Love Is the Religion

In today's societies, it seems to me as not only do people view themselves as the center of the world, but also people tend to view their ways, culture, ideas, race, etc. as being better or above others.

There is a name for individuals like this and their practices, its called "ethnocentrism."

ETHNOCENTRISM, the definition:  characterized by or based on the attitude that one's own group is superior.

As people become self actualized (which can only be done through introspection), they should be able to realize just how much of a unique individual they are.  Exploring the meaning of "who am I?" should also help to make people aware of the same aspects and unique individuality's that make up the people in the world around us.

I could never think of myself as better than anyone around me, whether they are rich or poor, a doctor or a dropout, a homeless person or an owner of a mansion, a christian or an atheist.none of this matters, what does matter; however, is what is in a person's heart.  The aura and energies that a person puts off to the world around them is the most important determining factor in whether or not i am going to appreciate this person.  When a person is true to who they are, not falling into social norms or allowing themselves to be a product of their environment, it is a real breath of fresh air because these individuals are the ones who stay true to themselves, not ever allowing outside forces to change who they are as a person.  This is self confidence!

I think it is a good thing to always refrain from allowing yourself to be identified by the group that surrounds you, fall into a stereotypical category, or become involved in any type of cliques.  I have found, from my past experiences, that it is best to play neutral and not pick a specific side, clique, group, or culture because all that is going to do is limit your environments, social circles, and give you "tunnel vision."  I mean if you think about it, any group or label, a person will never fall under all the beliefs, theories, traits, or methods of a specific group or label...so why not choose to be you self, be unique, and mix and match all of the things in life that you agree with, truly agree and identify with, from your heart?

It is a liberating feeling...to allow yourself to be led by your heart....total 100 percent FREE WILL to live life just how you choose. 

I know that religion is one of those topics that seem to act as a barrier and separator of individuals, which is such a shame.  I know that I, myself, choose to pray to Jesus (i am a christian) however, i tend to relate so much more to the Indians (the Earth and it's elements), and my spirituality and many of my practices come from Buddhism and Taoism.  Why should i limit myself to only one type of religions practice?  Instead, i allow myself to try new things, experience new experiences, and really keep an open mind, and as i do this, i allow my heart and soul carry me and decide what practices work best for myself.  One thing is for sure and Ziggy Marley said it best...."LOVE IS MY RELIGION"

The only way that people are going to truly be happy in life is if they are able to decide what is best for themselves, not being told how to do things, who they should be, how they should think and behave, what religion to practice, how different social statuses should act, what they should be when they grow up, what college they should attend to, who they should date or marry, how they should dress, how they should raise their children, etc.  This is all BULLSHIT.  People should be able to look within and decide these things on their own. 

Much of my life i lived life in this way..how i thought i should act, who others wanted me to be, fit in with the crowds, make my parents proud, etc. and it did nothing but fill me with a feeling of confusion, i felt lost, and i felt like i could never  measure up.  Now, i play by my own rules..i decide all of these things and i have come to really know my strengths, my weaknesses, my abilities and gifts, my limitations, and what i desire out of life....for no other reason than it makes me happy, its who i want to be, where i want to go, how i want to act, and because it keeps me filled with that inner peace and contentment that i am living life on my own terms. 

Its funny because being raised just outside of Baltimore and DC, i grew up being exposed to all kinds of different cultures, races, religions, music, financial brackets, and much more.  I now realize just how lucky i was to be exposed to these things because it allowed me to experience many different things, people, and places which allowed me to have an open mind, be non judgemental, and brought so much beauty and variety into my life.  Since moving back to WV about five years ago, and working with at risk youth in placement, i have come to realize how sheltered people in this state are.  Many of these youth, in fact, were raised by very biased and ethnocentric families.  Being in this field of work, i am able to help expose these same children to some really neat things that i have learned while growing up, that hopefully will spark their interest to want to learn more and embrace diversity.  I know that one day i am going to have a huge family of my own, i plan to adopt, and i want a family with tons of color and culture.  I would love to have a child of every race and culture so that i can bring up these children with my same loving, compassionate, caring, and moral/ethical standards so that they can connect with others, from all over the world, and carry on our legacy.....to bring people together and show people the beauty in diversity, love, and acceptance.

