I was more than my physical being.

It was one of the first times I had been given enough space to sit in silence and actually hear, hear, hear my internal dialogue. I remember being surprised by what I was saying to myself and by what I was hearing myself say.

Circle created enough silence for me to meet myself.

I have also experienced moments in Circle where someone’s physical representation seemed to disappear because of the depth of connection being formed. I could no longer reduce that person to their race, age, neighborhood, clothing, career, language, or physical appearance.

I could feel their humanity.

I could feel their Spirit.

I have shared Circle with people I appeared to have no physical similarities with, yet spiritually, we were the same. Something beneath all of the visible differences allowed us to recognize one another.

Another reason I believe RJ is Deeply Spiritual is the Values Process.

When I first started Keeping Circles and providing the Process, it used to blow my mind to see how similar the values would be every single time. The participants would have different careers, ages, races, neighborhoods, cultures, languages, beliefs, and life experiences, yet the same values would continue to rise.

Love. Respect. Trust. Honesty. Safety. Family. Accountability. God. Peace. Understanding. Aretha.

All of the differences still mattered. They deserved to be witnessed, honored, and understood. AND for a moment, we were also able to see and feel that beneath the physical differences, many of us cared deeply about the same things.

The Values Process allowed us to witness our differences without forgetting our sameness.

I also stand on the side of RJ is Deeply Spiritual because the Circle Process comes from Indigenous Culture.

From what I have learned, Indigenous Cultures are deeply spiritual. They embody the knowing of oneness, abundance, and interdependency. They remind us that no person stands alone and that our well-being is connected to the well-being of others, the community, the land, our ancestors, and those who will come after us.

I remember attending an Advanced Training where we were invited to leave an empty chair behind us while we Kept and Provided the Process. The chair was there for Spirit to speak to us.

That might sound strange or even crazy to some people. I get it.

For me, the chair represented my willingness to not be in control. My expectancy to be led. My Commitment to being a vessel. My Gratitude for always being supported. It represents my willingness awareness of my responsibility to listen, to hear, and to be guided toward what all of the participants, including me, need to experience through the Process.

The chair for Spirit represented the posture of a vessel.

It reminds me that I, the Keeper, is not simply someone with a script, a detailed agenda, all of the answers, or in control. I/We/the Keepers must also be willing to listen, follow, trust, and make room for what cannot always be planned.

Leaning into and depending upon an invisible Presence is deeply spiritual.

I hope this doesn’t sound weird… just sharing my current Truth.

And for me, these experiences have only had a positive impact on my life, the spaces I enter, and the people with whom I share the Process.

Years ago, I would sometimes leave Circles feeling emotionally heavy and weighed down. Today, I often leave feeling light, complete, grateful, and in awe of the Process.

I leave grateful that I was used for the Process.

I leave reminded that the Process does not belong to me.

Lastly, I believe RJ is Deeply Spiritual because I believe Spirit is eternal, and I believe the Circle is eternal.

The Circle was here before us.

The Circle will remain after us.

The Process has been here, and the Process will continue to be here forever.

This is where I currently stand, but I would love to hear from other Restorative Justice practitioners and Keepers. No talktitioners.

What role does Spirituality have in your understanding and practice of Restorative Justice?

Do you believe RJ is deeply spiritual, completely separate from Spirituality, or somewhere in between?

What experiences in Circle have shaped or supported your current stance?

Please share. I would truly love to hear.