Who is Pulling the Strings?

Were you raised into any religious tradition?

When you were younger, did you ever see a picture-book image of God as a wise old man with a beard looking down on you from up in heaven?

Have you gone further with your exploration? Perhaps you found that personifying God in this way stopped being meaningful for you? Or does the magical vision of artists such as William Blake (above) inspire you?

A couple of weeks ago I was with a friend who works at the church I am connected with. We went to buy some wood at Alsford Timber for a job I was working on. We got the ply cut and went to pay for the wood. While checking out my friend cheekily asked “Any chance of putting this on the church account?”

The guy smiled and I saw some sort of chord had chimed in him.

“Always ‘appy to give a discount to ‘im upstairs”

Him.

Upstairs.

Beautiful. And there was something wonderful about this man’s childhood experience that remained, and through which we all momentarily connected. It didn’t matter whether we agreed, or whether that story limited or opened things for us. He chatted fondly of his mother-in-law's church, and my intuition was that he had not explored his curiosity more deeply. Maybe he didn't need to. I was curious to have a longer conversation with him.

Are you held back by an old belief about life?

We have to start somewhere. A teacher, parent or elder can guide the young version of ourselves to be curious about how, and why, we are here. For centuries tribes have told stories about gods. If we are not offered stories about God or Creation at all, we can entertain the Universe without imagination. So much is denied us if it’s just all about us, running around, our heads spinning in the importance of our individualistic, material world.

What is your felt sense of the Divine? When do you come closest to this in your day?

Get curious. Read something that's been waiting for you. Commit to staying open in your search. Know that this is about your guts, heart and your head. Look at cosmology, neuroscience and progressive religious thinking. Ancient wisdoms, mature religion and our new quantum discoveries are beginning to dance to the same song.

Are you open to hear the call for your soul?

What would open for you if you could hear it?