"We are made of star stuff”~~ Carl Sagan
Post © 2018 by Joyce Mason
I walked into a metaphysical store recently and, to my surprise, the only thing I walked out with was a thank-you card for a friend. Nothing rang my chimes; I felt there was nothing there I needed. |
In direct contrast to the early days of my spiritual quest,
I would walk into one of these stores wishing I was as rich as Oprah so I could
buy the entire lot. Every crystal, every inspirational plaque, every stick of
incense, bottle of essential oil and sage called my name. And let’s not get
started on the jewelry and t-shirts. I craved reminders and symbols of what I
knew, instinctively, would help me feel better, loved, less anxious, and cured
of past relationship pain. At one with a divine essence that didn’t feel ominous
or a life that seemed to demand such difficult psychological work.
The day/night contrast made me look back on 40+ years of
finding myself through my relationship with God/Goddess/All That Is, or my
shortcut word for the Invisible, the Universe. I guess that’s the first big
takeaway from years of studying mysticism, Edgar Cayce, astrology, tarot,
meditation, and religions, among other tools. God and the Universe are One.
Science and spirituality are not enemies but simply the visible/invisible twins that run the Earth Show.
Reflecting on all this, I now realize that the accoutrements,
whether they are crystals, Mala beads, statues or mantras, are simply keys to
help us get inside ourselves—to unlock the God Within. That’s what Jesus meant
when He said we could do anything he could. I don’t need another crystal
necklace to help me find God; I just need to get quiet and open my mind to the
Infinite. I can speak or listen or just hang out in the Divine Oneness.
This small observation with big ramifications feels like a
good report card. I’ll never know everything (who could?), but in this part of
my life, I have passed many tests and am comfortable in my own soul, just like
I’m getting more comfortable in my own skin. The skin is just the shell that
houses spirit, so it makes sense that there is penetration between the two.
Another sign of how I’m doing is that religion or
spirituality has become integrated into my life. They are no longer separate
quests or subjects in Earth School. I use the tools less, including astrology,
and I find All That Is in my everyday interactions with my fellow humans. Gone
is the snobbery of only wanting to hang out with “people who are evolved,” an
idea that now is now laughable. As the Dalai Lama says, “Kindness is my
religion.” I try to meet every body-and-soul wherever they are and find ways to
bridge any language or belief barriers.
Lest I start sounding too angelic, rest assured I still
fight with my husband, say things I regret, cut a little too sharp with my
witty remarks at times and observe my own pride, envy, jealousy, vanity and a
host of other imperfections. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about finding
the divine in human form—in every one of them.
I invite everyone reading this to take out the scrapbook of your spiritual journey. Look where you’ve been, where you’re going, and where you are in this moment in time. What do you love? What is embarrassing? What came as a surprise?
If you’ve grown even an inch in loving kindness and in
breaking down the barriers of Them and Us, you deserve a star on your forehead,
just like the good sisters used to give me as a kid.
If you find your evolution needs a boost, do some random
acts of kindness for others to show yourself you’re made of star stuff in more
ways than one. Just as I finished this piece, I found this posted on Facebook
that seems to frost the cake of this conversation:
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