I'm just catching up to this discussion after being away from my PC for the last few days. I am just amazed at it because it illustrates the very truths that set me free in my own spiritual search decades ago: God cannot be fully captured by our own human experience. Once I realized this, that God was bigger and more complete than anything my little human brain could imagine (and I can image quite a bit!), it opened me up to other ways of experiencing God than my own brain and body could perceive. And my life - both spiritually and earth bound - has been richer ever since.

I think the symbols and beliefs that we all use to relate to this larger-than-we-can-perceive power are powerful and important to each of us individually, but just like the word "fruit" cannot capture the luscious, juicy reality of a succulent bite on a hungry day, the word "God" (any word, really), cannot capture the bliss of feeling connected to that deepest source that holds us all.

Bless you all for this fantastic discussion, your openness and wonder. It's a gift to be included.

Love, Light and Blessings ~Dana

Sharon and Debbie, I completely agree- I live by the light now, and to me this is still the closest thing to Source I can experience directly. I work with it all the time clearing, grounding, healing, setting intention, and creating, and even to increase or decrease energy levels. I also use it ultimately to raise my consciousness in all areas of my being, especially when I bring it into my Pineal and radiate it out in all directions.

We are energy beings, living in a vibrational universe. At the end of it all there is a Neutral force as Dana mentioned earlier and as I still hold as a teaching, that is the container for our paradoxes, our opposites, our contrasts, light and dark. In essence that is the container for all our experiences that we perceive as "good, bad, right, wrong, easy, hard-all the drama we choose to experience when we come to Planet Earth School.

I love Einstein when he was in college and challenged his professor on the subject of heat and cold, light and dark. He talks about this very same thing, that at the end of it all, there is no cold, only absence of heat, and no darkness, only absence of light.

Yet not really knowing all how it works, I feel a difference when I work with the energy of light. Being open to understanding and willing to 'not know' at the same time, only expands me into the vastness that can not even be expressed in words. So humbling, isn't it? So I just listen. And continue being open. And grateful.

Sharon, What an incredible experience that must have been. I can feel it. Thank you so much for trusting us with your intimate and Divine experience. So much love Lissa

Dearest Pinkies, I feel the urge to share an experience I had about 10 years ago - I call it The Light Vision.

I have used Light as a grounding and cleansing tool for years. I remember the first time I 'felt' the Light and I knew I'd finally come HOME. On this particular day, I came home from dropping my daughter off and my apartment was filled with various colored Light orbs moving throughout the space. I was a single mom and exhausted and I wanted them to go away, so I started to do Light clearing hoping to be left alone. Instead, as I was using the Light to clear my body and the space it intensified. I was a little angry at that point, as I was working with Angels at this time who I'd begged to give me a little down time. Finally, I let go of trying to control the meditation. There was a little 'pop' and I found myself floating in the etheric - I WAS LIGHT! I had become ONE with IT! After attempting to calm down a bit, I started looking around and saw what I thought were stars twinkling. Then the stars began to grow as did I! I realized that they were other Lights like me and we were all collecting Light via the experience of BEING. We got closer and closer until we were finally touching and overlapping and then there was a very loud 'bang' that I realised that we had all collapsed as ONE into what I call a void, for lack of a better term. In this void was no Light, however it was BEAUTIFUL! We were ONE! It was a feeling like no other I have ever experienced. It was absolute HARMONY! The only thing I have ever felt came close to the description is: it was like being in your mother's womb - which I think is what I felt, energy uniting, recharging, growing and giving birth to itself. Then I became aware of pressure from the outside where the LIGHT was and I knew that anywhere the Light hit would be thrust out of our lovely void. Finally, it was my turn - as the Light hit me I was thrust out and I found myself once again in the etheric - collecting Light! The whole experience actually took about 5 hours and was both exhausting and invigorating!

I've pondered this experience repeatedly for several reasons. Firstly, to remember the FEELING and to KNOW there is no incorrectness. To remember there is LIFE even when one sees no LIGHT! To know understanding darkness is as important as understanding Light for the darkness is pregnant with possibilities, literally! To know I AM and will always be LIGHT! The DIVINE is not something outside of oneself and cannot be found in certain religion, book or teaching, these are tools only that enable us through experience to KNOW that same and become ONE with IT - to see and KNOW ourselves as DIVINE creators!

This discussion has been most interesting and I've loved every post! Thank you everyone for sharing your insights and experiences.

Much Love and Blessings Sharon

I didn't find GOD with this experience, I found something so much more than the limitations humans have put on that word.

