There Doesn't Need To Be A God

When asked in an interview with The Onion whether God exists, Angelina Jolie responded "For the people who believe in it, I hope so. There doesn't need to be a God for me."

Standing in front of the magazine rack I was struck with an intense sense of simultaneous fear and freedom as the implication of Jolie's words sank in.  If there is no God, then we are truly in this together. All we have is each other. It's up to me to make this a better world.

Today is a new day of Spiritual Leadership.

Our world has gotten smaller and technology allows us the means to access and pursue any world religion that our heart calls us toward. There are no longer obscure mysteries requiring an ascetic life of disciplined, obedient servant-hood in order to ‘know' God. No one holds the key to unlock God's heart.  Today, Master Teachers and Gurus serve us for a moment, not a lifetime.

Today, we move from spiritual infancy to spiritual adulthood. We  no longer live a life in  service to a religion or religious leader, but we live life in service to our soul.

In the old world, religions and religious leaders told us that only those with ‘God's authority' can advise us how to worship, how to think and how to act in the world.

In the new world I, in singular relationship with God, have authority to worship, think and act in ways that elevate my soul and the soul of the World.

In the old world, religious zealots defined a ‘right way' to worship. They told us that the only way to be in favor with God; feel God's love or receive God's power was to follow their lead. And, if we strayed from that path God became angry with us and we exposed our tender souls to eternal damnation.

 In the new world I listen within and allow my deepest longings to guide me toward spiritual water.

In the old world, religious extremists told us that Truth is an absolute. Whether I ask the question in the 18^th century, the 19^th century or the 21^st century - no matter how much we have evolved, what we have experienced, felt, tasted, learned or touched --  Truth never changes.

In the new world, I find truth in the experiences carved into my heart by my own hand and the hands of those suffering and succeeding in my community, my nation and my world. Everything is sacred. My body, my sexuality, my womanhood, my love, my pain and my joy - it's all sacred and it is all evolving toward God.