This blog post was written by Viveka Hall-Holt ’22, one of the Lutheran Center Interfaith Fellows. In her work as an Interfaith Fellow she hopes to encourage people in their spiritual lives, provide ways for people to learn about each other’s traditions, and ensure that all spiritual traditions are valued at St. Olaf.

I created the Interspiritual Practices Instagram account for a double purpose: to provide a resource with a variety of spiritual practices accessible to everyone and for people of many religious/spiritual traditions to have a space to share their own practices and learn about the practices/traditions of others around them. Many students, no matter where they are during this unprecedented period, are engaged on Instagram so that is why I chose it as the medium for this project. It also allows for beautiful visuals and audio that enrich the practices and bring people in. The idea for the project came from my deep belief in the importance of sharing and learning from each other, especially about what is most meaningful to us. I also believe that this sharing can lead us to a fuller experience and understanding of our own traditions. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to talk with many students, faculty, and staff about the diverse practices that are meaningful to them through this project. I am very thankful that the St. Olaf Messenger wrote this short piece about this project that means so much to me.