Identifying GOD

                                                            

 

Do I believe in GOD? Yes, with my whole heart and soul. But, do I believe that GOD is this old man living up in the clouds? That is what I was taught as a child, but as I grew older and witnessed the horrors that men commit against each other, I’ve become cynical of the teachings of religion.

How I ask, can a Creator that not only made us, but all life throughout the Universe be okay with us hating another one of his creatures? Why would a powerful Creator subscribe to one religion using murder and terrorism to attack others? Why would this Creator subscribe to the speeches of hate that have been in the news lately?

The answer is simple: The Creator does not endorse negativity of any type, shape or form. The Creator is the ultimate life force and as a life force, His mission and motto is “BE and let BE.”  And yet, here we are ready to kill in his name.

Who is GOD?

GOD is certainly not the myth of religions. God is pure energy and pure love. His energy is what created the universe and all the life forms that are evolving on all the planets that are scattered through the universes and, through the different dimensions.

Early man had no way of understanding the depth or range of the universe and mankind certainly had no way of understanding that everything, including themselves, was made up of the Creator’s life-force-energy and because he didn’t, he made up stories to explain this power. He gave GOD a name; many names to be exact. Mankind went about building temples of gold where daily sacrifices were offered to the GOD of many names. When the temples weren’t enough, Man began a methodical indoctrination of the masses.

It was all about power and control, but with the threat of an eternity spent in hell, lay people were coerced into following the laws of the many religions. For the lay people, the laws were hard to bear upon their shoulders, but for the leaders of religion, they had found Nirvana: willing slaves that followed their every instruction. Any dispute was treated as heresy and, the solution was often a painful public death. All the while, wars continued to be fought in the name of God, while the poor and the vulnerable were mowed under the wheels of the war machine.

Here we are in the year 2017 and the people of Earth are no closer to peace and harmony than they were since they crawled out of that primordial soup of evolution. Do we place the blame at God’s door? Because, after all, he is all powerful and we were promised by our religious leaders that if we followed the “True” religion, we would be saved.

Maybe...the problem is with us...maybe we are looking for God in all the wrong places...maybe science can help us understand just how powerful God has made each and every one of us.

May the Force Be With You

He is the Force...okay, I’m going Star Wars here a bit, but it will help you understand where I’m headed. We are made up of atoms, we are light, and we are truly the dust of stars long gone: We are energy with no ending. We are GOD’s energy that is vibrating at a lower level than his. Everything has his energy! Think about this...every planet, every sun, every moon, every leaf, tree, rock, animal, bird, fish, insect, bacteria and virus...we are the sum total of GOD.

There are many scientific explanations for energy and many types of energy, but the one I’ll use is this: energy is the ability to move forward. Living entities are always moving forward from one life to another. Our soul’s energy doesn’t die when we shed our bodies. Our souls go on and on and on. GOD is E=Mc2

                                                                                                 

We have been reborn over and over since the beginning of time...for God is time and space. We have lived on every planet and in every dimension and we are doing this simultaneously at most points in our existence. There is no set place to hold the energy of life except in the Soul, which is the mirror of God. We reflect his energy in our soul...and the soul craves life and knowledge. The soul wants to be like GOD...to be GOD.

Become the Force

Again, I ask for your forgiveness in using a Star War phrase, but to become close to God, we need to look only within ourselves. GOD lives in each of us. He doesn’t need temples and there is only one law. “BE and let BE.”  Once we start to look at other life forms on this Earth as fellow mini gods in training, we will understand that we are all equal parts of the whole...every person, every animal, and every plant on every world and every dimension.

                                                           

If we are to move forward and evolve as an energy being, we need to take religion out of the equation. We need to connect with the collective universal mind and follow the law of the Ultimate Life Force...Do no harm...create not destroy...BE and let BE.

GOD is waiting for us to make the first move.

Letting Go

                                                            

                                                                

When we think of letting go, we normally think that we are losing or giving something away. We may fight that urge to just let happen because we assume that to let go is to lose control of the situation. But, and this is something that I’ve been learning this past year, sometimes to let go is in reality an act of power. When you release your fears, anger, and pain; you become strong.

                                                                     

I was having tea with friends recently and the subject of forgiveness came up. It is hard to forgive someone who has caused great harm to you. Forgiveness is something that GOD preaches, but for us mortals, it is a yoke that is hard to bear. Maybe it’s because we didn’t understand what GOD was really saying when he said, “Forgive as I have forgiven you.” Maybe what GOD meant was for us to “Let It Go!”

