Reflections on Spirituality + Religion

On November 10^th 2014 I finalized a document (Excel Spreadsheet) that contained many things and lots of information about spiritual understandings I knew and still know to be of great relevance and insight. One of the more significant things to come from this was the revelation about the soul and how it should be expansive like God to extend compassion and empathy to ALL.

I created the chart, measured myself on it, and I can happily say that my knowledge and empathy have expanded further.

But then time passed and this sheet and all its contents faded and seemed to be of little relevance.

On November 27^th, 2016 I had a dream/vision that led me to the understanding of different spiritual ages, where I was at, and some distant understandings of what was to come. Following that night came many many nights of visions and spiritual insights –many of which I’ve blogged. Blogging in general grew this past year.

But then things faded around July and time slowed again.

On November 10^th 2016 I received spiritual understanding that put the election, this nightmare of a situation, and all the messed up things happening into clearer perspective again. 2014 was a whisper of acknowledgement to the Final Coming that has begun. 2016 was the strong affirmation that, “Holy crap this is actually happening and there are signs and you can feel it.”

Then came this instinct like I had in 2014 that all of this was happening SOON. And yet I know now that 2014 was just downloading extensive amounts of information and 2015 was receiving further clarity and 2016 just seems like a 10 minute warning to advance preparation.

Things will happen SOON to be sure, but it’s less dependent on a time and more dependent on the general state of things.

Now is the time to prepare, brace yourself, and get ready for what is to come. We’re IN the Final Coming, it has started, but it’s all a transition.

(For the record, my bags are packed and I would be ready for anything tomorrow. That’s where I’m at.)

As I’ve come to understand it over and over again, Heaven tends to wait until the pain has gotten unbearable. This is due to the fact it’s hard to get through and they don’t want to “control or dominate” the situation. So it isn’t until the suffering has gotten that bad that people will finally experience genuine SURRENDER/HUMILITY and allow God to intercede.

Which sucks. I don’t want to stick around and watch things get worse. We were already veering into the land of the depraved and indignant. I don’t want to watch this ship crash over the edge of a waterfall. Yet that’s where we’re headed, so draw deep within your soul and draw near to Heaven.

Why now? Why has it taken God so long to come through?

I was given a metaphor because at one point it did bother me that it’s taken this many MILLENNIA to get to this point. All the genocide and enslavement and torture… all of the PAIN. It bothers me that we didn’t reach the state until now.

So here’s the metaphor:

Once upon a time there was a mother standing in a room looking down at her baby boy playing with toys on the floor. When the mother went to pick up the baby an angry man standing in black stopped her. She tried to get around the man and struggled with him to get to her baby, but he kept her at baby.

As time passed the man faded. Again the woman saw her chance to hold her baby near, so she reached out for him. Then bars appeared before her. She tried reaching the baby through the bars but could only stroke his arm. Frustrated, she tried to push against the bars –but to no avail.

Eventually the bars faded and once again the mother reached for her baby. She put her arms around her son and tried to lift him up, but he would not budge. It was as if he weighed a ton. He was too heavy for her to bear. So she could only draw near to the baby, but was unable to move him or lift him up.

Finally the time came and she knew. With great joy she bundled the baby in her arms, lifted him up, and embraced him with a hug. She kissed his forehead and rocked him back and forth in caring love.

I would call the man in black WAR and direct physical violence and conflict. When times were less civil and far more barbaric, hedonism + violence were in the way of divinity.

The bars were institutions. Eventually entire Systems stood against divine nature. Things like oppressive religions, abusive governments, and whatever you feel like calling Christopher Columbus’s group and the KKK that followed in time.

The weight of the baby represents the bars being lifted and individual freedoms being granted –but still the darkness and vices of people holding them back. Mankind CHOOSES to divide from God now. It is a conscious act. People give way to lesser things and lose sight of their greater selves and all the divinity they have belonging to.

We are reaching a day and age however when many souls are liberated in the way they need to be. They are compassionate, peaceful, caring, articulate, enlightened, and connected. This is why the time has finally come more than anything. People are finally ready for it.

What do you think of Religion XYZ?

Not sure I blogged about this before –which is what happens when you think these things out this thoroughly and then write down the main points only to walk away for months on end to eventually come back to them. It feels like these things have already been written because they are that “written out” in my mind and defined for me on paper.

Either way the distinction needs to be made. How do you discern between various religions as unbiasedly and open-mindedly as possible? First off it the issue of “Treading Softly” needs to be proclaimed. As it turns out many people actual do believe in and practice these religions. They’re not just concepts and theories –they’re often put into practice and believed in deeply. Never seek to offend the faith of another.

