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Ritual Versus Religion

*Photo Credit : Aneesh Ans

As I began to write my book, Holy Magic, I knew intuitively that my work would be refined by the intellectual, emotional and energetic resonance found in personally applying my knowledge. In other words, I could write about something all day long, but until I began to practice my knowledge through ritual, it still remained somewhat abstract to me.

When I think of religion, I think of followers. I never want to be a follower. I want to ascertain for myself and apply what I learn. It is in the doing that the comprehension becomes full blown. So much of religion seems to me about watching someone else do.

This fact is distinguished in the difference between a mystic and a religious person. The only difference between the two is this: The mystic seeks a direct connection to God without any middlemen. The religious person seeks out a go between, clergy to tell them spiritual truth. The folly of this is inherent in the old story about the group of people who pass a whispered story from ear to ear until finally it is announced at the end of the line and discovered to be completely different from the original tale.

To be candid, I can look around at the atrocities humans perpetuate daily on each other and know I am better off following my own path. It is a perversion to find God’s infinite Love for us twisted into exclusionary practices and evil aims. Hypocrisy turns away many open hearts. It turned away mine for many years until I learned to discern the difference between religion and God. God is the essence of all wisdom, truth and Love while religion can be anything someone thinks is a good idea at the time.

To my knowledge, the one thing God has said over and over to us is, “Love one another.” This statement is the summation of spiritual endeavor.

To be free to explore the great Spirit Wisdoms of the world without being shamed and hemmed into a tight little box of dogma is one of the finest, most illuminated paths a soul can travel. Discerning the same Divine truths the world over regardless of exterior circumstances of geography, economics, and cultural differences is actual proof of the existence of the Divine Matrix of humanity, the tapestry of God. Those truths stay constant regardless of culture, economy, geography or other demographics. We all bleed red.

Years ago, I discovered the difference between intellectual comprehension of information and the emotional intelligence inherent in knowing truth because it is felt within the heart. I believe that within the application of intellectual knowledge through doing, emotional intelligence is expanded. Our facts become weighted with experience which provides the resonance of truth.

All through the ages, destructive men have worn the cloak of God to perpetuate evil among us. To be candid, every time I go to church, I walk away disheartened. I see people forgetting why they are there, going through the motions, giving away their power to a figurehead. I see people pretending to have arrived at some holy destination because they’ve parked their butts upon a pew once a week. Somehow, God gets lost in translation.

My question has become this: Why would any person think they have to go to clergy for answers? The truth is that God speaks to all of His children equally. We all have within us what I like to term “God seed”, that spark of comprehension waiting to flame into brightness with the application of time and attention. This is the Divine birthright of each and every one of us, woven into the very fabric of our being. After all, we are Holy Children of God.

Isn’t it a bit silly to assume that some have rank above others, that only a certain few have access to knowledge? Man would like you to believe this is true. But, don’t you believe it. Biblical scripture clearly says, “Seek and ye shall find.” It doesn’t say to abdicate your God given power to discern to someone else.

When I go to church, if I start speaking truth, I see preachers start to squirm. Surely they haven’t forgotten that they signed up to lead others to God, have they? Unfortunately, many times I believe they have. I see it mirrored in the mega churches and mansions, the Catholic clergy’s abuse of altar boys, history’s Inquisition, the repression of Native American Spirit wisdom, etc. Unfortunately, man begins to harness the almighty power of Great Creator for selfish aims. Standing that close to infinite power, all too often they allow ego to run amok and get a bit heady with it, instead of remaining humble and staying the course.

The truth is that God is speaking to all of us every day in every imaginable way. Our task is to learn to use awareness in order to hear the messages. This Divine Providence flows out of the lips of those we Love, from strangers, from circumstances, from everything that happens to us.

This means answers are also sometimes found in churches, too. But, I prefer that direct connection without the interference of ego from self proclaimed leaders. My leader is God and I don’t want to sift through convoluted messages when I know I have a direct line to God. I have a feeling that as I go along my path, hypocrisy will cease to bother me so much. But, I am not there yet.

So, let’s define ritual, shall we? Ritual is anything you choose to focus your attention on in the search for greater connection to God. That’s it, in a nutshell. Repetition provides refinement. Great creator has given us a million ways to do it. The beauty of exploring the esoteric realm is that as you begin to apply yourself, God will direct you to new discoveries both in your application and your knowledge base.

As you get more and more adept with practice, you’ll find you’ve stepped into an intimate relationship with your Divine Maker. You’ll find your confidence growing, peace becoming not just something you feel sometimes, but a pervasive part of your day to day existence.

Meditation, prayer and ritual are my personal steps I use to enter that quiet space where God speaks to me. I encourage you, if you aren’t already doing so, to use mediation as your starting point. You’ll find you are placing your open ear upon the heart of God. I like to say that prayer is talking to God, and meditation is listening.

The beauty of developing your own spiritual practice is that inspiration and answers will begin to flow directly into your consciousness. Specific answers from your Great Creator meant especially for you.

© Copywrite 2019, The Conscious Clairvoyant

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