We don’t have to allow the abuser back into our lives to forgive. We can forgive and send them GOD’s love without ever speaking to the abuser. We are in essence saying, “You were a rotten snake in the grass and you made my life a living hell...but, you are a child of GOD and I am forgiving you from the safety of my home. I am sending GOD’s love to you even though I don’t ever want to see your face again.”

                                                                       

Once we send this message and let go of the bad memories, our life changes because we are no longer carrying the pain within. WE Let Go! We are finally at peace with ourselves because our mind can concentrate on the positive. We don’t need to play the scene over and over in our minds. The yoke has been lifted. By sending out GOD’s love to our enemy instead of bad karma, we are sending out positive vibes and this means that positive vibes will return to us.

GOD doesn’t hold grudges. HE abides our constant transgressions. HE forgives and HE lets go. He accepts our confessions and promises of doing better, knowing that we are human and flawed. I want to be more like GOD. I have been forgiving my enemies and sending them GOD’s love.

                                                               

I’ve even done this with the two candidates that are running for President. I found this to be a bit harder than I expected, but I did it. I sent out a ball of love towards both candidates. I have to be honest and tell you that I was really tempted to send a bolt of lightning to one of the candidates but I behaved myself.

                                                         

 

Let’s try something different for the next few weeks. Why don’t we all let it go and not put any political nasty stuff on social media? We can talk about our kids, the weather, sports, the holidays...anything but the political circus. I’m starting now.

Ready?

Let It Go!!!!!!

Miracles, Here and Now

                                                         

Do you believe in miracles? What exactly are miracles and do you have to be Christian to witness one?

Definition of Miracle: an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human and natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause: a work of GOD; a wonder.

Origin: from the Latin miraculum “object of wonder”

Miracles do exist and they are experienced around the globe by many cultures and religions, so I’m sorry to break the news to all you Christians out there, but GOD doesn’t play favorites with HIS creations and miracles have been reported before the time of Christ.

There are people who don’t believe in miracles, or don’t understand the true meaning of the word. They rely entirely on what science tells them, which is kind of funny since I’ve always felt that science reveals the hidden miracles that surround our daily lives.

Although I have disconnected myself from organized religion in order to strengthen my connection to GOD, I not only believe in miracles, but have experienced a few during my lifetime. When you have psychic abilities, you are aware of so much that goes unseen or unnoticed in this hectic world.

                                                               
The Christian will point to Jesus and his many miracles to defend their belief that miracles are real. The non-believer claims that Jesus’s miracles can be scientifically explained. Yeah, we know more about the world around us thanks to science, but science can’t explain how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, or how he healed the blind.

Why don’t we see more miracles today?

Maybe, we’re looking in the wrong places. We are the miracles, along with everything that exists in the universe. When GOD gave the command “BE” the universe, planets, stars, and life itself, began to evolve all over the place. Earth at one time was a most uninhabitable place to be, but thanks to GOD, who is the original universal scientist, evolution happened and here we are! Now that’s what I call a miracle. The fact that we haven’t blown up this planet is another miracle.

Recently, this 2013 video was all over Facebook about a miraculous event that involved a horrendous accident that caused a young girl to be trapped in her car. The rescue workers were unable to cut her away from the wreckage. She was dying until she was saved by a stranger who prayed over her. The rescue workers claimed this mysterious man appeared from no where and, after the workers were able to finally free the girl, he was gone.



Now, the story was listed as a miracle and it should be. People working together to help each other is always a miracle, especially, since it is so easy to walk away. Later, a priest admitted to being that mysterious stranger. Why didn't he stay around? Why did he leave so quickly? Does this diminish the miracle of that girl surviving the accident?




No! A miracle is a miracle! But, maybe we should be honest on what a miracle is and, how often it occurs. We, and I am speaking about every woman, man, child, animal, plant, the earth, the planets, the stars; you get where I'm going, right? Everything that has been created from the beginning of time to whenever the Creator decides to close shop, are all connected by a universal force that is stronger than all of us put together. This force binds us together and when we look out for each other, care for each other, protect each other, miracles happen.