Having said that, I’d like to think all people can agree on what you can call the “Humanitarian Bill of Rights” that is my approach to religions.

#1 Handling of Abuses

This one is probably the most essential. How does ReligionXYZ handle abuses within that institution when they come to light? How they’ve handled abuses historically is also important.

Does the religion make the mistake of DENYING the abuses, PROTECTING the abusers, and PERPETUATING the abuses? Or do they come clean, hold people responsible, and seek to heal the wounds caused by whatever mistake was inflicted.

Religions are like prescription drugs –most are intended to heal and bring about positive change, but they can abused easily and when they are they have devastating consequences and can even lead to the deaths of innocent people.

#2 Policy of Exile and/or Discrimination

I’ve seen several religions that either exile/excommunicate people that they then shun, ostracize, and abandon and/or they discriminate against specific people from being members. This is bullsh*t. Plain and simple. If a religion makes the mistake of enacting exile unto its own followers it is in abuse of itself and has crossed the line of issue #1 Handling of Abuses. If the religion discriminates or spreads hatred from people you can also say it’s violated one of the “Humanitarian Bill of Rights” for religions. ALL people should be able to follow whatever faith they choose freely and not be denied it –including being denied by the religions themselves.

#3 Claimed Virtues/ Positive Impact

I could give a damn about the logistical beliefs of a religion. You can believe that there are invisible unicorns prancing around you right now and that there is a giant kitty in the sky with a horn called “UniKitty” for all I care. So long as UniKitty leads you to a more positive, compassionate way of existence and at NO point says you need to start killing off all cats without horns roaming the earth -we’re good.

What are the proclaimed “values” of your religion –but more importantly –the VIRTUES it commends and claims to seek to uphold? And does your religion have a positive impact on people’s lives or does it leave them cowering in fear hating their own existence?

#4 Relations Toward Other Religions

Right now there are 5 main categories of religion. You have the Eastern Religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. Abrahamic Religions like Christianity and Islam. Chinese Religions, Indigenous/Native Religions, and “Secular”/Agnostic Religions. These are your core and from there you get many many iterations and variances. (Technically you also have Scientology –not sure what category that goes into…)

It is essential the religious tolerance and unity be practiced. With 7 billion people on the planet, you’re not just contenting with a faith –you’re contending with a HUMAN BEING.

How your religion generally acts towards other religions –including people from those religions -is very defining.

Spiritual Intention v. Religious Interpretation

I don’t know how this veered into a religious discussion, but I’m just going to go with it.

Within EVERY religion comes the issue of what a lot of people call EXTREMISM or “fundamentalism”. Basically what happens when a person becomes “severely religious” as I like to call it.

Religion and the way that it’s practiced is a spectrum. There is someone on this planet who has never heard of religion xyz. Tomorrow they will meet a member of that faith on just by hearing about it will decide, “Hey I guess I’m a member now because I like it.” They will not have attended any church/synagogue/mosque and they will have read nor religious scripture or book. And so it is we have the parameters of our spectrum set.

And this is an issue because, depending on where you’re at on this spectrum –you could be missing the bigger picture.

I’m going to use Christianity as an example for a moment –if for no other reason that most people are at least somewhat familiar with that one.

According to Christianity, Jesus once spoke against Divorce. He basically said, “Don’t do it.” What followed in that religion was a refusal and denial of people to marry. In general, divorce happened rarely and was severely shamed most of the time. Many women –including those in domestic violence situations –were pressured to remain in unhealthy marriages.

So a basic understanding - Christ as against divorce –became institutionalized and enforced (by law and then by practice).

Meanwhile, as someone who strides along a more spiritual line of thought (and free thinking in particular) it occurs to me that there spiritual implications to divorce. In Christ’s time divorce meant that the woman would be deemed as “used” and not wanted. And since women had no means by which to sustain themselves outside of their husbands –given women in general were treated like cattle -divorce meant a woman would be isolated, alone and utterly abandoned.

In modern times divorce has different implications (in America). I have never seen anything sever too people so completely quite like divorce. There is an erasure of each other’s existence as if two paths never crossed. Given we’re all intended for compassion towards one another and genuine unity –this severing causes a kind of spiritual rift.

I’m not saying divorce is wrong. I’m saying the way it’s approached could be better in general. Wishing your ex would fall over the edge of a cliff isn’t exactly “enlightened”.

I think this is was Christ was speaking to. He came trying to UNIFY people and He saw this as a great dividing factor.

And so you have a conflict in understanding where Religion would Interpret something and then seek to enforce it, where Spirituality would seek to understand the Intention of something and then come to learn from it.