The above post and so many others are exactly why I wrote the long winded one above. At the end of it anything that limits God (good orderly direction) is man made and therefore limited by nature, human nature. This is the big adventure we are all on I believe; that we get to have this amazing human experience, discover our preferences, shed our limitations-and this means all of them (respecting of course the laws of nature and the universe-we signed up to live in this world to experience polarity and "stress" -a natural part of living in this universe) and find that Essence of Source has been within us the whole time, and we now get to OWN it. When I am in alignment with this Power I am fully listening to my intuition and feelings, knowing if I am off the mark I can come right back into the sunlight of the spirit, I choose, I have free will.

I cannot think of a more perfect topic on this Pink site to get down to the core of it all so we can OWN being free of limitation.

Okay - this is a big and controversial statement depending on what group you may talk to - I believe I am perfect before God, the Divine, my Universal Life force. I may not be "humanly perfect" but I believe I am when I am "in" God.

I also recognize when we reference just one book or collection of books it will usually follow a certain slant.

Most of what we reference in our discussion here is limited to our ability to write, to communicate with imperfect tools.

Attributes are being discussed and assigned here for discussion and I so believe that this is all way bigger, and so much more then my wildest ability to describe, define, dream or vision.

The God I worship is not limited to me. God is ever so much bigger then us. Maybe that is why in some religions and individuals a name is not written or even spoken so as not to 'box' God in and therefore not show "disrespect". Again - this is lacking the fullness I wish to express and could do a little better with if we were in actual face to face conversation and gift share time. (That kinda supports the whole relationship thing - Ha!.)

I suppose what I'm saying right now is that in all of this I am lacking. I love being here where I'm welcome to be lacking in whatever human element I'm sharing. And I love being with us in this "theological discussion" where if it were possible, I would see God smiling and radiant with delight that we were spending this time to be in relationship - to God and to each other.

Even my/our tiniest bit of faith can add to us moving this mountain. Mustard Seeds . . . Debbie

Debbie

Interesting points. In agreement, I do think that seeing with magical eyes is one way we tap into the power and mystery of God, as you say. Because we are seeing the perfection of the other with God's perception when we use our magical eyes. And God doesn't define "perfection" in human terms at all. Existence and life is a miracle, and BEING our true selves, true to our own nature, is perfect - as God sees us and conceived us.

In relationship is important, yes. Because it is in relationship that we exist and - importantly - function. Relationship is what gives us the information to evolve and change. In isolation, our brains become confused, our bodies dull and our spirits sad.

Owning Pink combines the beauty of these two things - loving relationship where we are invited to see our own perfection and thrive in relationship.

All that said - other than the what the scriptures say - I am not sure why God would be thought to be lonely. But then I don't perceive God to be a personal force with an individual consciousness, so perhaps this is why that doesn't really compute for me.

Good discussion. Thanks for your thoughts on this weighty subject.

Love, LIght and Blessings ~Dana

Debbie Oh, right! Your impending move (and many beforehand) makes this a particularly poignant subject for you. "Home is (indeed) where the heart is". I believe that is true and so it becomes very important where we put our heart! I'm so glad you feel safe here and that this is a sacred space. We each make it so with every word and thought. Amazing what power we have to support each other by "seeing" each other with our souls - even when we can't "see" each other with our eyes. Love, Light and Blessings ~Dana

Oh Debbie! Love your thoughts here. There are so many ways to celebrate the Divine, yes. And for each of us it's just a slightly different way to connect to the Universal Power that is God (Creator, Source, and my personal favorite, "The Force").

You ask about the meaning of "Spiritual Home" and I think that's a great question. What is "home"? It's where we feel welcome and safe, no matter what lands we've traveled through, for how long and how muddy our feet, it's a place of rest and renewal, it's a place of love. I would say that this place qualifies!

But this is what I love most about your comment: "This is where I can really see me. Where I want to see you. I think that is God in me." If that is not home, then what is?

Welcome home!

Love, Light and Blessings! ~Dana

That SO resonates with me, Jillian. I'm not sure I like the word "test" because it sounds like something you pass or fail, but maybe "purpose." We have a purpose here on earth and when our purpose has been fulfilled, we may be released into the next life to serve yet another purpose. Yes. That feels right. Thank you for sharing, sweetie.

