The Universe Speaks to Each of Us

Somewhere once I read something about spirituality, particularly animistic practices, being location-based.  This old tree is made of the essence of something alive, that pile of stones is made of the bones and atoms of the Universe, the shower curtain, if you care to think of it in this way, is made of star dust. The energy, created by atoms swirling around each other, is different in the desert, in the forest, at the top of a mountain, down by the edge of the ocean, inside vs. outside.  The ‘characters’ one finds in each place may share some similarities, may be ‘the same’, may not be.

I was sort of worried that recently I’ve been anthropomorphizing Hekate (crossroads, liminal space, thresholds) and Tara (deep compassion) too much lately, given my stated non-belief in “deity”, but the naming itself is part of what gives boundaries & defines thresholds (yes, even around you, Hekate) and helps us understand our own traverse through space/location (physical, psyche, or otherwise) and experience.  One of the things we discussed during my undergraduate years was what is “Truth” — facts can be strung together to create untruths, and a piece of wholly fabricated, fantastical fiction can contain truths more elegantly expressed than anything “real”.  This is as true for spirituality as it is for more mundane matters.  The Universe speaks to each of us in our own way, and one of the things that I really like about my favorite peoples’ stated and practiced position is that they/we [hold space for] and [practice radical diversity from] and [acceptance of] one another (within defined ethical boundaries).

We all have our own personal practices and beliefs, that we all bring something unique to the table to share that the rest of us can learn from, enjoy vicariously if we can't/don't access The Universe, God/dess/es, Kami, Devas, Loas (and respectfully All The Rest) in the same ways our fellow travelers can/do is a powerful reminder that we are strengthened through our diversity. In building out strong groups of people, one looks to balance one's weakness (not quite the word I'm looking for) with others' complementary strengths – why should spiritual practice be any different?