We're All in This Together Folks

This is pretty much in my book what religion is supposed to be about. Bringing everyone together. Not dividing us into 'us' vs. 'them'. We are all a family, traveling together. Hugs break through the limitations of mind; they are the uniting of what's inside of all of us. The commonality of love.

Italy. China. Cleveland. Brazil. Samoa. Kenya. Iceland. Croatia...wherever we are, here's to universal peace. HUGS!

Raw Religion

It's been 16 months since I left my identity as a raw foodist behind. Even though I was only raw a year, I don't think I'd ever felt as comfortable in my own skin as when I lived on raw foods, juices and green smoothies.

Being raw was not just a lifestyle, it became my religion, metaphorically speaking. So when I rebelled against events in my life at the time, I rebelled in a big way, leaving the raw food world behind with it.

It was Thanksgiving weekend 2007, and I remember because it was the same time that my 19+ year marriage ended, officially, and I'd been nursing a six-day migraine to boot. So I reached for a 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper and some pumpkin pie and became a cooked food eater again--just like that (hey, at least the migraine left).

The past couple of months I've been feeling like re-entering the raw world, to feel healthy and to look 'myself' again. But I don't want to approach it so much as a religion this time -- following specific rules and worrying about doing something 'wrong' -- but just be more flexible in my approach, more balanced. No all-or-nothingness this time around.

I'd do more greens, more minerals, and maybe not end up with extended migraines. I'd do more yoga and maybe just enjoy this amazing body more.

All things I could of course be doing right now, but....

I don't want another identity or religion defining who I am (or am not), but am ready to do what feels good. And I remember how good raw felt. So here's to the possible journey and enjoying the trip.



Credit: photo courtesy of free digital photos.

It's All God

While showering this (Sunday) morning, I got to musing on how religion can be like the military-- institutions with rules designed to protect and defend against something; usually something bad.

We use the military to protect ourselves from seen enemies and religion to protect ourselves against unseen enemies, which often ironically includes ourselves.

We even divide religions into segments: Baptists, Mormons, Catholics, Evangelicals and Christian Scientists like we separate the U.S. military into Air Force, Navy, Army Marines, and Coast Guard not to mention the elite forces like the Green Berets or Navy Seals.

Holy cow, we seem to find a lot of ways to separate ourselves from each other.

But what if, there is nothing to defend or protect ourselves from? What if it's all God? Everything? Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, and all the rest? In our quest for protection and defense, are we actually just fending off Life itself?

What if we don't have to GO anywhere or DO anything to BE WITH God? Maybe God is with us, all of us; right here, right now, anywhere and everywhere we happen to find ourselves. And that could be at church, the laundry room, a battlefield, a bar, or a meadow. In a temple, a cathedral, a mosque, a chapel, a pagoda or a forest.

Maybe we are already okay; safe and blessed and protected. Maybe we already are free.



Credit: photo courtesy of free digital photos