(Where were people like all of you when I was growing up in church???)

thank you for posting this insightful and thought-provoking online article. IMHO, any place (online or real-time) can become a spiritual gathering place for like-minded beings. in my own experience, I have found that two words sum up my spiritual POV: "God is." There is nothing else, there is no question that arises for me from this simple two word statement. Where do I find God? Everywhere, every place. i found it interesting that "God" and "good" were at times mentioned in the same sentence. Notice the similarity here? :-)

blessings and peace, lab

wow. wow. love this discussion. wow. Lissa: I'm not a traditional mommy yet. But I mommy my moments. The sure way to know you are raising Siena imparting to her a sense of faith and understanding you have?....live them with her openly...tell her your why in as mommying of language as doable and possible...tell her your why 'i know this to be true" about God or Being. Tell her your now questions about God and seek her wisdom....

Children always amaze me at their understanding of truth. They are my teachers every time I mommy myself and remind myself to seek to learn from them:) (which for me takes a bitta conoitering b/c I do not yet have littles of my own to rear so I need to plunk myself in their midst..but I consciously do so..I'll take my journal to any playground at 10 or 2 or 4 intentionally to be surrounded...and the other day...i was amidst 3 year olds...OH TO SEE HOW THEY SAY GOODBYE TO EACH OTHER....walk up to one another no sense of too close..and about 2 inches from their treasured afternoon friend's face "Byeeeeeeeeeee Emiweeeee...See you tomorrow I hoooooooooooooope" I paused and giggled out loud and exclaimed to the mom "Oh to meet and greet one another with such uninhibited joy!!!" and she gave me a look like "aren't they wonderful?"

Yes. they are. and they know truth. uninhibited. and love. unabashedly. And sooo I seek to learn from them.:) And so to my point w/ Siena....learn with and from her...or from mommying your pets and whomever else :)

How to know if you're doing it right? Ask this sense of God...your truth...Deep desire motivated in unselved love is always answered. Sometimes in a feeling or knowing. Sometimes in a trusting. Sometimes in a clear directive. Methinks you are already doing ALLL of this. ~~~~~ To all else...thank you...truly ...for the heart felt outpouring of your sense of understanding and journies of truth seeking...it's such a deeply moving moment to just stand and listen and feel the depth of intent to know and understand amidst all of ya'll's outpourings...I simply wanna hug collectively that outpouring....and just nod with you...we each and all are on that journey even amidst our right now knowings..we are each growing and will continue to learn and explore and tomorrow's ahas will enlighten today's convictions even more. What a moment to outpour here and just exchange like this. Value it. Truly. Muchly. :)

Tre ~

it's the way god is percieved n religion is practiced that i'm against. people try to be good n stay away from wrongs coz HE is watching n will reward or punish. so essentially people are not good coz they think that's the right way to be but coz they are afraid, they are scared! what nonsense. how twisted.

you should be able to be good only n only coz you believe in being so, not coz you are scared shitless. this is not something u make a deal about with god. me good=u reward, me bad=u punish. u have to be good n kind n straight with the world because u think that is the way to be with no pressures. otherwise u are a farce.

i believe in energy . good e n bad e. when u do good u release good e into the universe n -ve e when u do bad stuff. keep doing good n u surround urself with +ve e which helps when u r in need.

so like i always say-- my god has an extra 'o' --good. hope u catch my drift here.

the way people go on fussing with puja n paath n huge temples n blaring loudspeakers n daan-punya in public view etc etc etc makes me sick n want to throw up. i want to shake them up n explain to them that -- ur devotion towards ur god is a private affair between u n him, why do u want it to be a spectacle. why do u want to show that u are a bhakt, why should there be a need to show n prove. it should be evident from ur character, deeds n lifestyle. a person like me who doesn't go and bend in temples is considered a non-believer and a 'bad ' person even though i know i'm much better than most of them. they pray n sing n whatnot n then go out n royally f*** the world n everybody in it. thank u so much , i do not want to be a part of this. i am segregated from the society n labelled but very happy the way i am n am trying to bring my kids up the same way.

Can I tell you PInkies a secret? I think the angels woke me up to write this post. Many of the PInkies here in our community talk to/see angels- and I get really friggin' obvious signs from the Universe. I joke that we're a bunch of crazy people who are about to get carted off in strait jackets.

This week the Pink Tank descended upon my house and it was so powerful that the energy of it all changed how the moon looked (no kidding!) So when someone tapped me on the shoulder this morning, I wasn't shocked. I assumed it was my 4 yr old daughter Siena, but when I opened my eyes and no one was there, it occurred to me it might be the angels.

I asked Dana about it. She affirmed that the angels love me and that it would be right up their alley to touch me. And I felt it. So who am I to question it? But who am I to be blessed with such a gift?

So here I sit- in awe, in gratitude, in tears.... Believing that the veil is SO thin, Lissa

OMG (is that totally irreverent is this particular post? Sorry, Divine Being!)