If you want to find angels, you don't need to look far. They are here with us. We need to stop hating each other long enough to see them. They watch over us, sure, but we have this thing called free will. It is a double-edged sword. The angels will step in when we allow them to, but most of the time; we don't.

We can make our own miracles happen, every day. We only need to care! Jesus cared, yeah he was the son of GOD, but he cared about us and, he did many miracles. So, here is my plan. Instead of looking for miracles, we are all going to make miracles happen. We can do it. We are part of the universal force.

My Brother's Keeper

                                                           

                                              

My Brother’s Keeper. What exactly does this saying mean? Am I only my brother’s keeper, or does this mean that everyone is on this list? Suppose I don’t want to be my brother’s keeper, or he doesn’t want me to take on this job? Where did this saying come from?

Then

It seems that sibling rivalry isn’t new. Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was jealous of Able because GOD favored one boy over the other. Cain was a farmer and Abel a shepherd, GOD apparently liked lamb more than zucchini. Cain killed his brother in a jealous fit and when GOD asked Cain where Abel was, Cain replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

I guess that was the wrong reply to give to the Creator and Cain was banished from his family. I was always bothered by this story. Why would GOD purposely favor one of his creatures over another, knowing that it would cause a rift? This doesn’t sound like something an all-knowing, all-loving, entity would do, and yet, this is one of the stories in Genesis.

 

GOD did not kill Cain. Although the bible says “An eye for an eye” GOD did not kill Cain. He put a mark on his forehead as a warning to other tribes that they were forbidden to harm Cain. I think this is such an important part of the story. GOD did not kill the man who committed murder. HE wouldn't destroy what he had created. He punished, banished, but HE did not kill Cain. I like this GOD. HE is not the vengeful or unforgiving GOD that we were led to believe HE was. 

Jesus

The son of GOD came to tear down the old laws with new ones, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus came with a new message and, it shook the very foundations of intolerance. His message: Love your enemies; Love your neighbor as you love yourself; blessed are the poor; take care of the widows; judge not, or you’ll be judged. This was radical thinking that went against the plans of the powerful people of his time and for this act of reason, Jesus was crucified. His message survived.

Today

Our world is on the brink of change. Many of the rich and powerful are behaving badly. Corporations are creating working conditions that are harming their workers and stripping away benefits that workers have legally earned. Insurance companies are refusing to pay for health care even after people have paid a pretty penny for the protection. We have Senators who want to end programs that help the poor, especially poor children. Corporations use loopholes in the law to destroy the environment causing a global catastrophe. And yet, they will use the name of GOD to control others who think differently than they do. Shameful!

                                                                  

GOD was never about religion, but he did give examples of how we should behave. I don’t believe in organized religion, but I do believe in GOD. So when I hear the candidates claiming that we are not our brother’s keepers, I laugh. They are fools.

                                                                     

We all live on this blue marble called Earth. Until we can go to other planets, we are stuck here. So, let’s take care of what we have. We are all one race; human. We will not survive if we don’t work together. We need to get over our differences. It doesn’t matter what color, country of birth, financial status or sex you are. All are equal on this planet. All are entitled to live and work productively for the betterment of the human race. To achieve this status, we must be accountable to each other. We must protect each other. But does this mean we should support the slothful and lazy people who would rather suck us dry. NO! Charity works best when you give the person who needs help, pride in themselves. Everyone has to work. No freeloaders! Yes, we are each other’s keeper, but to survive we have to be givers and not takers.

Don't Look For God in Church

                                                              

      

I was raised in the Catholic Church and, went to twelve years of Parochial school. My teachers were the religious sisters (Nuns) the whole twelve years. I even considered becoming a nun when I was in high school, but then the Beatles came onto the scene. Need I say more? I was in love with the quiet Beatle, George and no longer interested in working as a missionary. God understood.

                                                                  

I was always in trouble with the nuns because I always asked questions about the church's dogma. I guess the good sisters didn't know what to make of a free thinker. I had questions. Why did pagan babies go to Limbo? What is purgatory? Why would God send you to hell for eating meat on Fridays? Why does the Catholic Church have the most boring music in the world? Why are the sermons so empty of meaning? Just didn't make sense to me. How could the church ever explain its actions during the inquisition. There are no excuses.

Religion's main purpose, and this is for all organized religions, is to control the commoners, that's us. Do I really need a cleric to explain the bible to me? I am an intelligent woman and I can figure out the meaning of the parables.

