QuakerQuaker

Primitive Christianity Revived, Again

"Remeber who you are...."

About 6 years ago I did a lot of yoga. And I mean A LOT. At least three times a week. I remember during one of the quiet meditative sessions that a voice very clearly spoke up in myself. It said, "Remember who you are". It was a troubled time in my life. I was heading towards another binge stage of my alcoholism, smoking a lot of pot, eating very poorly and running myself ragged through work among other things. That was a turning point though. It has taken me the last 6 years to really begin to listen to that advice, but I figure better late then never right?

As I've been mulling over my shift in spiritual path and my terrified reaction to it this phrase has come to mind again. Not in the sense that I am and always was a Christian or a Quaker, but in that I have always believed that all paths lead to the Divine. And that names and labels are really just a matter of semantics. Deep down the message of every faith is to love one another (a general statement of course), treat each other as we would like to be treated, share and share alike. So with my professed belief in that "all Gods are one God" this big panic attack over the method of reaching the Divine is really not necessary. Not to mention that my path with and to the Divine started with Jesus. So in a sense this is almost a coming home rather than a strange and random curve in my path. If anything I've come full circle.

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Comment by Forrest Curo on 10th mo. 8, 2011 at 11:43am: The thing about yoga... I find yoga is really good for me when I do it right (== "when it feels good.")

But last night was the first night of San Diego's 'occupy' demonstration. I expected to be cold, wretched, scared-- and uncomfortable. Instead I was warm, happy, surrounded by good people and mostly good music (unfortunately it went on all night)-- and uncomfortable. Probably put several kinks back that the yoga had been taking out. Rather than getting to 'meditate' I was having to lie there letting music & talk from all around just run through. That can be a sort of yoga, too, if it's what one is called to-- but I think that aspect is emphasized better in the Christian take on 'It'. (Gandhi being an example of someone who practiced yoga with a strong Christian influence-- but without becoming "Christian". & achieving 'independence' for a nation-state depressingly different from what he'd hoped for... ) I blather... hope to make more sense after some sleep!

Comment by Angela Kurkiewicz on 10th mo. 17, 2011 at 2:06pm: Well congrats on getting to your local Occupation. The one here started on the 15th. I really want to go but for reasons I will explain my next post I don't think I will make it. Sounds like you had a bit of a rough go. Would love to hear more about Gandhi and his Non-Christian-Christian Yoga.

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