PInkies, I have been gone all day, and I thank those of you who held the sacred space for all of us today. Bless you! Namaste!

Can I just say AMEN? And amen amen amen... I love you all, and I wish I knew this church when I was young.

Wow. Thank you.

Elizabeth! Oh my goodness, I am so moved by what you wrote in your comment. Talk about bright light!

Elisabeth,

Great post! I've read a lot of books on Quantum theory and that has played a big role in the way I view the Divine. I love that stuff and a Course in Miracles.

If you haven't read Amit Goswami's books I think you would like them. He is a physicist and spiritual. His books blend the two.

Many Blessings, Joanne

P.S. Cool on the 333. Me and my husband came in from our walk at 3:33 p.m. He noticed it. We have a thing for that number...and hour. We call it the hour of the Goddess. We've often read or have seen things that were profound at 3:33...a.m. usually.

I love this post, it is so juicy with my favorite topic! I grew up a christian who was 'born again' three times (because she felt like she couldn't trust her commitment levels at age 15 through 21 or maybe the first couple times I just wasn't getting it right...or something like that). I remember always feeling "off" out in the world about my heart being on fire for Christ-he was always "my main man" and still is) because it seemed like I couldn't find it in the eyes of those around me who I attended church with. I was always looking for that special "light" in people, don't ask me why. I just knew I could trust that Light. Yet, I felt like I never ever "fit in." The Jesus in my heart felt like a secret, and my only safe home. But it felt lonely, and yet, that Light somehow became my silent guide that, whether people called themselves this or that in religious terms, it finally became apparent that I need to only trust that Light, and I'd somehow be safe in the world. But religion and all that still was an emigma to me, until I began reading A Course in Miracles, and Marianne Williamson with her book A Return to Love suddenly became my salvation. I met myself here, the Self I had been all along apparently.

Then about the same time, one day I realized I needed help overcoming an alcohol problem. I got a sponsor named Teri who is this bright bright light and I remember being so nervous around her she was so bright. I didn't know how to love myself enough yet to feel that bright... Finally she invited me to go to Spirit Rock. I said, oh that is Buddhist, thanks anyway, but I am Christian. Even though I felt really dumb to say those words, it was my conviction and programming and NOT my heart that made me answer like that and I still felt ..trapped by my limiting beliefs.

She smiled at me as bright as could be and said with SO much love and softness "Jesus WAS a Buddhist!" Something shifted suddenly and a part of me finally could exhale. Then my body did the Godbump thing and I knew I was home. YES! It is all connected!

I love that quote that says if you are to be a christian then be the very best Christian you can be. If you are to be Buddhist, then be the very best Buddhist you can be.

In my first year woes of recovery from alcohol and learning to feel all my feelings along with just feeling ok in my own skin, I prayed a prayer one night when I was SO mad at God about all this religion vs spirit stuff and I was sick and tired of not knowing where to land. Finally I prayed "that is IT God, I need to know something. I need to know Jesus's intention of what he meant to tell us, meant the message to be when HE WALKED the PLANET!" I went to sleep in a puddle of expired rage and tears. The next morning I really had my answer, and was in complete peace:

"The Christ Mind is more important than religion. His intention was to make us see we all are Christ, that "this you shall do and greater" that we too can heal others and receive the same power that Christ himself had on earth." My answer tells me that we have Creator God within us all.

How to implement that into our lives is another story. This is what I have spent the rest of my life dedicating myself to. Literally. I know it is real, can be learned, and Law of Attraction is a good start.

This Great Intelligence is alive and well and very neutral as it is above all our beliefs about loss, gain, all of it. It just IS, but, in that it is PURE, and HIGH in vibration, beyond anything we can fathom. Sans story, or emotion or drama. It is we who place our beliefs on God and we limit God this way. I believe we, as spirits (now in a body but not always were we in bodies) chose to create this planet (and others) so we would have something physical to work with as we saw and enjoyed our creations manifest. We also wanted to see ourselves grow, expand and have experiences. Without judgement, Source energy says "you want to experience Forgiveness do you? Well then you will attract scenarios in this life to give you something to forgive..." The thing is we ourselves must take ourselves as close to this neutral and high vibe as possible before we can begin to understand this--a shift in perception is the miracle, as A Course would say.

I know that what I speak of is largely Quantum Physics also (a great--but be warned, very advanced--book out there is called Love Without End-Jesus Speaks" by Glenda Green. It talks about Adamantine particles created literally from love, and how we can summon them to create. Oh what joyous times we are in. We do have this kind of power. That is WHY Jesus went ahead for us and trued to show us how it is done. As did many many others in their time. Just like an Olympic athlete who breaks a record formerly considered "unbeatable". If his belief system was such that he didn't "buy it" (that is was unbeatable), then he wasn't limited by it, now was he? Our beliefs literally create our reality.