Recently i had a little debate with someone over religion and how two people of different religions wouldn't last in a relationship.  Of course i had to disagree with that statement.  So then the person said, "well what about when you have children, you will fight about how you will raise them."

Well i have very strong feelings on this issue.  First of all, when you marry it is because you love them..for who they are as a person, their heart, their compassion, their humor, their morals, character, etc. and not for any other reason.  All else is irrelevant, people should be able to accept the opinions and views of a loved one if they love all the things i have just listed.  It is what is in the heart that matters.....Nothing more.  Okay, i am idealistic, and i DO BELIEVE THAT LOVE CONQUERS!

Back to my thoughts on religion...I do not think that i would have the same faith in my God had i been forced to believe in him or his practices.  My God led me to him..synchronocities, and small steps, he brought me to him, never through force, but through inspiration and spiritual wonders that could not be explained any other way than by the magic of God.  Looking back on my journey, God left me signs at every fork in the road and when i had faith in him, he showed me signs of his power, feelings within myself that were that above any kind of ecstasy that i have ever experienced.  It was as i was being filled with the nature of his being. Now there is no doubt in my mind as to who is my creator.

Had i been forced into church at a young age, and not discovered my God for myself, i cannot say that i would have the same total and complete faith and belief in him.  So this brings me to "someday" when i will raise my own children, i would never want to force (and especially argue) with my beloved on how to raise this child...i would rather my child find their God on their own.  And as far as arguing/fighting with a loved one is concerned...the only thing that i feel is ever worth my fighting for is:
 
1.  A person who is harming another (mentally, physically, emotionally)

or

2.  A person set out with negative or harmful intentions.. because i feel like all the rest of the things in the world that people argue about are only because they feel the need to prove a point due to their "i am the center of the world" perspective or ethnocentrism.

So, when you find yourself arguing with another person, i ask you to take a time out and think about what the person and your own intentions are <3

Please come to your own, become your own unique individual and allow the same respect for all the people in your life and in this world and learn to practice FREE WILL and blaze you own path!  Blessings.

Living in the moment

Synchronicity, the definition:  the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality.


Do you ever feel like, at times, life is going in reverse?  Its funny how, if you pay attention, the universe will speak to you, to guide and direct you, to let you know you are one the right or wrong track, and even inspire you to believe.  The only problem...You must be living in the "now" to notice these signs and synchronocities.  In my past, i never realized that i wasn't living in the "now," as i went about my daily life, but since becoming self actualized, I see signs everywhere!  Synchronocities that let me know that i am on the right track, that my love is being mirrored back to me, and that the Universe knows my wants, desires, and hopes for the future.  Even now, as i think back upon the past, i realize that these signs and other signs were there all along, i was just zooming past them too quickly to pay attention to them.

This is what i mean when i say that i feel like my life is going backwards at times.  With all the serendipity and synchronocities that surround me in my everyday life, it is impossible for me to not believe in the power of magic.  The signs letting me know that i am living on purpose, that there is a fate and destiny made up of all of my dreams and desires, that God that has led me to this point in my life, and the ability to turn my life over to that God and allow the Universe to deliver me to my wildest fantasies and lands of magical and mystical wonders where my imagination can run free.  There has been too many signs along my journey that could never be explained by simple facts, and could only be justified in knowing that there is a higher power, deity, and force that is working with the Universe to see that I am living the life that was meant for me!

Lately, with my spiritual rebirth, I have found myself living more in the moment.  It's a great feeling, not to worry or focus so much about the future.  It allows me the opportunity to really appreciate the beauty that surrounds me, in each moment, of my everyday life.  Do i think about my dreams, hopes, and plans for the future?  Of course, i just don't focus on them to the point that it causes me unnecessary stress or deny me the opportunity to appreciate and experience the "now" that is right in front of me.  In fact, i can honestly say that I am completely content, and i would be fine if my life ended at this very moment for the simple fact that i have already experienced what takes others a lifetime of  soul searching to accomplish and what many may never accomplish which is connecting with my soul or my higher conscious.  Living life in this higher dimension allows me the ability to think, respond, and behave based on thoughts and direction from my superego rather than my ID or my ego!

