God and Me, a Guest Post by Lisa W.

Lisa was the first to take up my invitation to discuss how her perception of God has changed. It only makes sense that, if you’re interested in deeper perception, every opening up to other people and yourself will also be accompanied by a shift in how you relate to the Source of us all.

Lisa is a lawyer in Texas. You might not expect her to share the following story, but here’s one thing I have learned about all our Blog-Buddies: We’re as diverse as can be. What brings us to this community is a search for more truth. Here is a summary of Lisa’s. 

Has your perception of God changed over the years?  For a great many of the readers of this blog, I bet that it has.  My perception of God has changed incredibly over the years.

I was brought up as a Catholic in a small town in the Baptist/Bible Belt.  As a child, I attended a Catholic elementary school.  I dutifully memorized the questions and answers from the Baltimore Catechism, which “taught” me all about God. 

I still remember some of them:  Who made you?  God made me.  Why did God make you?  God made me to know, love and serve Him in this world and the next.  And so on.  There were questions and answers that covered all of life’s issues and challenges.  All you had to do was read and memorize the teachings and you were ready for life.  Ha.

When I was a kid, one night while I was praying, I “knew” there really was a God, it wasn’t just an intellectual exercise; I knew, felt, perceived the Divine  Being.  Wow, what a difference that made.  How wonderful to realize there really was a God.

Of course, my God then was a “He” who lived in Heaven—you know, the old man with the white beard.  And Jesus was His only Son.   And to me then, the Holy Spirit was like an uncle (because he was included in the sign of the cross, but was last).  Since I was not male, this made me feel excluded.

I searched for years for a greater spiritual understanding.  Unfortunately, I mainly stuck to Catholic books and writings and didn’t veer too far out.  Remember, I had been indoctrinated. 

I kept looking, reading and praying. 

Finally, I cast a wider net.  I learned about Sophia, Wisdom, Shekina, the feminine aspect of God.  I read books  about the mind/body/spirit connection.    I learned the Aramaic version of Jesus’ teachings from Neil Douglas Klotz. I read Catherine Ponder’s books and learned a whole new way to pray.  I studied the Gnostic  Gospels , the Course in Miracles, and so much more:  chakras,  dream work, plant spirit medicine, soul retrieval, animal spirits.  My perception of God changed dramatically.

At some point, I began to understand God not to be judgmental and exacting, but much more accessible and loving.  God was no longer male, but embraced the best of masculine and feminine.   

While I was learning all these new things, I was practicing what I learned:  I looked for synchronicities, symbols,  and mind/body/spirit connections in my life.  I prayed and learned to listen.

I read Brian Weiss, Roger Woolger (CD set “Eternal Return” made a deep impression), Edgar Cayce, and everything I could find on reincarnation.  Now God is no longer personified, but All That Is, Omnipresent, all–encompassing.

Michael Newton’s work is my most recent reading on reincarnation. His work on life between lives is fascinating and expansive.  And light years from the Baltimore Catechism.

My perception of God couldn’t have changed  much more than it has.  To go from the old man with the white beard who loves you so much he sent his ONLY SON to die for you so you better appreciate it and do good every minute of your life–to the Divine, the Creator, who set things in motion and works through  others to experience life and learn—is quite a journey.

My perception of God will transform as I continue to grow and learn more.  What has your journey been like?