Part 1.
I read the Bible daily now. I do not agree with alot of what is in there… The tone. The seriousness. The violence. I am particularly triggered by the misogyny.
I am learning that, not everything within the Bible is of God.
There is alot of Truth in there though, and I find the more that I read, the more I see… (of the nature of God and existance) understand… (God’s plan) and heal…. ( resulting in a kinder, more present me)
And because reading the Bible is having this impact on me I KNOW that it is powerful.
Todays Bible reading started where I’d left off yesterday…
Philomons 1.1
“Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ…”
And this brings me to my first question for you, God.
Why would Paul refer to himself as a prisoner?
Did Paul really view himself this way? Did he view YOU this way?
I do not believe that Jesus wants to hold us against our will.
Jesus wants us to come to him freely and in joy.
“It’s just a turn of phrase..” is what a priest might say.
I say… This turn of phrase sets the tone for how we see God and if we see God in the light of someone who imprisons believer’s then we will never really KNOW God.
” when you think that you KNOW you keep yourself from knowing anything other than what you already THINK…”
Nobody who is a prisoner can be happy or free and God desperately wants both those things for us.
Knowing this, already puts me in a closer,more trusting relationship with God than someone who fears God.
So, you see… tone is equally as important as the word.
Please don’t misunderstand me…
Christian based spiritual practice has been more powerful than any other practice I have experienced.
It is bringing about transformation/healing/increased consciousness in a way and at a rate that no other practice did.
. I have practiced toaist microcosmic meditation and have experienced and then learned to control the flow of Chi using various methods of focused attention.
. I have practiced kundalini yoga, opened energetic channels within myself and have experienced my body flooded by a powerful external force, moving up and down my spine… twisting and bending me as it went where it needed to go… clearing energetic blockages(ie trauma) in it’s wake.
(Just FYI… Speaking in tounges is freakier than any kundalini experience I’ve ever had. And the manifestation of spirit in both practices are VERY similar.Almost as if there were more than one way, to build your connection with God.)
#isthishowyoudosarcasm?
. I have fasted on full moons and experienced immediate heightened perception(leading to expansion of consciousness) as a result.
. I have used crystals as a shield to protect myself from the cruelty of others. ( crystals known to block negative energies. As an autistic I am super sensitive to energies. Thought is energy too. I cannot read people’s thoughts but I can feel them, and if it is a cruel thought, it will impact me in a negative way)
. I have practiced Qi qong and connected to the chi of the earth and used it to ground myself, pull me out of my autistic mind.
. I have spun in a circle, sufi like, until I induced a break from phsyche where I was suspended, for a moment,in a void.. apart from self and connected to Self…
Powerful practices all.
Practices that gave me a taste of God’s power and brought me closer to Him, inch by inch.
I do not discount these practices. They are not evil. They are transformative, and each one gives us a chance to experience an aspect of God.
So, while I am in disagreement with alot of what Christianity has to say on this and many more matters.. I will say this:
No practice has brought me closer to God than one prayer to Jesus did.
But I am in no way a slave to dogma.
I do not beleive that any spirtual practice that is not Christianity is evil.
I believe that, if used mindfully, knowledge of these practices can enhance our life on earth and connection to God. It’s God’s gift to us! A ways of escaping the sometimes harsh reality of our reality.
Over the years, I’ve had my doubts re the existance of God.
Experiencing for myself, mystic power, was an affirmation of the existance of esoteric energies.
And knowing that we AREN’T bound to the physical realm…isn’t that the coolest most exciting thing??
I digress. Back to Paul.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
Paul was also known to tell women to “stay silent”. This shows his ignorance. Yes he was a man of God and yes he heard God’s message but not in fullness. Jesus was no misogynist. Paul did alot of damage with these 2 words.
*More on my views of the origins of the patriachy and its impact on humanities connection to God in a future post*
I look foward to hearing your thoughts on these matters.
Thank you for reading. Namaste and God bless.
fromtheedgeofsanity.com 