Its pretty awesome, i must say, to reach this point of inner peace and contentment in my life.  A feeling and destination that can only be reached, by the way, by having the courage to go peel away the layers of your being, and journey to the absolute core within yourself.  I believe this is the reason why so many people live unhappy lives, are never satisfied, or live out of greedy tendencies, because they allow things, outside of themselves, define who they are as an individual.  I am not going to sit here and pretend that life has always been easy for me, or lead you to think that i was always this confident because i know that i used to make this same mistake....what school will i transfer to?  what career path do i want to follow?  where do i want to move (because i am not happy here)?  when will i find the love of my life?  why don't they like me?  why cant or when am i going to get that promotion?  etc....these are all questions that every person deals with, no matter their age, culture, status, or race, at some point in their lives.  If a person is able to muster up the courage to journey deep within themselves,  evaluate themselves properly, and view themselves from an unbiased perception, as well as have the resilience, determination, and strength to go through the change or metamorphosis and become the person that they were meant to be, then all other challenges in life will seem to be a breeze and you will conquer mountain after mountain, challenge after challenge, and even when faced with a loss or failure, you will still view it as a "win" because of all that you have learned from the experience.  These individuals realize that nothing outside of ourselves will ever mean anything as compared to what lies within them, the nature of their being, and all that makes up their spiritual and emotional existence. 

Since i have set out on my journey, through reflection, i can honestly say that i am exactly who i want to be....in fact, i view myself as a hero.  Never once have i let a failure or challenge hold me back, and if a way was unclear, i kept my eye on the goal/finish line and made up my own rules and ways to accomplish the goal, in fact, there are many mountains i still hope to climb and with each victory, i am that much closer to winning the game known as MY LIFE!  I hold myself to the highest standards, i stick to my morals/ethics/and character, i am super confident, and with the trust in my heart, my being, and my God, i know that i will always be led to the answers i am searching for.  My heart is my superego (and also my conscious) and i have learned to trust it one hundred percent because, thus far, it has always steered me in the right direction.  I have always figured out a way to do things, and the "cursed hows" soon become lost in the background! (Thanks Mike Dooley, you are an inspiration to me)  In fact, i have came to realize that I can have everything i want in life, as well as accomplish all of my dreams, all without having to step on anyones toes, competing with anyone, or cheating, lying, or pushing my way to the top.

I do not think any of this would be possible had i not focused inward and built my character, morals, views, opinions, etc. ground up...myself.  You see, for many years i lived off of what i thought others wanted or was acceptable (without even realizing it BTW, this took reflection), conditioning by my parents, social standards, etc.   I actually had to go inside of myself, tear down all of those preconceived notions, theories, and opinions, and i was actually able to decide exactly who i wanted to become....And viola, here i am, the superhero of my own story...the person i pictured that i would become many years ago...and let me tell you, what a liberating feeling.  Better yet, no one will ever change me, I will only allow myself to be changed if i feel the need or find a better way, but always, these changes will be based upon feelings of gratitude, love, and compassion that comes from my heart.  I will use my morals, ethics, and character as a firm base upon which i will build the rest of my life! 

Back to the present moment...........

With this pride in who i am as an individual comes a feeling of contentment in knowing, through the laws of attraction, that with a core and energy field based on love, the Universe will deliver the same individuals and experiences right back to me..My optimistic outlook will be mirrored in my surroundings and happiness and love will always surround me.  As far as my future is concerned..who cares about the details, I already have more than i could ask for..all the things that money could never buy..self esteem and worth, a loving and supportive family, a life on purpose, strong and healthy relationships, my eyes to see everything that mother earth has blessed us with, and the ability to choose my own direction/future.  What more could i ever ask for?  This gives me all the confidence in the world and in my future in knowing that i embody peace, love, happiness, and harmony; therefore, i will be blessed with the same in my surroundings.  Take that you cursed "hows"!!!!!!!!

