Tag: Dogma

Certainty Is Not Certain

Of one thing in my life I am certain, there is no certainty.

February 4, 2023

Tagged certainty, darkness, Dogma, Reason, Rules

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Of one thing in my life I am certain, there is no certainty. Although humans like to believe in certainty – in truisms, dogma, rules, and order – life continually has a way to show us that there is no certainty. Sister Joan Chittister says. “The problem is that certainty seduces us. It enables us to believe that what is said to be true is true because someone else said so. It simply cuts off thought…And yet we yearn for it with a passion.” We want to believe that what we have been taught or told is true, that we can count on the rules, the dogma, the theology unfailingly. Last week in central Texas was a case in point.

Average February temperatures in our area hover in the sixties for the highs and the forties for the lows. Last week the temperatures never got over freezing for three days. We had a constant drizzle that coated the trees with at least a half inch of ice. Now that the ice has melted there are downed trees and branches everywhere. There was no particular reason as to why hundred year old oaks fell along with branches from my ten year old crepe myrtle, why one tree was destroyed and others lost a few branches. There was no rule, no discernible reason that determined which tree lived or died.

What happens to us when there is no discernible reason for what occurs in our lives? What happens in the dark night of our souls when the rules have failed us? What happens when the rules don’t fit our lives anymore? What happens when the things that we truly believed don’t work? We have been taught to believe that if we follow the rules, life will always be easy. Go to school, work hard, marry well, go to church, love God; then everything will be okay. Then something happens that doesn’t fit the narrative. A special needs child, serious illness, divorce, death, war, natural disasters. “But,” you say, “I followed all the rules. I am a good person. Why did this happen to me?”

The truth is that life is not certain. But it is in this very uncertainty that we learn to trust that the Divine holds us and loves us in spite of the world falling apart around us. It is in the darkness that we find new growth, new strength that we didn’t know we had. It isn’t in following the rules or the dogma that allows us to grow to our full potential, but rather in asking questions and opening ourselves to seeing the world a little differently that we find our strength and our wholeness.

The people in power desperately want the populace to believe in the rules. It is what keeps them in power. Their mantra is be compliant; don’t ask questions; follow the rules; believe the dogma, even when it doesn’t make sense in your life, even when it doesn’t seem the loving thing to do.

I say, “Question everything. Look at the rules with new eyes. Embrace the darkness. Be open to whatever comes.” Everything is not black or white, right or wrong, us or them. Nothing is certain. Everything is in flux. And that is the nature of life itself.

Barbara Garland
February, 2023

When Does the Spiritual Become Political?

It’s That Simple!

What if we throw out all the old religious rules and go back to the basics? What if we listen to our own inner authority, the God/dess voice within? Is it that simple?

Goddess Inspired

July 30, 2021

Tagged Dogma, goddess, love, Religion, spirituality

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It’s That Simple!

I was talking to a friend the other day about her struggles with some very complicated spiritual teachings. These teachings are very hard to understand and usually require someone to interpret their meaning. These interpreters/teachers purport to be able to channel Spirit and seem to receive all their answers very clearly from Spirit. My friend is frustrated because she can’t seem to “get it.” She comes away feeling let down and “less than” because, as hard as she tries, she can’t seem to hear the clear messages that others seem to be hearing.

During that conversation, it suddenly struck me that if a spiritual teaching is that hard to grasp, maybe it is a human construct rather than something from Source. In my simple mind, God/dess (or whatever you name as your higher power) wants us to be connected with our Source. Why then would God/dess make it hard to connect?

All of the rules, regulations, commandments, dogma, and theology of organized religions seem to be designed to keep the masses in line and the ruling class in power. They are made to legitimize the status quo by making it appear that it was ordained by God. They are deliberately made to separate us from our own connection with Source. These religious teachings are made to be obtuse, so that people must go through a priest or intermediary to have a relationship with God. They are made to make us feel separate, unworthy, and unacceptable to our creator. They are designed to take away our individual agency in following our own spiritual path.

What if we throw out all the old religious rules and go back to the basics? What if we listen to our own inner authority, the God/dess voice within? Is it that simple?

For me, there are a few basics.

There is a Source greater than myself, which I have named for myself, God/dess. You may have another name that is meaningful for you.
This Source is not found in an external place, but rather lives inside each cell of its creation, including humans.
Everything is created in the image of God/dess, from the smallest atom of the smallest cell, to the whole of the earth, and as such we are all connected. We are all brothers and sisters to each other and to the creatures of the earth. We are all the beloved creations of God/dess.
Because our creator is pure love, our purpose then is to love –to love God/dess, to love ourselves, to love each other, and to love the earth.

If we truly lived by these basic tenets, the world would be a different place. We would see everyone as worthy of love. We would care deeply for others. We would revere our earth. We would see that we are not the rulers of our world, but rather the caretakers.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that we don’t need rules or dogma or theology to live our lives. We only need to live out our true purpose of living in love. It really is that simple.

Barbara Garland
July, 2021

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New blogs will be added to this post every Friday.

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About Me

I am a seeker of truth, a truth teller, a lover of the Divine Feminine, an aspiring writer, a mystery, an open book, a work in progress. I have lived a long and varied life, and now in my seventies, I am being called to share some of what I have learned over the years. I hope to share the wisdom of the deep Feminine that is being channeled through me.

If the Goddess has ever whispered to you, I invite you to join me on an incredible journey of love and discovery. May you hear Her wisdom through these words.

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