God and beyond

I don't believe in "God" in the traditional sense. From early on in life, I learned from my mother to question everything (she doesn't even realize that she taught me this). A quote I often heard was, "You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes." I understood what she meant from her perspective- she felt judged and out of place, yet I applied this quote to other things... such as religion. To me, if the people in Anniston, Alabama are so ingrained in their belief system (God) and feel so right about it, who is to say that the people of say, Japan or Tibet or South Africa are wrong about their belief systems that they feel so right about.

Every person on this planet is made up of the same exact things- we all have a brain and a body. Spiritually speaking, who is to say WHO is right or rather, if I were to walk in the shoes of a Tibetan, why should I be considered "wrong" about my spirituality because YOU have different experiences?

Having said that, however, I do believe in forces beyond our comprehension. What are these "forces"... God? Angels? Allah? Who am I to say. The only thing I can believe is my personal experience and what I feel deep inside my soul.

I have to admit, the past 20 years or so I've neglected my spiritual side. Because I've refused to believe in something just because someone told me to, I've avoided it altogether. Instead I've focused simply on being a "good person". However, recent events have led me to believe that I need to nurture my soul a little better. As a result, I've spent the past several days opening up my spirit so that I can receive what it is I need in order to connect on a deeper level.

In the meantime, I'm lucky to have so many people acting on behalf through their own belief system. I've received biblical quotes, notes of prayer, inspirational quotes and most recently my aunt Trisha (who has been praying for me and sending me healing messages daily) encountered the Dalai Lama on the streets of New York and he personally blessed her - and she says she was thinking of me at that moment. This is the photo she captured:



There are healers, teachers and spiritual leaders all around us. I'm opening my heart to their messages and nourishing my soul during this incredibly difficult time.