With this inner peace, i am able to truly live and love each moment.  Its amazing how much things change, and how you realize all of the little details, natural wonders, and bits and peaces of beauty that surrounds your everyday life that you never paid much attention to before.

Such a free and liberating feeling, to no longer be bogged down by expectations, feelings, thoughts, stressors, etc. and the ability to see the world through a child's eyes once again.

The world, is not a picture or a sight that i view through my eyes but rather, a living breathing organism that affects each and every inch of time and space in front of me, behind me, and around me that i am able to witness with every sense within my body..sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.  With this great ability, and my senses feeling  multiplied by a thousand, suddenly it is as if I can not turn my head fast enough,that i cannot possibly take in all the feelings of gratitude as my eyes dart back and forth in awe at the "life," , energy, and beauty that my eyes rest upon.

As i look into the distance at the gigantic and wondrous lush green mountain tops, i am engulfed by a strong feeling of warmth and belonging.  My eyes then are carried to the eagle that soars freely in the vast open ocean of blue above me.  Then there is the butterfly that steals my attention by flying in my eyesight.  Staring, in ecstasy, at the colorful deity, my eyes follow it as it continues on its journey and meets up with its fellow butterflies then lands on a flower that is in the midst of its blooming.  I smile to myself as i realize that these butterflies are a symbol of angels as i attach personalities to each of them of my past loved ones, knowing that they are meeting to share their lives once again which brings me an overwhelming feeling of joy.  A long heartfelt sigh is released from my lips as i shut my eyes and turn my face towards the sky, as i allow the warmth of the sun to land upon my face as if it was welcoming me with a kiss.  The warmth, passion, joyful thoughts, and gratitude i feel for my God in creating such wonders allows me to be overwhelmed with joyful and wondrous thoughts.  Suddenly, a gust of wind blows through my hair, almost as if Gaia is whispering in my ears, telling me to open my eyes.  As i slowly open my eyes, i am greeted with gigantic, textured, white, fluffy clouds.  This brings more feelings of joy as my eyes skip from cloud to cloud, trying to identify their shapes like my brother and i used to do when we were children.  My eyes capture a very unique cloud, one that resembles Valcor, the luck dragon from the movie "Never Ending Story"  floating above me in the sky.  My imagination goes in overdrive as wanders as i imagine the dragon scooping me up and flying me across the sky to visit the Oracle who will tell me how to save the kind people of our world.  I have to smile to myself, at this thought, as i realize that this, too, is a synchronicity because my life, views, and theories about life revolve around metaphysics and the "oracle."  In the next moment, the clouds part, sending a ray of sunlight, like a rainbow, on the land in front of me.  The sunlight hits the water of a creek below, causing the water to twinkle like diamonds with the sparkle of the sun.  My ears take notice of the calming noise of the water rushing over the rocks, the same water that a baby deer is exploring for what could be the first time in its life.   I giggle as i realize that everytime i see a baby deer, i relate it to Disney and instantly want to name it "Bambi."  Once again, i am frozen, in awe as a bunny joins the deer at the brook, how odd, now i have "Thumper" to join my fantasy in nature, a fantasy that is all but that, a fantasy.  Such a beautiful sight that it is hard to believe is my reality, and in living color..right in front of my face!   Suddenly the bunny snaps me back to the moment as it scurries across my feet, its cute little poofy tail bouncing up and down as its little butt carries the rest of it towards its underground den beneath the Earth.  WOW! 

The amount of love and happiness i feel with these sights is immeasurable.  I throw myself on the ground, allow myself to sink in the grass, and smile to myself because i know that I am one of the few individuals that are blessed enough to be able to succumb to the moment and feel it for all of its love and worth that it was meant for.  The love and gratitude that i feel for all of the forms of life and organisms that surround me!

When you live in this "in the moment" way, you tend to pick up on all the little signs, and synchronocities that the Universe sends your way.  I always follow my intuition, and i know that i must do everything in my power to save the beautiful wonders that surround me.  To find a way to help them see the light, to want to work together, and inspire others to see the beauty and worth in all the living things on this Earth.  Whether it be people, animals, flowers, plants, bugs, the sunshine, clean air, etc. i know that i must advocate for the well being of these things because it is my connectedness with them that allows my being to be at peace, my heart to feel complete.  It is these living organisms and my connectedness with them and the world around me that determines my happiness; therefore, my fate.

