I have blogged before about how spirituality is created within us and needs no mediator for us to commune with the divine. Religion, to me, is Patriarchy trying to own our spirituality. I believe we need nothing more than to develop, nurture and own our own spirituality without the interference of religion. Religion is a place some go to express their spirituality.
Religions teach how to express one’s spirituality according to their terms. All religions teach love and living in harmony and some need that relief and guidance. But I had to completely she the heavy garments of religion and its doom and gloom and learned to live in the love of my own Creator-given spirit I was born with. When I was released from religion, my spirit soared.
It was very frightening to shed the cloak of religion. I was desperate. I had to develop my own spiritual connection to the divine. As soon as I began to untether, I felt my spirit blossoming. I no longer felt like I was garbage, unworthy, and guilty of being born. I no longer felt like who they called ‘God’ was going to get me and all of us whether we tried to live good lives or not. I had to seek a way to have a sense of a loving divine. This is when I discovered the divine feminine. I was beyond relieved and grateful. I no longer called my higher power “God”. I called God “Creator” and began following The Good Red Road – “take care of each other and take care of Mother Earth”, that was it. I began to feel the divine love and had a meaning and purpose to my life that was hopeful.
I was able to drop the “should” and “have tos” and simply live in a way that was loving. Patriarchy that had so wounded me, was no longer oppressing my spirit. I knew I was on the right path by the loving experiences I was having. I was of service to others and of service to Mother Earth. I was conscious and living my purpose and was greatly loved and rewarded. I began to strip off the fear, but it would take many decades before I realized how fear-based my life had always been. I am still working on this.
We are born with our spirit/soul and we, alone are in charge of it. Our soul knows the reason we are here. No one else can tell us how to care for our soul. It is taking care of us. It knows why we were born and why we are here. We may never consciously know when we have fulfilled that purpose (it may have been as little as a smile to someone who had just given up). We are unique. Our purpose is unique.
Living consciously and embracing our personal spiritual journey, pushing away negative thoughts, negative self-talk, is one way to care for our soul. Being curious and taking on adventures, that you feel strongly about, is another. Staying in tune with our feelings and our intuitions is another. Another is living the kind of life that is soul-attractive and having new possibilities open up to us. Being caught up in the mire of daily ‘stuff’, allowing negativity in, and not drawing on positive things can impede soul growth.
That common question: “Are you a human being having a spiritual experience or a spiritual being having a spiritual experience?” is more important than an ‘off the cuff’ thing. Truly it is deep. And we have to remember that our spirituality is very personal, very sacred, the holiest thing about us. What is happiness and fulfillment to you? What gives you a sense of purpose? Do not be tempted to stuff your spirituality in a one for all and all for one box. Go deep. Think on deep personal things. Connect with your spirit and soul more than you ever have. It is what we brought with us, that is what we are in charge of down here on earth, and it is the only thing we will take with us. How are you safeguarding your spirit?
©Carol Desjarlais 4. 14.23
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