                                                      

                                                            
When you hear the priest, minister, rabbi or Islam clergy say that God wants to punish us or, that man is above woman or, that it is okay to kill in the name of God, I say, "Bullshit!"

This isn't the God I know or love. When people try to use religion to shame others or to isolate them, they always shout out that their hate is justified because the bible says they're right. Yeah, well guess what? I read the bible and Jesus didn't say half the stuff that people claimed he said.

What he did say was to love his Father; to love one another; to feed the poor; to care for the widow. I didn't read anything about women not being allowed to be priests or that he hated gay people. And, he sure as hell didn't give the Republican Party the right to use his name whenever they want to push through a bill that will make the corporations and them, richer. I'm pretty sure he was for the strict separation of state and church. "Give to Cesare"....Don't use GOD to pass a law.

I've stopped going to the Catholic church every Sunday. One priest was bad mouthing the poor. What the hell? Jesus hung out with the poor, you dumb ass! I've decided to try out different religions like I would shoes. The church I went to this past week is called the Trinity Christian Church. They have great music to stir the soul and the minister talked about real things to help the poor. Next week, I'm going to my niece's church in South Philly. I want to go to a Hindu Temple next. After that, I might go to the ocean and commune with God, because it's not in church that I find GOD.

                                 my daughter and oldest grandson                         

I find GOD in the stars that shine down on me, or the moon so bright in a night sky, or in holding a baby in my arms. I find GOD in a child's laughter or a breeze that cools the night. I find GOD in the people I pass on the street each day. My GOD is all about love, forgiveness and allowing us to explore who we are and, find our places in this big wonderful universe HE created for us.

Any religion that doesn't treat woman and men as equals, or isolates a member because of their sexual preference or political ideas is no church for me. Any religion that encourages people to kill in GOD's name is not worth the dust from my shoes.

                                                      

I will walk in my GOD's footsteps. I will respect all people even if I don't agree with them. I will consider every woman on this planet, my sister; every man, my brother. Every child will be loved as my own, but expect a smack to the back of the head if you act like a fool. I don't care what gender you are. If you are a kind, loving and caring soul, you are my friend. I don't care if you are poor. I don't care about your race. We are all part of one race; human. I will speak out against the people who rape Mother Earth and pollute the food and water. We don't own the planet. We should leave it in better shape than when we arrived.

                                                         

I think I've covered everything. A friend of mine, Janice Wilson, keeps inviting me to go hiking with her. I think I will. I know I'll find God on the trail.

Our Secret Place: An Empath's Journey

                                                              

 

I’m belong to a group of talented and compassionate people who have different levels of sensitivity and psychic abilities to the paranormal world. We meet once a week with our instructor, who is a medium, professional ghost investigator, mentor and friend. Her name is Marti and, we are her angels. She is helping us to recognize and build the powers within ourselves. Most people have this power, but are afraid to tap into it. This is why it's such an exhilarating experience to be with same minded and equally sensitive individuals. With Marti's guidance, we are growing beyond the limits of our physical beings.

                                                                       

This week’s assignment was to prepare ourselves for remote readings. An example of a remote reading is if I were to give a person an inspirational reading over the phone. Most of the group is already capable of doing a one-on-one reading in person using their Angel Inspiration Cards, but over the phone? This was a new concept to me.

                                       The cards that I use                               

Marti asked us to try an experiment. She wanted us to create a space in our mind of a safe, happy place that we could go to during the remote readings. She also told us this place could be anywhere. She described her place which was a room full of books and artifacts and a comfy chair. One woman thought of a place in the forest where the trees themselves were bookshelves. Most of the group picked places on Earth, but I’m the oddball of the group. I’d already had my happy place. Had it since I was a kid, but it was miles and miles above the Earth.

Sphere

Whenever I think of a happy place, it is not on Earth, but inside a big sphere. It’s a spaceship made of glass and metal. It hovers over the Earth most times, but will travel to the ends of the universe, when I wish. I have books, many books and, a floating lounge chair to sit on and read said books. I’m not alone. I have two robots that make me cups of tea and, biscuits. They also make sure that we stay on course as we hurtle through space.