I guess it is part of my Cherokee Indian heritage, but i have always felt more at home and in tune with the Earth, its elements, and the animals.. and so it is my destiny to always be at one with them. 

Its funny how when you disappear for long periods of time, so that you can find yourself, others will call you conceited, selfish, or other self centered names (believe me I've heard it said about me when they didn't even know i was listening) but what they don't realize is that when you take this time to focus inward, it only connects you more, with greater passion, to all that surrounds you.

The Journey

I have spent the past few years growing as an individual, and went through so many changes hence the Phoenix symbol of rebirth above.  I do not think I would be able to be the person I am today had I not took the time needed to truly get to know myself.  My friends probably thought I was lame, and often wondered what I was doing when I would turn down their offers to go out on the town with them, but i knew that if i wanted to become the best person I could be, i really needed to take a look at my life, my views, my opinions, my habits, my thoughts, my theories, my ideas, my perceptions, etc. and determine what parts of me that i wanted to keep, what parts were to be part of my "past", what parts i wished for my future, and what parts i would abandon altogether.

My journey inwards began when i started working with at risk youth.   Before this time, I had always thought i cared about myself, but i soon noticed that i did not hold myself in high regards, whether for myself or for others.  Let me explain, at first, the changes i decided to make within myself were for all the wrong reasons. (Well not totally)  I knew that if i was going to be the best role model for the children i was working with, i would have to learn to practice what i preached and take on somewhat of a "hero" type role.  So rather than making the positive changes myself (i guess i didn't see myself as worth the effort, which i would later realize), i made the changes for the children i helped counsel.  These children were very important to me, and i was able to see some of me in each of their stories.  My heart went out to them, and there was nothing in this world that i wanted more than to see them become successful, be loved and love others, and go from a victim to a survivor. 


I have never been one to be two faced or hold double standards so i knew that if i was going to be the best possible role model for these youth, they would have to trust, admire, and connect with me.  I also knew that this would be completely impossible unless I practiced what preached and did not ask more from them than i was willing to do myself.  For this reason, i always say that the children have helped me far more than i have ever helped them.  There were many times, in fact, that i would start to confront them or address them on certain issues but would quickly put a foot in my mouth because I would realize...."wait a minute Kelli, you do that." then I would think to myself, if i don't want them to do these things, then maybe i shouldn't be doing them.  I would then attempt to make the changes, and if my life improved or it seemed to help my life in some way, then i wouldn't have to feel guilty about addressing them for these same things.  Another bonus to this method was i was able to explain to the youths that i used to do the same thing, how i tested the method and made changes, and give them specific examples of how my life had improved.  I feel that many kids respected me because i remained on their level, never asking more of them than i was willing to do myself.

With these small changes, and some introspection on my behalf, i soon realized that the more i focused on myself, the better i was able to become.  I feel like this was the main focus of all of my positive changes.  This is when i stopped blaming things on prior experiences, my past, or anything else outside of myself.  This was my key, introspection.  At first i thought i needed to focus on others problems in order to help them, but i soon realized the best way to help them was to first focus inward, down to every last detail of who i was, why i was the way i was, my thoughts, why i thought the way i thought, my feelings, why i have those feelings, my opinions, passions, desires, morals, character traits, and reasons for all of those traits.  The best way to explain it is i really had to think about thinking...i mean view things from my perspective, others perspectives, and from a third person perspective.

This meant that i not only had to think about and identify all these things about my life, who i was, my being, existence, and all the matter and energies surrounding me, but i also had to think about why i feel, think, and view things in the way that i do.  This involved a ton of thinking, thinking about thinking, and then thinking some more, then doing all of these thinkings all over again, from all the different perspectives.  Whew!!! 

Talk about an exciting journey.  My friends used to laugh, but i meant it when i said  that I have spent the last four years dating myself.  I think many of the problems between individuals, communication problems, and reasons for conflict and misunderstandings result from individuals being too concerned with others.. whether it be a concern for what others are doing, or dating or getting to know others, people are always spending their time concerned about others rather than focusing inwards first which would have the ability of creating much happier and healthier relationships and better understanding of everyone around you. 