Thank you Lissa and all you out there open to exploring. I feel like we are on the ultimate adventure of discovery here - the "leading edge of ourselves". Blessed be!

So on my blog tomorrow I am posting the questions "How do you define spirituality? and How do you define Religion?" I'd love for all of you lovely commenters to come over and share your thoughts!

And I am totally with you, Sharon on God being just a word. (I think I even wrote that in a comment on someone else's blog last week.) I just finished reading a great book called "The Field" which describes the scientific research going on that could prove our connectivity and the energy available for all of us to tap into. That energy or "The Field" is what I call God.

In my opinion, GOD is a word that was created by mankind in the need to understand the unexplainable and not to be too negative, but to control the masses. Just my experience and I mean no offense to anyone.

GOD is the CREATIVE ESSENCE within and without us all - pregnant with possibilities and without emotion which is a human condition, therefore judgment is impossible. We could debate if LOVE is an emotion - I say it is a state of BEING, not an emotion. Once you tap into this state of BEING you are always perpectually pregnant with possiblities - just like all of us PINKIES & the rest of the entities on the planet. I've coined that phrase PERPETUALLY PREGNANT with POSSIBILITIES in mind regarding Owning Pink - because that's how you all make me feel!! Thank you so much for the gift!!

All the Best Sharon

Dana,

Thanks for sharing that. It's not that 'out there' for me. I resonate with what you're saying. There are many beings...Goddess or individual goddesses like Isis and even Jesus. For me they are all under one Divine Energy too, but provide a way for us to relate on a personal level. All of us are different and so have different ways of connecting with the Divine, hence all the different faces of the Divine. I like to put it as "The One and the many".

Many Blessings, Joanne

Simone

Great words, and the question about ego-centrism is very important. Lissa and I spent a lot of time discussing that this weekend. Without belaboring the point TOO much, we identified the difference between BEING with the Divine or trying to BE the Divine as this: if we try to hold on to the divine, attach to it and become invested in whether others can see it (or feel it or believe it) we are being ego-centric. If we let it flow through our Being and spread to those around us - absent whether they notice or not, regardless of whether we get credit or not (and even if we do) - then we ARE Divine Light for them IN THAT MOMENT and the world becomes a little lighter.

Being in community with others seeking and finding Divine Light is truly a beautiful experience. It is what I love about being here with you.

Love, Light and Blessings ~Dana

I know this is a discussion not a debate, so in that spirit, I agree with Kelly: My spiritual home goes with me everywhere I go because it’s inside of me.

When I last said that to a person whose religion is considered a cult by many, he unconsciously shook his head with a practiced neutral face that said, "How can you be so egocentric to think YOU are godly within?"...and that, ladies, reminded me of the feeling I had by 9 or 10 in Catholic school, attending church during a Holy Day of Obligation (that makes my Inner Brander cringe) wondering where that "feeling" went, disappeared to, when we were rotely reciting the same texts at the same time of year, another year.

I think being a responsible adult is godly, and we know...when we are not being godly. Mental illness and other similar anomalies aside, I think we all know what is right, wrong, neutral and when we are in those spaces in life. I connect with Lavonne's feeling of community (or a like) support and resonance of spirit - yes!, a great amplifier that feels great and rings so deeply true from the inside out.

What a great discussion. I feel semi-responsible, so I'll chime in and say that this vision of a neutral God was given to me by Elisabeth Manning and when it sunk it everything else just clicked. So much of the world makes no sense (like Erin said - wars in the name of God especially) if I believe in a God that takes sides. The minute I see God as neutral on the "small" things (thanks for that, Leslee!), then the responsibility shifts and now each of US is the one taking sides and it becomes a matter of our personal choice whether we side with God or not. It's the work of our souls to seek God and come into closer alignment with Divine Purpose and for each of us our path is different, but all walking together and supporting each other along the way, as you say Lissa.

I love what Lavonne said about community supporting us on our spiritual journey. I attend a UU church also, but I have to say that Owning Pink feels more like my spiritual home than anywhere else.

Thank you all for being here in spirit and in love. Divine Purpose is with us when we share it.

Love, Light and Blessings ~Dana

Lavonne, what you say SO resonates with me. And that's what I crave- that spiritual community. For me, my church is out in nature. But wow- when you gather like-minded spiritual beings together in reverence, there's a whole different energy. I long for that, although I do feel it here.

Still looking for my spiritual home, Lissa