You Are So Divine

From Lisa Iris’s “Sacred Space” gallery

“You are Divine.  You Are Divine.  You are excellent and you are perfection because of the Divine within you.  You are everything that you have attributed to God.  You are powerful.  You are loving.  You can create.  You can perform miracles.  But until you believe that, until you acknowledge that within yourself, then you are preventing Divine from walking within you.  You may be denying that bright light that is trying to burst out from you, trying to contain it because you don’t want to be too showy or have someone think that you are too good for them.  We recommend you let go of that restrictive thinking.  It is not serving you.  It is preventing you from living the life your Soul intended.  And isn’t that what we all want?  We all want Divine to be unrestrained; radiating out from within this amazing body that you have, that is so capable of so much! ” This was a part of a message that was channelled through Jill Renee Feeler from a Goddess called Lenore (you can read the full entry by clicking here).

A person’s view of the Divine can have a profound impact on their view of themselves, life and the world around them.  Whatever understanding one finds of the Divine is a tool that one carries with them as they journey on their spiritual path.  The Divine spark is who you really are and shines with a radiance for all to see when we recognize it, love and nurture it and let it shine.

We may feel hindered or blocked at times in letting that Divine spark shine.  After we are born, we forget who we really are as society has indoctrinated us to hate ourselves, to think that we are born flawed.  We have been brainwashed into thinking that it’s wrong to feel this or it’s wrong to do that; it’s full of “thou shalt not’s” with dire consequences for those that dare “act out of line”.  We are cultivated to be ashamed of who we are, to be ashamed of our bodies and our bodily functions and to act upon what comes natural to us.   We are taught to subdue our thoughts, that to expand our minds and seek knowledge is evil.  We are taught who we can and cannot love, even to hate in extreme circumstances.  Is it any wonder the world is in the state that it’s in today?  Is it any wonder why we see so much violence and bloodshed?  Who’s to blame? Let me give you a hint, it’s not some lurking evil demi-god waiting to ensnare some poor wary wandering soul…

 

So, what do we do?  Some of us go along willing, led by unquestioning faith into bondage. We follow the herd; it seems safer that way.  We live in a state of deep self loathing (sometimes conscious and well aware of it, sometimes not), punishing and beating ourselves down for natural feelings that we may have or actions that we may have acted on and then taking it out on others around us.  We live in a state of  fear of going to some place in the afterlife where we’ll be tortured and burned for eternity.  We learn to hate and abuse those who are not like us, who don’t follow our rules or are considered “inferior” to us. We continue the vicious cycle of cultivating hate in others, just as it was cultivated within us.  Others take on the “survival consciousness” of the physical world and get lost in the world of form while secretly practicing what feels right to them behind closed doors.  It becomes a tremendous struggle to find meaning and satisfaction.

And still others go out there feeling their connection to the Divine and proclaim proudly to the world, “This is me!  This is who I am and if you don’t like it – shove it!”  “When we look beyond that outer self, we find a divine purpose—how we are meant to impact society and the world around us. For each person that is an entirely unique mission—and that is the Divine spark within us.” (chabad.org, Individuality and the Divine Spark)

A person realizes their Divine spark when they’re ready to recognize and release  that which no longer serves them or their higher selves.  There are no rules or set times as to when one’s awakening or  ascension is to happen. Not everyone is ready at the same time as it is not an age related rite of passage. Everyone has different experiences. Some people are never ready for whatever reason and will not see it or experience it in this lifetime, for some it’s too uncomfortable and/or painful to let go of those false ideas they were taught since childhood and to kindle their Divine spark into a brightly burning Divine flame…and that’s OK.  It can’t be forced on them like their present beliefs were forced on them since infancy – they must come to love and understanding themselves at their own time…or not at all.  It’s their choice.

What we can do for ourselves is to focus on loving ourselves and tending our own Divine spark; for a healer cannot heal others if they themselves are broken.  “The reason self-love is so important is because until you can accept and recognize the Divine that is within you, your journey is limited.  Without that truth, you are restraining your magnificence.  It is important to understand that you are Divine, that God is within you and is also within everything within your awareness. When your journey includes a perception that God is outside of you, you are automatically limited, and thereby limiting Spirit’s ability to walk within you, to be within you, to glorify you and everything within your awareness” (Goddess Lenore through Jill Renee Feeler). Even Jesus supported this. He was once asked when the kingdom of God would come. The kingdom of God, Jesus replied, is not something people will be able to see and point to. Then came these striking words: “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

These are turbulent times right now as energies around us are shifting and people are awakening. Those who would oppose this paradigm shift are afraid of losing their power and control and are fighting very very hard to keep things the same.  By opening our minds and letting our hearts guide us though, we allow that spark to grow and radiantly light up the world and experience. When our flame is strong enough, it can ignite the Divine sparks in others and to help elevate humanity to a higher level and love and understanding.

There is no separation between the Divine and us.  We are all unique expressions of the Divine on this level of existence, here on this plane in the here and now.  We contain the potential for everything within us. Our unique differences and diversity is the spice of life. We must be true to and love ourselves. By doing this, we also love and worship the Divine from our hearts and with our hearts in a way that sings to our soul. We should not try to change people by force or bully them into fitting into a “one size fits all” mold. We need to love, respect and cherish our fellow brothers and sisters for the beautiful people they are and the spark of the Divine that each one of carries within us.

Yet, we are all the same you know, cause we’re all affected by The Way; we are all the same you know, cause we’re all attracted to The Flame…

 

Goddess Fornax

"Goddess of Bread" by echo-x

“Fornax’s themes are home and love.  Her symbols are stoves, fire and wheat.  In Rome, Fornax guided the baking of bread, which, being the proverbial staff of life, was no small matter. Today Fornax still stands ready to watch over our hearths, as the Goddess of the oven, which is the true heart of any home. If her fires go out, folklore says, warmth among the home’s occupants dwindles soon thereafter.

Fornacalia was the Roman festival of ovens, in which Fornax was invoked by baking wheat breads and other grain-related foods. So think about dusting off your cookbooks, especially any recipes from your family, and start baking! Even people pressed for time can usually make a bath of bread from frozen dough.

 If you only own a microwave, have no fear – microwaveable soft-dough pretzels are readily available in the freezer section of your supermarket. Or, simpler still, have toast for breakfast this morning to internalize Fornax’s warm emotions. On the other hand, if you’d like to give Fornax a much needed break from her toils at your place, go out and eat! Just make sure to have some bread as part of your meal to welcome Fornax to your feast.

Finally, take any dried bread you have and crumble it up for the birds (something I do every day!). Focus  on your desire for love and closeness in your life. The birds will convey your wishes to Fornax, the heavens, and the four corners of creation.”

(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)

She may sound like a Goddess of Fornication but how very very wrong you would be to think that. She can make things rise — and can be held responsible for buns in ovens, because She’s the Goddess of  the hearth (the literal meaning of Her name), baking and ovens.

Her festival, the Fornacalia, was celebrated on February 17, and announced by curio maximus. She is the best thing before sliced bread — proper crusty oven baked loaves made with yeast instead of cotton wool. [1][2]