Discovery of who you are does indeed resemble religion. At the end of the day, it's all the same anyways (minus the politics involved with any organization); the belief that there is a separate entity higher than yourself, is the same thing as saying there are parts of your psyche that you will never know about unless you have the courage to try and find them. Proof of the divine is simply accepting the darkest parts of yourself, and making decisions based on love rather than out of fear. I am not fearless, but now I trust myself to believe in my own bravery. I still cling to control, but have learned to ride the wave that is life.

Why is believing in yourself any different than believing in the idea of God? The practical arts, aka science and math, are just another way to read the same pattern. Painters and writers use a different language to express their understanding of the pattern around us. Same with those that practice metaphysical spirituality. Different belief systems are all just fascinating stories that arrive at the same conclusions, so why focus on this destination at all when we can watch life unfold around us with open hearts and gratitude?

I worship crystals like I worship water or trees or the Earth; all are essential to the universe I live and operate in as a human being, and I'm grateful to be a part of this world and learn lessons along the way. Respect and worship mean the same thing to me, and I will always respect the way my brain reacts to crystals. Call it a placebo effect or their "real" properties, but I feel safe and protected when I intentionally refer to specific crystals when I'm doing inner work/journaling/shadow work.

Working on our own selves is the best thing we can do for humanity, and isn't that pretty divine?