The theme of improving my mind, body and soul has been at the forefront of my mind these past weeks as I write my blog. Today I have decided to take my laptop and write outdoors. I want to write under the bright blue sky and breathe in the crisp autumn air. What place could be more holy than the one that was created for each and every one of us?
It is estimated that there are over 4,000 religions in the world. Each member of those religions, to some degree, believe that they “know” God’s truth. Most of us have been born into our religion. We didn’t choose our faith, we were just so incredibly lucky to be born into the true faith. Lucky us! For that reason, in this post, I will not focus on any one religion but the threads that connect us all. Those threads of truth are what make us human and what touches the deepest inner parts of our soul.
Think about your own religion for a second. How many millions of people believe in what you believe? How long has your religion existed? Did you know that the oldest religion in the world is 50,000 years old? The belief system of the Aborigines in Australia is the world’s oldest religion. They believe that God created people and the surrounding environment during the creation period. Dreamtime and the importance of dreams are venerated in this culture as is the spiritual connection with the land. The Aborigines believe that almost all objects possess a soul and that a person’s soul continues on after death.
Maybe the tenants of this ancient religion conflict with your own. What do you see? Do you see ancient beliefs that are riddled in superstition and ritual or do you see the beauty in their connection to land and a belief that we humans are connected in this life and beyond. What has this got do do with anything? Well, to me it’s about tolerance and the ability to truly see the beauty in someone’s faith.
Practice your faith with you whole heart and soul more than you ritualize and preach it. Think about what the important truths are in your religion and magnify them. Magnify the love, forgiveness empathy and charity in your life. Be tolerant of other people’s religions because at the core they just may have some of the same important truths.
I can’t help but think that God is looking down at us and is shaking his head. A friend of mine once said that “God didn’t create man in his image….man created God in his.” While I was personally affronted at this statement, I can now understand some of the meaning behind his words. Our egos deceive us into thinking we know the only truth. We forget that we are mere humans with little capacity to truly understand the mysteries and wonders of the divine. What if we missed the point, getting so wrapped up into our religious structure that we failed to understand the most important truths that we were born with?
Before we can connect to the divine we must connect to each other. We are part of something greater than anything we can begin to comprehend. I abandoned my spiritual ego a very long time ago. I do not believe in my ability to understand the divine. I do not know my purpose on this earth. I don’t believe that the divine is petty and wants me to wear certain clothes, eat certain foods or pray in a certain way. I reject all labels or expectations that others want to put on me. I no longer make statements that speak for “God,” because there are too many people in this world that think that they do.
I believe in the power of love. I believe in the power and strength that lies in forgiveness. I believe in personal accountability and responsibility. I believe that you can hear, feel and see the divine in nature, in each other and in acts of kindness. I believe in honoring this life that I have been given and being grateful for every single person in my life, the lessons I’ve learned and the gifts I have been given.
I also believe that some of us are broken beyond repair. I believe that some humans have the capacity for great evil.
I choose to walk within the light. I honor the light and the soul that is in me and you, regardless of your faith. This is my religion.
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