In my small home town which I visited this Sunday, I attended church with my family for entirely non-religious purposes. Except most of the service we sang. I have a thing for music, especially when it's spontaneous and group done as was in this church service. It was almost as cool as drum circle. The songs we sang were simple yet powerful, somehow. Their beauty got into my heart and chest and made tear of joy come to my eyes, though none rolled down my face. I was so moved I could barely sing for crying. I felt just how interconnected all the world is, alone in the universe we are all one.
Later that night my young sister drew me a picture of a big red heart and on the back of the piece of paper she used was a quote from Nelson Mandela:
"Our deepest fear us not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear us that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?'
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fears,
our presence automatically liberates others."
As the woman Pastor talked about the bonds of a community, the consummation of a legal marriage, I stared at the metal cross on an altar before the large plain wooden cross on the wall, below a stained glass image of Jesus welcoming the children and children of God to sit with him.
I opened the bible to a passage about a sword which cuts the negative out of every person.
Since then I have felt as if the weight of this sword rests on the back of my neck, not sharp enough to push all the way through but it has come through my spine, I can feel it to the exactness of which vertebrae even.
I stared at the metal cross and saw a blue vortex of energy in the center where the two lines cross. Our prayers are truly heard, and answered so long as we keep praying and will the change.
May this sword cut away my old fear so I will have abundant room to let enter love into me.
Half of my life I do not Identify as Christian, yet with this past church service I believe that I can practice in my own religion of a God and a Goddess and still attend church. For me, personally they all fit. And I seem to vibrate in sync to crosses.
Lesson 6: All religions are One religion, all philosophies the same way of life.
