Mother's Day: A Day for All Humanity

     Mother's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world on the second Sunday of May. It is a day to honor our mothers and grandmothers, but I am thinking about all the ways that everyone has a nurturing spirit that should be celebrated and encouraged today - and every day.

    I believe that the Great Divine Spirit is both masculine and feminine: Father-Mother God - and that we were created in that image. If only humanity would recognize and encourage both halves of the whole, I believe there would be peace in the world. 

    The feminine spirit of humanity has been oppressed for millennia. Most men do not want to recognize the feminine, nurturing part of themselves, and women are discouraged from demonstrating their logical, strong, and adventurous side. The resulting imbalance has caused most of the discord, violence, and destruction that has plagued humanity throughout our history. 

    Masculine and feminine energies need each other to be perfectly balanced. Either one in the extreme can be detrimental. It's important to recognize both energies in ourselves so that we can look for ways to balance them. For the most part, the world needs more feminine energy. We can encourage this in ourselves by nurturing anyone or anything in need; caring for those who are sick or oppressed, taking care of children or pets, nurturing the plants and birds in our yards, and all the other ways you can think of. And don't forget to nurture yourself with healthy food and activities. 

    I found this article that nicely expresses the importance of balancing the divine feminine and the divine masculine: The Divine Feminine vs. the Divine Masculine. As the article states: Male energy is direct and projects outward with decisive, positive action; it secures, strengthens, and "has a giving nature." Female energy, on the other hand, is cyclical. It's directed inward, it nurtures and assures, and it "has a receiving nature" (via SacredLightAlchemy.com). Humanity needs both to be whole and complete.

    Humanity has existed far too long as a patriarchal culture. Many want to see a return to the matriarchal society of ancient times when the Great Goddess was worshipped. I think, rather than going back to pre-historic times, humanity must move forward to an egalitarian existence, where all are considered equal, and every aspect of the human soul is respected and loved. 

    The divine feminine and divine masculine are often depicted as Father Sun and Mother Earth. Humanity cannot exist without both parents!

    

Unlock the Door!

    I consider myself to be an Omnist, believing that most religions contain some truth, but that none contains the whole truth; the whole truth being unknowable in this physical existence. Unlike many people who claim to be "spiritual but not religious" I do like to attend church for the fellowship and stimulation. I have attended a wide variety of churches in my lifetime, including Methodist, Presbyterian, Unitarian-Universalist, and Unity. In our new Wisconsin home Mark and I have been attending the United Church of Christ which I like for its progressive theology and it's comma logo, which "invites us to believe that God speaks through other people, nature, music, art . . . the Bible, and in so many other ways."

    Today's sermon centered on the story about Jesus entering the locked room where the disciples were sequestered after his crucifixion, and about Thomas not believing they'd seen Jesus until he saw the nail marks in his hands and put his fingers in his side where the sword had pierced him. When he had done this and proclaimed, "My Lord and My God" Jesus said, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed."

    Our pastor spoke about the way so many people are like Thomas, needing physical proof before they can believe something. I have always been comforted by the words, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed," because I know people who have actually seen angels, spirit guides, and even Jesus, while I have retained a strong faith in the unseen side of life without having seen any of it myself. Pastor Christie also spoke about the symbolism of the locked room, something I had not thought about before. 

    The locked room can symbolize our minds; our creativity and imagination that so many keep under lock and key because we have not seen proof that anything exists beyond the limits of our senses and the acceptable beliefs of society. Jesus is the divine messenger of Love who can enter our locked minds when we seek spiritual knowledge as did his disciples. Divine Love can then release our creativity, our imagination, and our sense of wonder. 

    With open minds we can understand that Jesus was resurrected to demonstrate that life is eternal and always has been. If life is eternal there must be an infinite universe full of beauty and wonderful experiences beyond the confines of the world we know. Everything that exists began in the imagination. So let's unlock our minds and let our imaginations go wild!

    Astronomers estimate there are about 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way and about 200 billion trillion stars in the universe. I can't begin to imagine how many planets revolve around all those stars, and how many are hosts to intelligent life. Not to mention the possibility of other universes that might be accessible through black hole portals (Black Holes Are 'Portals to Other Universes,' According to New Quantum Results).

    I know people who say it's silly to wonder about life on other planets when we have to take care of our own Mother Earth. I very much agree that we must take better care of our world, but I also believe that we must use our imagination to create a better world, and imagining a world where everyone lives together in peace and harmony can make us realize the possibilities for humanity. What would a world at peace look like? How would its inhabitants resolve conflict? With millions of worlds, there must be some where the inhabitants exemplify a peaceful life. Perhaps they want to help us and they're just waiting for the earth to become more hospitable so they can make themselves known.

    In addition to other physical worlds, we can imagine multiple dimensions right here in our own world. I know people with clairvoyant vision who have seen some of the nature spirits and other beings who dwell on other planes. I cannot see them myself, but my imagination reminds me that these invisible ones are helping my garden to grow and are doing their best to clean up the mess that we humans are making of God's creation!

    Once we unlock the door of our imagination, there is no limit to what we can discover about our universe and the possibilities for the advancement of the human race. I recommend these few books to jumpstart your imagination: 

    On Angels' Wings by Mariana Stjerna 

    Telos: Revelations of the New Lemuria by Aurelia Louise Jones

    The Real World of Fairies: A First-Person Account by Dora van Gelder

    There are many other wonderful books by authors who are not afraid to cross the boundaries of conventional thought. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments!