Believe
in Everything
“I
do not think that I will ever reach a stage when I will say, ‘This is what I
believe. Finished.’ What I believe is alive and open to growth.”
Madeleine
L’Engle
What we
believe seems more important today than in the past—simply because we’ve
crossed a moral threshold that forces us to decide. Albert Einstein famously
said, “I think the most basic question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe
a friendly place?’” And that comes down to us because we are an inseparable
part of the universe. Do we want to create a friendly place or not?
Spiritual
beliefs are individual and often abstract, even when we subscribe to a
particular coda of religious tenets. We interpret and conceive answers in
individual ways. What, for instance, does it mean to “Honor your father and
mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God has given
you.” How do we interpret “honor” and what happens if we don’t? Do we die
young or are we driven away? Does it apply if we have violently abusive
parents? Most religions expect us to simply swallow the commandments without
questioning, but what happens when you have a curious mind? Do you shelve that?
Or is it a God-given gift that’s meant to be used?
Our
beliefs change over time, and questioning is how they grow. Just as we add information
to our pool of knowledge over the course of a lifetime, we also expand our religious
understanding. Why are we born with this capacity if we are not expected to use
it. If our spiritual beliefs are static, if they don’t grow and change, then
they are not alive.
My kids
used to ask me, “Mom, what do you believe in?” and my response was always, “I
believe in everything.” And I do. The world is a magical place, and as deeply
as I believe in anything, I believe in magic. The movement of the universe is
expanding, broadening, reaching outward. It is a model for us—as above, so
below. Expansion. Widening. Taking in all of it and allowing it to inform us of
what is true, what is worthy, and what is sacred. What’s alive in you on this cold,
first-day of winter?
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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