Some people could call it conceitedness, self centered or anything else of the sorts, and i think that so many people attribute focusing on ourselves as being a negative and selfish thing, when in fact it is the best thing that can happen to a person and the people who associate with them.  Only when one focuses inwards are they then able to become centered and recognize how much we are all connected to and affect one another...not just one another, but every living piece of matter on this earth! 

During the four years of dating myself, i have grown to be a confident, optimistic, self actualized, caring, compassionate, patient, and understanding person, one who i am very proud of and would never settle for anything less than the best.  Although at times on my journey, it may have been a little lonely at times, it was well worth the effort because i have been able to become the "hero" in my own story, and better yet, i do not need anyone else to acknowledge that fact, nor do i need recognition from others because i know the amount of effort it took, and the courage and determination it took me to make the changes i have.  It was not an easy path, there were many parts of me that i had to face, my shadow side, and even parts of my past that i was less than proud of, but i knew that pretending they weren't there would not change things, so i took the bull by the horns, faced it head on, and was able to move on.  There was also many wonderful parts of myself that i had never acknowledged or noticed before which helped to build my self esteem. 

I can honestly say that i am 100% me, all true and authentic and of my own making at this point in my life.  All my thoughts, views, opinions, and theories are that of my own and i accept the fact that not everyone will agree with me; however, that is what makes us all unique right.  That was a main problem in my life, the thing that kept me from becoming self actualized/realized, because i accepted what others told me, the status quo, and followed others ways instead for following what was true and real inside of myself.  In order to find that part of me so that i was able to become authentic, i had to determine that every thought and view within me was of my own liking.  This meant i had to identify and evaluate everything i have ever known.  I had to decide if the things were conditioned in me from a young age, social norms, peer pressure, media influence, culture, or standards.  Once i was able to identify the source of my thoughts, views, theories, opinions,  then i had to educate, educate, educate myself on the topic, gaining the most amount of knowledge on the topic as possible from many different perspectives and sources, then i focused inward and followed my own heart so that i was able to find the "truth for me" on every topic i encountered.

Now its all comes second nature to me.  I love to learn, i will be a lifelong learner.  Every time i encounter a topic I'm not familiar with, i educate myself; however, i am more quickly able to come up with an opinion by trusting in my heart.  There is no longer a need for so much layers of introspection because i have already went in that deep and focused on my core, now i can trust in that core energy (love) and allow the layers of me to determine my direction.  Once one has focused inward and become the true and authentic self, they understand and accept others much better and more freely because they are able to realize the uniqueness in their own nature and relate it to the appreciation for others same uniqueness.  No longer is there anything to prove, and a feeling of peace and contentment accompanies your every though and action because you are aware that every behavior is and outward reaction to what lies within you...the power of love, and all your actions are through good intentions and hopes for all that surrounds you.  Your morals, ethics, character are 100% in check and everything you do, you do it with a clear conscious because you know it is based on good intentions and anyone who may question that fact doesn't bother you one bit because you have already proved it to your toughest critic......YOURSELF!!!!!!!


I hope that every person on this Earth, and beyond begins a journey inwards because the end result of ENLIGHTMENT is the most magical, blessed, and significant experience that one could ever experience.  In fact, all of your worries just sort of seem to melt away and you are no longer focused on the past, or what you'll do in the future(causes of most stress), instead you are living "in the moment" which makes everything so much more beautiful.  It is as if my senses are heightened, the colors are vivid, the air ever so refreshing, the grass between your toes feels like the most plush carpet, all the little creatures and earthly wonders are suddenly brought to the forefront, and it is as if you can talk to the elements of nature, the spirits of the dead, the you of your future, and feel completely embraced by the LOVE THAT SURROUNDS EVERYTHING that surrounds you.

Blessings for your journey!

Here is a link to my other blog that has many of the workings and writings that i did on my journey towards enlightment <3
http://lovemagicenlightment.blogspot.com/