First, the truths I have learned that are the foundation of my new world view, of the new faith that exhilerates and liberates and comforts and nourishes me. It's a faith that has guided me into heaven on earth. It's a faith that I have never seen in the world before....a religion with roots in all the religions that have come before it but that stands on its own in elemental and transcendent ways. If you've ever had a doubt about your own faith or wondered if something is missing, or if you ever had a question your religion could not answer, or if you have ever longed for a beacon to light your way out of the maze in which we find ourselves, read on....because that's where I was too, and now I SEE.
Core truths (there are more but this is just the beginning):
1) There is no hell.
2) There is no original sin; we are not born sinners. We are born perfect.
3) There is not now and never will be a judgment day.
4) Heaven on earth is real, it is radiant, and it is coming for all of us very soon.
5) Fear is the opposite of love and in heaven on earth, there is no fear.
6) We are graduating from our current concept of God and he could not be happier....it has been a long time coming for him. God does not want or need worship; he wants us to stand on our own and turn the love we have showered on him for thousands of years back on ourselves. He knows we are ready now and he is brimming with excitement.
7) You are God. "Through a glass darkly, then face to face." When the veil is finally lifted, you look in the mirror at God and it is you. It is like finding your twin soul, reclaiming your best friend, meeting your heart's desire after millennia of being apart. It is fun and funny and familiar and such a relief. You will laugh and cry and marvel with a big grin at the simplicity of it. You have known the truth all along.
8) You don't need to do anything more to be ready for heaven on earth. No more praying or perfecting or purifying or atoning...we are all ready exactly as we are and no one will be denied entry.
9) You do not have to try to love unconditionally anymore. All you have to be able to do is receive unconditional love.
10) Worshipping a deity external to ourselves has failed us in so many ways because it is the wrong premise. Loving others or God above yourself is backwards. Self-love is the first, most beautiful and reverent love, and all other loves follow from that in ever increasing tidal waves. You can do nothing else but love others when you love yourself without bounds first.
I found this new faith and I rejoice in it, but you need not turn aside your own religion to enter heaven on earth. If your religion (or lack thereof) resonates in your own heart and clarifies truth for you, then I exalt in it. It is perfect for you. It is just such a joy to find what is perfect for me. And I am thrilled to be able to share my discovery with you.
Now I need to tell you how I came to understand the core truths, as my faith has been years in the making. It's been a long and involuntary journey. I did not seek out this faith, rather it found me. Let's go back to the beginning of the story....
How did I come to find myself in heaven? There’s no short answer. Many people claim to have been to heaven, and I believe them. Some have gotten there via near death experiences, some get there through meditation. Some see heaven through the lens of psychadelic drugs. Others find it through asceticism or religious rapture. Others go there when they are very sick.
My journey to heaven on earth started with me getting very sick.
It was Valentine’s Day 2000. I was 24 years old and I lived in Richmond, Virginia. I had a job at Capital One and a nice apartment in the Fan. I was dating Andy, a fellow volleyball player from a nice Richmond family.
His family took me out to one of my favorite Italian restaurants for dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day. If you’re like me and a million others, Valentine’s Day has generally been a disappointment…..a day bloated with chocolate and expectations. For a day when we honor perfect love, it seems a lot more like an annual reminder that our love is never quite perfect enough.
I was stressed about my job because I didn’t know how I could keep waking up every day in the movie Office Space. I was stressed about my boyfriend because he did not have a degree or a full-time job. I was in a big city that had a lot to offer those who grew up in its gentrified embrace, but that sniffed superiorly at outsiders.
On that Monday night, I ordered my favorite Italian dish and engaged in the usual small talk, but found I had no appetite. I was not nauseous, but nervous. Something in me seemed agitated and restless.
That night I could not sleep. I couldn’t explain what was brewing in me, but something stormed all right.
Continued in next post....
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have thought some of these very same things. Although, loving myself is the hardest thing of all, especially now. There are some people who will be offened by your views and say you are sick. It is nice to see what I have thought actually written and that I am not the only person who has thought this way. Thank you Hilary for being brave enough to express yourself and I love you with my whole heart.
ReplyDeleteTwinstar, you are beautiful and perfect. I am in the trenches with you 100%. It gets better. Thanks so much for reading....it means a lot to me.
ReplyDeleteIf we ourselves are God then self love and unconditional love of others is the same concept. 'I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.' Lyrics from 'I Am The Walrus' -- The Beatles
ReplyDeleteSee this post.
Yes, it becomes a matter of semantics. We are God, I am you, we are one. But for me, the first step was love of self. Fearless unadulterated shout it from the chimney tops love of self. It's been called pride, ego, conceit, vanity by those who are afraid to love so boldly. Loving yourself as a God unlocks the God in all things and breaches every divide. It is rapturous isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou're a nonsensical Pantheist, whose belief system is manifestly illogical.
ReplyDeletehttp://willingcatholicmartyr.blogspot.com/2010/05/self-refuting-nature-of-pantheism.html