“Every man’s desire is according to his evolution; that which he is ready for, is the desirable thing for him.”  ~ Bowl of Saki, May 23, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Happy Sunday!

A couple of months ago I was asked by a friend if I was a buddhist.  My response was no.  I paused a moment and then answered “I am an everything.”
I have been struggling within myself the last couple of weeks as my journey has found me immersed in teachings of Christianity.  A couple of weeks ago I took back Jesus as my friend and my Guru but I am still struggling to feel something other than resentment for this religion called Christianity that has focused on Jesus as God instead of his teachings of God.
I have had this image in my head for several weeks, a mountain symbolizing the journey to awareness of God.  I think this idea came to my mind from reading James Redfield’s “The Twelfth Insight”.  In the novel the climatic scene is at Mount Sinai where a group of people of different faiths need to come together, accept what their different faiths bring to the group, so that their joined energy can be released to overcome hatred striving for the end of the world to come.
My analogy of the mountain, let’s call it Mt.Truth, has the mountain peak as the goal of awareness of God (at least what is knowable by human form) and there are many paths up to the mountain.  Each side of the mountain has a different religion isolated from the others.  Each faith has an aspect of the whole that it focuses on.  James Redfield brought these aspects to my attention and if I remember correctly I think he said Buddhism is focus on compassion, Islam on devotion, Christianity on Love, Judaism on the Word – to name the larger known faiths that he may have mentioned.
I was just thinking of my journey up the mountain and an insight came to me.  If I was to walk the path of a single faith, say just the Christian path that I was raised on, I would have a very vertical climb ahead.  It would be a struggle and take much effort to ascend from one level to the next just staying on my side of the mountain – I might even require resting in one spot for a while.
I hate vertical climbs.  For me it takes away my ability to appreciate the view that is around me, my focus needs to be at my feet and just looking at the next step ahead.  My focus is also on my body and it’s aching due to the strain of moving upward.
Thank you Lord to showing me another path!
I have found the level path that goes around the mountain.  The travel is long, there are fewer people on this path, but the flow of my steps is much easier; my head can be lifted so I can enjoy all that comes to my awareness.  I cross the paths of many other faiths and take in lessons from each.  This analogy is making me laugh because it so fits what I continuously see on my journey, that being that the lessons are all the same.  Mt.Truth reveals the same Truths to each person as you climb in elevation toward your awareness of God.
This week I began reading Eric Butterworth’s “Discover the Power Within You” and it has been like a breath of fresh air again.  His lessons on the divinity within each of us is the same Truth that I received from Yogananda, Buddha, authors like James Redfield, ACIM, and Jesus when his words are looked at within the whole of his teaching as Eric is doing in his book.
I am continuing to do the daily lessons of Rich Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” and know they are not my path.  To be true to the acceptance that I want to build within myself, that all paths lead up the mountain to God, I must also accept that Christianity does as well.  I was thinking just this morning that the faith should be called Jesusism as it is focused on Jesus being God, separate from us, instead of understanding that Jesus was a human who reached Christ consciousness and joined God awareness as any human can do. He reached the top of the mountain!
Because of being raised Christian I have much judgement about this faith whereas when I enter into learning the teachings of other faiths I am much more open to acceptance of what resonates with me and just leaving what doesn’t.  With Christianity I judge those things I don’t like as they reflect on my ego due to our history.  It is like a family member, you’re so quick to judge those close to you as your ego wants to control those people that are a reflection of its personality.
I am setting an intension to finish the lessons in Rick Warren’s book and to move on along my path.  There will be a turn in the path onto a new faith for me to encounter on my climb.  I want to look back on this current turn with Christianity with gratitude for what it has taught me about Truth and myself.  I also intend to hold acceptance of those who choose a different path from my own.
Amen
“If a man prays to Thee with a yearning heart, he can reach Thee, through Thy grace, by any path.” ~ Ramakrishna