During the 20th century, we had the opportunity to be made fully aware of ALL the different cultures in the world, all the different religions, all the different ways there are to be human. What a rich tapestry we as humans weave! Because of that global exposure, we now see that each culture has its own definition of certain words…really big words, like GOD, LOVE, FAMILY, HONOR, JUSTICE. But beyond our current education/exposure, we each also carry deep inside our consciousness what those words meant to our specific ancestry. Those beliefs are so ingrained it us that we most often aren’t even aware of them.
For some of us, what we believe certain words to mean may be holding us back from a chance to shift away from the beliefs of our ancestors, beliefs that were practical for a completely different time that but no longer serve the modern mind. They are so powerful that we may be avoiding using them or even thinking about them. It can be frightening because on some level, we believe that if we go “against” those rules of order, we will suffer, we will be punished. So how do we feel “safe” in exploring other possibilities? Many of us don’t think about them at all. We in the West live in a very materialist world for the most part these days…so it is just easier to avoid thinking about certain things and get on with our daily commute to work or dinner plans.
One of the words that has always befuddled me is LOVE. We all understand what personal love is…even if we don’t have it at the moment. Parent to child, lover to lover, human to pet dog…you know what I mean. But so many spiritual teachers use the word today with a broader meaning and I find it confusing. They talk about it as a “thing” that exists, outside the personal. That it is a power that connects us all, that it is “All there is.” Huh? How can that be the same thing as what I feel for my husband, my niece? Well, short of coming up with a new and more descriptive word about that “energy that is all that is”, last year I found this description that really solved my quandary, and here it is:
“Love is not a feeling. Love is a spiritual energy.
Love is pure creative energy at its highest level
Love expressed in human form actualizes your Divine Self.”
– Barbara King
I love “actualizes your Divine Self.” I hope you find this helpful the next time you hear someone talking about “love” in this context. Or if you can come up with a better word so the two aren’t confused, please let me know!
Another word I have always had trouble with is GOD. Deep in my thinking, I believe that GOD is an all-powerful being outside myself that can pick and choose who has abundance and joy, and who starves and suffers. Every culture for as long as we have recorded history believes that their GOD controls their lives and they must be honored or even worshiped in some way for personal self-protection.
Now, in this time, because I see how many different “Gods” are worshiped in how many different ways around the world, I needed a new description. I needed a description that would bring control of my life back to me…at least a little bit! So I came up with this:
G.O.D. Gridwork Of Divinity
If you can imagine a network of energy around the planet…one that glows with life…one that is dynamic, moving, creating. Then imagine that you can “connect” with that grid and feed and receive energy from it. Also visualize that this grid can ONLY carry positive energy in it…nothing negative. Imagine that the energy there is Divine…omnipresent in its beauty and power to protect and manifest. That is a vision or definition of G.O.D. that makes sense to me…that I can participate with, not be dominated by. I am part of it and it is part of me.
If you have a good relationship with your God, this doesn’t take anything away from that…because deep down it is all the same thing.
From in my twenties, I started using the word “Light” as a synonym for both Love AND God! You will see it used more and more…and iN a way I believe that it does represent both Love and God. There is light, and there is darkness or absence of light. I believe in the places where there is an absence of light bad things can happen. I try to flow “light” to every situation I can. Many people are able to “see” energy (light) in living things. I can’t…wish I could, but I can’t…not yet anyway. But I can “feel” it in certain people. I can feel an abundance of light and life or an absence of it, in which case they feel “cold” to me. So is “shedding light” on a situation the same as praying for a good outcome? I kind of think so.
I hope you find these thoughts about a couple of words that have vexed me for a long time helpful. I am guessing that if these words bothered me, they might have bothered a few other people too, so I hope you find this useful.
I would love to hear from you. I feel called to help people connect with their Divine selves so they can make the best decisions in their lives…so that they can be and feel love of the highest order…so they can be their own happiness generators and know that true happiness comes from within, not from an outside source.
Write to me at voiceofyoursoul@gmail.com
Thank you Robbie for a wonderful article and helping us to look at a different understanding about love.