At first, when I sought inspiration for quotes to meditate upon (“That your passion may live“), I was surprised with the image that came into my head: a Phoenix.  At the time it seemed a bit incongruous with my postings from yesterday … yet as I meditated on the story of the Phoenix, it seemed like a perfect fit!

In some ways the story of the Phoenix is an apt metaphor for reincarnation … our souls shedding their prior form, and beginning life anew.  I don’t either believe of disbelieve in the idea of reincarnation … I can see how it makes sense and is a possibility, but it is also something that to date cannot be proven.  The only thing that I try to claim as Truth is LOVE … God is Love, Unconditional Love, and we are to aspire to that level … that is my theology.

In terms of what I have been focusing on recently … the concept of training your mind to stay in the Present, and away from the Past or the Future as a way of life … I see the Phoenix as the epitome of that progression.  The Past are the ashes that were burned away; the old Self.  The Present is the new incarnation of the Phoenix.  The Future is the inevitable transformation that is waiting to burn the Phoenix to ash; in order to be reborn again.

The Phoenix does not cling to the ashes that it came from. That would not be a very glamorous story: the dirty bird that doesn’t fly and makes a nest of its ashes to wallow in. No, it leaves behind that part of it’s old self that was burned away, and flies off into the horizon as its new Self.

In the same way, when we go through a transformation, we must identify which parts of ourselves have been burnt away and which parts of ourselves have been reborn.  We want to fly as the new Self … the being that God intends us to be, not someone who wallows in the ashes of who we once were.

Those ashes are different for each of us: for some it may be the way that you eat or exercise, for others it may be the emotional abuse that you put yourself through, and for others still it may be something more tangible; like a career, or a relationship, or where you live. It could be any other aspect of your life, or any combination.  It’s not something that any one person or religion can tell you. It’s up to each of us to search our souls, and seek after Divine guidance to discern what it is that has been reborn and what needs to be left behind.

The Phoenix ALSO does not tremble in fear of what its future will be.  Surely the Phoenix knows that it will yet again go through more flames still; it has already been through the process countless times!  Does it hide itself, or shy away from life, because it knows it will be burnt to a crisp again?  NO!  The Phoenix flies off into the sunset to live the fullest life that it possibly can.

The legend of the Phoenix also tells us that this bird is capable of miraculous things … yet none of those miraculous things would happen if it clung to its Past (the ashes) or trembled in fear of its Future (the fire it will surely face yet again).

Likewise, we must seek after similar results in our lives.  When we go through a transformation we must discover our new Selves (the Reason aspect of the Kahlil Gibran quote), leave behind the ashes of our old Self … and embrace our new Life without fear of what is surely to come (the Passion aspect of the Gibran quote).  If we live in the Present, we can take flight and go out into the world to do miraculous things!

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Art by Australian street artist, Meggs.

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!

There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.

By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

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