First of a 3-post series prepared for an evening for sharing our art forms with fellow members of Multicultural Solidarity of Long Island Diversity Friendship Listening Circles.
10/23/24
Waking up with these thoughts…
“Your god is too small”...
It was required reading in my sophomore year at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY.
As a student at a Catholic college I was influenced by the 1967 Summer of Love’s call to
“turn on, tune in and drop out”…
As a result, in the Fall of 1968, as I was beginning my junior year, I told the Dean what he could do with his school and his religion and rode off to look for America…in my 1965 VW Bus that I bought with the tuition money I demanded be returned.
Since that day, I’ve been looking outside and inside myself for “god as I understand god” - as AA wisely states…
My too-small God has expanded…
GENDER: The first limitation that fell away is “his” gender. god is no longer just male.
OCCUPATION: Next, god’s occupation: no longer a policeman waiting to get me if I stepped out of line…
RELIGION: Next, god’s religion: no longer just Catholic with a capital “C”. And is also "no religion too" as John Lennon imagined.
NATIONALITY: Next, no longer only white and American…
LOCATION: More recently, no longer just outside me…EVERYWHERE!
Today, I’m living in awareness of the intention of the Namaste greeting:
“god in me recognizes the god in you”
And in these memorable song words:
“Looking in the mirror, I love you sweet god…”
--Ong Namo - Snatum Kaur
AND…
My emerging desire for a personal relationship with God is being met by my growing awareness that God is in everything I see: plants and rocks and animals…and, yes, in each of you…
When I remember this, I am no longer lonely…
I had the pleasure of enjoying Snatum at Kundalini Yoga of Long Island and in NYC at a workshop with her book "Original Light." I was first introduced to her at Echo Park here in West Hempstead, NY. During our kundalini yoga classes, Elena our teacher played her in every class. During my home practice, I entered her name into the search engine so she would accompany me. Those searches led to recommendations about similar artists... ...and my musical soul took flight...
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