There is an old Native American prayer that says,
“Don’t you ever
You up in the sky,
Don’t you ever get tired
Of having the clouds between you and us?”
Do you ever stop to think about the easy flow of conversation between you and your best friend? Probably not, because it’s a natural thing, a flow; the meanings, the nuances, the non-verbal discussions. Even the advice is well received for the most part, because this is coming from your Friend…someone who loves you as much as you love yourself.
If ever that discourse becomes strained, it begins to feel like the proverbial ‘elephant in the living room nobody wants to talk about’. You can’t wait to remove it-clear the air, and get back to the Joy of the relationship. Funny, how most times that ‘elephant’ was placed there by you and your imagination of some ill will between you and your dearest friend.
In this same manner, there are times when we may feel we walk a distance from our spiritual source, our creator and friend. But always, the break in communication is one that we have allowed to happen within ourselves.
Neale Walsch’s books, “Conversations With God I, II, & III” and “Friendship With God”, encourages us to keep those lines of communication open and in constant use. Whether we do this through prayer, meditation, visualization, chant, dance, yoga, or ritual is each individuals choice. Walsch says, “People assume that if God were to talk directly with you, God would not speak like the fellah next door.” How wonderful for us that He does just that!
While we may speak to Him in different ways, that communications our true ‘salvation’. The bible tells us we each work out our own ‘salvation’. A Course in Miracles tells us, “Salvation comes from my one Self” and “You are the spirit lovingly endowed with all your Fathers love and peace and joy. You are the spirit which completes Himself, and shares His function as creator. He is with you always, as you are with Him.”
The Spirit guides us to an intimate relationship to the Divine, God, or Universe; whatever ‘name’ you are comfortable in acclaiming. I once thought of God as a jealous, cruel and punishing taskmaster. This thought-virus has been ingrained into me by a supposed loving group of worshipers. They taught me there was no way I could approach Him one-to-one, since I had to humble myself and crawl before His golden altars, as the worm the church assured me I was. Only then could I go through other mediaries to beseech and beg forgiveness for my innumerable ‘sins’. Wherever and whenever these sins occurred: be they original, omission, or commission, I was assured they were being committed daily!
That is what happens when we look outwardly for absolution and acceptance. It is only when we go within that we discover all this guilt, blame, and sacrifice are not called for by God. That requirement was man-made, doing all they knew to perpetuate their beliefs.
True belief structure for you has to come from you! We are each as unique as a snowflake, without any two being alike. Likewise, our personalities, beliefs, thoughts, as well as our paths will be diverse and different. For example, we all know there is more than one road map that lead from Missouri to Florida. In that same way, we carry different ‘road maps’ on our journey back to our spiritual home. It doesn’t make my ‘map’ more correct than yours…just different. My life path may require a more direct route, and a shorter journey-time. Yours may lead you on a more scenic pathway that takes a leisurely meandering through beautiful gardens. Nonetheless, we all get where we’re going, right on time.
In that same vain, my spiritual ‘map’ may include the words of Buddha or Yahweh, while yours may state Hindu or Baptist. All of the routes, as varied and marvelous in their differences as they are, will lead us Home. *I am thankful that my ‘map’ has led me to intersect with your path, for this moment in time. Perhaps we will walk awhile together and share thoughts and ideas. Perhaps ours is simply to pass and say, “Namaste!”, traveling down the road alone. Just acknowledging that Divine in another soul, is lightening and brightening to the path.
In many ways, this explanation of traveling by various maps explains why we don’t always end up with the same life-mate. Our paths may have naturally diverged, with one of you taking the ‘road less traveled’. Or as Iyanla Van Zant tells us, “You were together for a reason, a season, or a lifetime…”.
It is reassuring to know that never, ever will we be utterly alone on our path. Always we are surrounded by Spirit, angels, guides, teachers, and ancestors. We are totally supported by the Universe!
There are lessons and blessings from all relationships along the path. “Happy is the man who occupies himself with these lessons, and who lays them to heart and grows wise! If he lives by them, he will be equal to anything, with the light of the Lord shining in his path.” Ecclesiastics 50:28,29.
Maintain your friendship with God, keep the lines of communication open. The dialog is sure to be full of fantastic and wondrous lessons of love. He speaks and listens in so many ways. Not just that ‘still small voice’ or the ‘burning bush’ ..don’t limit His methods.
In my poem “These Days” I shared;
“On special days as this we
Commune with each thought
He sings to me
Through the radio
His words leap out at me
In a novel
His fragrance innervates me
Through a scented candle
I place pen to paper
And He whispers, “I love you”
Through the ink
Between the lines.”