God created me and desires me to celebrate all that I am and all that Life is. The old messages that I am nobody, not good enough or that I need to be small and quiet no longer serve me. I am a child born of the Great Mother’s joy and love. I celebrate Her great gift that is me and all that She wants me to enjoy. I revel in her blessings with a grateful, brimming heart.
Once upon a time I behaved impulsively, selfishly, and rudely. I used to believe those behaviors defined my soul, but they didn’t. I am a divine child, but one that was also damaged and hurt by those I loved and trusted. Through the years I have addressed that deep pain and trauma. I have fully embraced my humanity and all the hurt that it encompasses. Not denying it or ignoring it. I believe that is a necessary step in claiming our divinity.
Jesus didn’t walk away from the cross saying forget this. He went through it, accepted it. Only then could he claim his true divinity. We must do the same to claim ours, bear our crosses, bear the pain, the agony. Face it head on, preferably within a trustworthy, vulnerable community of others doing the same sacred work. Whether that is within a religious community, psychotherapy group, or Twelve-Step program matters not. For me, it’s been all of the above. Divinity shines within us when we do the work of facing our demons, demonstrating to ourselves we are courageous, brave souls brimming with compassion and empathy both for ourselves and others.
Those things we keep hidden and are ashamed of needn’t define us.
For me that has been key – being brave and vulnerable with others. Revealing my dirt. Everyone has that humbling substance in a variety of forms. Those things we keep hidden and are ashamed of needn’t define us. In a community of people who keep our secrets sacred and share their own, we learn we are not so different from one another. We learn to stand tall and turn our faces to the bright warm sun without shame.
"[I]f we start using altruism as a way to boost our sense of self, this becomes a trap. A little reality-based humility can be useful in tempering the need for approval and appreciation." --Joan Halifax, "Standing at the Edge" p.30.