I am facilitating a Divine Openings Book Club this summer (read more here) as we read Lola Jones’ book, Things Are Going Great in My Absence. In session 3 there is a discussion of God, (aka the Presence, the Indweller, the Lord) and the various names and relationships we have with the power that we experience as greater than us. Lola advocates having an incredibly personalized, subjective, and intimate relationship. She also talks about the hurdles many of us face in even saying the word “God” and being able to sort the often conflicting beliefs we were raised with in comparison to the documented experiences we have had in our own lives. (Learn more about this image of the Ant Nebula from the Hubble Telescope.)
I definitely went through a period of both atheism and agnosticism, as I could not reconcile many of the teachings of the Catholic Church – in which I was raised. Central to this confusion was “How could an all-loving God allow innocent children to be born with original sin?” And “What if you just weren’t lucky enough to be baptized Catholic? Why should you be denied Heaven?”
However I was also continuously drawn to the study of religions and to “all things spiritual.” I loved reading about the peyote experiences of Carlos Castaneda and the ability to shape shift. I have taught meditation classes based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead. I have Hubble telescope photographs as the screen saver on my computer! I have known in my gut there is more to life than just this one period of time, that there is some sort of organizing principle that connects “out there” with “in here.”
Never have I had such a direct connection to the Divine though as I do now. In session 3 we have the chance to write down a description of “the new type of God you can relate to.” So here is my angle on this part of the grand hologram. I am pleased to introduce you to my God, as of today, as I spoke directly to the Presence within me:
You are everywhere.
You are incredibly funny.
You are full of surprises.
You are detached from “caring” what happens. It’s all good.
You are listening, watching, doing.
You are not in a hurry.
You can act fast though!
You are comfortable with physical reality yet you also like pushing it outside of normal boundaries.
You are not only fear-less, you are unfear, nonfear, you are devoid of fear! I long to be closer to you in that respect. And I am with every breath I take.
You are relaxed and powerful, resting, and yet always ready for action!
You see beauty everywhere.
You have amazing ideas.
You are the biggest part of me; you are me.
Now, please tell me about your God. If this presence is not 100% for you and 0% against you, then may I suggest you could opt for a God upgrade!
Aloha,