                                                                 

There are three Totem animals that have made their home inside the sphere with me. They are my spirit guides. Besides the tiger, grizzly bear and eagle, I also have a pilot.
                                                                   

                    It's GOD and HE likes to show me all the places he has created. Sometimes we'll even land and walk upon these other worlds, but some worlds are hostile and we don't go there. GOD keeps me and the Sphere safe from evil things.

Conclusion

This week, Marti’s angels will have to visit there happy place at least once a day for inspiration. We also need to keep a list of any messages we will receive while inside our special places. The tiger is the only one talking so far. He keeps repeating one word; explore. GOD agrees with the tiger. I think I’ll take their advice.

Finding God in a Drum Solo

                                                        

Last night, I was invited to an event called "Grounds for Good Coffee House" by a friend and fellow writer of The South Jersey Writers' Group. Kathy Appleton and her husband, Jay are part of "The Church Praise Band at the First United Methodist Church.

                                                           

                                                           

I asked two other friends to join me and off we went to Moorestown, New Jersey with me driving and using my GPS to get there because as all of you who follow my blog know, I have no sense of direction. We got lost, but we finally made it to our destination after my GPS, with some nasty attitude, recalculated our route.

                                                          

I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic School for twelve years and continued going to the Church until a few years ago. I haven't been a fan of organized religion for some time now. I never felt that GOD was about religion. HE is about love,  compassion, forgiveness and, more importantly, not judging others and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want us bad mouthing the poor or blaming them for being poor.

I'm a very spiritual person and have a close relationship with GOD even if I haven't been going to church. I've found that when I listen to music that certain songs, be it rock, punk, rap or new wave, remind me of the Creator and I feel at peace....so what does this blog have to do with finding God or drums?

                                                       

I was really enjoying the music played by The Church Praise Band. The singing was excellent and Kathy was amazing on the harp, but it was the drum solo for the song about the little drummer boy that made me feel like God was sitting right next to me, tapping his fingers on the table and tapping his feet on the floor. I am going to try and make other events when "The Church Praise Band" is playing. I might bump into GOD again. Here is a video with the drummer (I don't know his name) it's about five minutes long. Enjoy.

Post by Marie Gilbert.

Sometimes, You Find God Over a Cup of Tea

                                                                     

 

Yep, that is the title for this blog, and no, I didn’t become a religious fanatic overnight; although I am a very spiritual person. I don’t bide with Organized Religions  who try to bully their followers into blindly following, afraid to question some of the mandates handed down; even if these mandates are hateful and prejudiced.

                                                                  

But, the topic of Institutionalized religion is for another day and another blog. Today I want to talk about inspiration and creativity. After attending Sunday mass (yes, I go to church) I visited by granddaughter Katrina and her very insightful mother, Sue.  

                                                                         

                                                                

She made us a cup of tea and we chatted about my weekly blogs and my plans to self-publish one of my short stories about the zombie apocalypse. Sue is an amazing teacher, but she is also a talented artist. She’d asked me if I had ever watched https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector  I hadn’t, but I was sure curious. She pulled up an episode of Ted Talks on her computer, which featured the author of Eat Pray Love.

                                                                             

                                            Julia Roberts starred in the film based on the book.

                                                                      

Elizabeth Gilbert author of Eat Pray Love, muses over the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses, but I’ll let this video below explain.
 

 

After we had watched this video, I told Sue about my novel and the chapter where God is speaking with the heroine of the book after a particularly nasty battle with demons. He tells Emele that his love is like a song that is sent out racing through the cosmos.
                                                                         

Every blade of grass, every grain of sand, every living thing scattered throughout the universe hears this song. Unfortunately, there are times when sentient beings aren’t tuned in, but when we do great things and create a story, poem, song or painting, it is because we have heard and connected with this song of creativity and life. I look at this 'inspiration' as God tapping us on the shoulder and saying, "Here, try this."

                                                                   

                  

                                

As writers, I’m sure we’ve all had days when the universe is aligned in the right position and we can’t stop the story from taking its first breath on that blank page. But, there are times when nothing we do short of standing on our head for hours to increase the flow of blood, helps to get one word on the page. I didn’t know how to explain this condition, but thanks to Ted Talks and Elizabeth Gilbert; I get it!

                                                                            

So, the inspiration that I felt in church was also found in a quaint Victorian home in Audubon, New Jersey, and I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours with two muses; Katrina’s mom and Elizabeth Gilbert on Ted Talks.

What inspires you to write?