You are not lost
Your heart is full of goodness.
Your body is a storyteller worthy of your trust.
The essence of your being is beauty and grace.
You are not depraved.
You are not incapable of good.
You are not doomed.
You are not evil or wicked or shameful.
You are not lost.
You are not lost.
You are not lost.
Yes, of course, you get it wrong sometimes. We all do.
Yes, of course, you treat people badly sometimes, we all do.
Yes, of course, you will make mistakes and fail and take things the wrong way and feel pain and all of those things.
But they don’t make you sinful; they just make you human.
The toxic concepts, doctrines, and ideas around the nature of humanity that have told us that our hearts are evil and our desires can’t be trusted have caused us to become suspicious and afraid of our own power. Much of western religion would have us divorce ourselves from our humanity and deny the holiness of our flesh and blood in some pursuit of holiness as if we have to shed our skin and become something other than who and what we are to reach God.
Which is ironic considering that The Christ manifested itself as a human through Jesus to show us just how connected and integrated the human and the holy really are.
Because we’ve been taught to fear our power, desires and essence, we’ve forgotten how to use them, how to stand in them, how holistic and healing it is to own them. There’s a fear that if left to our own human wisdom and devices, we’ll end up travelling down dark and oppressive roads, wreaking havoc and creating destruction. And so much of religion has been about providing an answer for the problem of fallen humanity. The only thing is, it was much of religion that created the problem, too - made for itself a loop of control and relevance. But faith, at its essence, has always been a practice of choosing love over fear; it’s always been a guide on our way, not a club to join; it’s always been about bringing us fully to the present moment, not whisking us away to a far-off better place.
For many of us, when we’ve gone to stand in our power, there has been an element of fear that has tainted our experience of it. This is something we can unlearn. Standing in your own power is not something that will bring destruction… the essence of your power is goodness - power with, to and within, as we talked about yesterday. When you stand in your power, what you’re standing in is the power of love that you were made with and from and for. When you stand in your power, you’re not domineering your own ways above the ways of others; you’re simply showing up in the world as yourself instead of wearing any number of masks and costumes society has available for you.
Spirituality is less about shedding your humanity and more about rising fully into it. Aware of your weaknesses and strengths alike; aware that both of those things are portals for growth and healing; aware that power isn’t a static thing but something that grows and morphs and blends and moves, as your own life does the same.
How can you possibly be lost? You’re right here, where you’ve always been. Hand on your heart. Feet on the ground. Human and holy. Dust and spirit. Being and learning to be.
HOW TO BE SPIRITUAL: Let go of dualistic ideas of being lost or found, and instead, ground yourself in the present moment, in the flow of grace. Presence, not perfection, is the holy call.
Written by Liz Milani
Instagram: @thepracticeco
From this week’s series, "How To Be Spiritual", with a subscription, in the App.
