Painting and maxim, Francesca De Grandis
If you have been attacked for your spiritual beliefs, or because you were otherwise different, or because you stood up for people less fortunate than you, celebrate your uniqueness, with this affirmation:
I am a reflection of the entire cosmos. My many aspects, evershifting, honor and sustain the evershifting universe. I embrace my whole me, and thus discover each moment’s unique gift.
A tiny bit more about the above affirmation is in my third-to-last paragraph here: http://www.well.com/user/zthirdrd/othersite.htm . I was inspired (compelled?) to create three versions of the above digital art, specifically to be used together for that page, but a computer glitch will only allow one variation there. That variation is called “My Gods Are Artists.” For a first edition print of it, go to http://www.etsy.com/listing/98851753/my-gods-are-artists-limited-first . I will eventually post the third on this site. Sigh, I just realized, duh, I still have not used the three together on one page, which was the original intent, LOL!
I have a complicated relationship with religion. I was raised devoutly and then learned of the heavy-handed impact religion had upon history. Suddenly the miracles taught in Sunday School were simply borrowed from other belief systems. This has caused some internal schizms for me, I completely believe I am unholy. Not evil, but not holy.
My family is all very devout, and I have been cornered by nephews concerned with the state of my mortal soul. It’s no wonder I don’t visit often.
Researching other religions has helped heal some of my internal breaks, but I know to this day I still have an initial inclination to reject out of habit anything dealing with gods.
To me, a polytheistic metaphor is easier to “worship” because it decentralizes the power from one all-being entity to many more personal ones. While his eye may be on the sparrow, I don’t feel like the numbers are in favor of him seeing me.
–Still healing
Dave, thank you so much for sharing all that with me, I am touched that you would do so. I hope the affirmation is of some help. If not,I hope my understanding of your story is a bit of healing. Because I do understand. It is outrageous how people are treated when their belief system does not “fall into line.”