Sacred Sunday: Divinity in Duality
The importance of possessing and identifying your faith.
The first blog post is here! I can't express how excited I am to start this journey with you all. Since deciding to start this blog, my mind has been overwhelmed with ideas and resources to share. I cannot wait to see how this community grows along with us!
DEFINING DIVINE
It is vital to lay a foundation surrounding faith and having a belief system because sometimes, that is all you will have to pull yourself through your most challenging days. The word divine is not intended to be used strictly religiously or spiritually but also to emphasize the power behind our faith and how we can discover that power within ourselves.
divine
Furthermore, divinity will be discussed in duality because the power of the divine can be explained through religious and spiritual references, as they often intertwine. Spirituality is naturally ingrained in us as humans; we see this through our curiosity to answer prominent questions about death, the afterlife, and the origins of our beginnings.
WHY FAITH?
It’s helpful to focus on strengthening your faith and identifying your personal belief systems as a first step because divine power lies within you, located in your intuition, desires, words, thoughts, and actions. You can control your life’s journey, and the key to upgrading it is in the set of values, doctrines, and principles you place your faith in.
faith
There’s always work that can be done and actions to take, but the most important thing to remember is that if all you have to depend on is yourself, you want the best mental and emotional foundation to work with. Sometimes, the work needed is internal and can only be achieved by you. Faith in yourself is the first step to achieving a more significant life.
In my experience, I held myself back for a long time. I struggled with victimization, wallowing in self-pity and believing that struggle and sadness were all I was capable of experiencing in life. It was hard to envision my future because I didn’t think I would live to see it. My disbelief hindered me from establishing healthy habits, adhering to my medication regimen, and communicating vulnerably in therapy. I was wasting my time “trying” to change a situation I already deemed unchangeable.
RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND
My faith now isn’t religious per se but is rooted in my upbringing. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of wearing a cute little plaid uniform while attending Kindergarten at Saint Bernadette’s Catholic School in Silver Spring, Maryland.
We moved to South Carolina once my mother married, and there, we started exploring different churches and denominations to see what felt comfortable. Eventually, we landed at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, which I found very welcoming.
I never felt like my mother was forcing me to be religious or to believe in her religious faith unquestionably. Instead, she exposed me to knowledge and experiences to develop better discernment. But by the time I turned 18, it was clear that I would not be a consistent church attendee. I’ve always imagined God and his favor led by love, acceptance, and forgiveness. I’ve naturally rejected any acts of judgment, hatred, or discrimination towards people who don't deserve it, and I don't believe in forcefully imposing opinions on others. The ability to make space for and validate multiple perspectives is a strength. The world would be better and safer if society accepted and created more space for that.
I attempted to return to church many times out of curiosity, sometimes with friends, other times solo. It never became consistent, though, and I remember feeling shame because it felt like I wasn’t “following the rules,” like I was doing God and myself a disservice. I realized I had to release the self-critiques and constructs I unknowingly picked up. Faith is personal; to feel comfortable within a belief system, I first had to recognize what faith systems my values aligned with. Instead of looking externally for my beliefs, I decided to dive deeper within myself.
How did you find your faith?
My first step in finding, healing, and strengthening my faith was building belief in myself and my future. Initially, I pretended I believed what I was doing until the words became standard to hear. Not in a toxic-positivity way, but more like fake it til you make it. It took me some time to understand it, but I realized that changing my mindset and self-talk had a ripple effect on my behavior and beliefs.
These are some techniques I used to rewire my subconscious thoughts:
Repeating positive affirmations in the mirror during my morning and nightly routines
Try listening to this podcast episode of positive affirmations!
Or download these apps for daily inspirational and motivational quotes
Actively redirecting negative words/phrases I’m thinking or saying into positive ones.
Negative Thought: “I always mess things up; I can’t get anything right.”
Positive Redirection: “Everyone makes mistakes, and that’s how we learn and improve. I’ll make adjustments and approach this differently next time.”
Reading
Changing the media I interact with
Ex) listening to music with positive, upbeat vibes and self-development podcasts, avoiding the news, and unfollowing people and pages on social media that I don’t like or are constantly filled with unnecessary drama, etc.
Meditation, praying, and visualization
Practicing gratitude daily
Try writing three things that you’re grateful for right as you wake up and right before you go to sleep
Following through with commitments I make and talk about to build self-confidence.
Investing in my physical health
medication/supplements
balanced diet
physical activity
stretching
skincare routines
Shadow work/Introspection
These methods do not provide an instant fix. Can you give yourself the proper time to develop your desired results? Because a lack of consistency in practice will result in a lack of consistency in progress. Choose to have the patience to see it through.
I found my faith by following techniques like those daily, aligning my routines and habits with my life values, and conducting personal research. As I progressed, I started exploring different religions because some of my intrinsic beliefs didn't fully align with Christian values. One of those beliefs is reincarnation.
Reincarnation is the philosophical or religious concept that the soul of a living being is reborn into a new and different life after a physical death. Usually, about what you might call Christ Consciousness, Enlightenment, Nirvana, or Self-Realization, all similarly achieved through embodying life in a vitalized “higher” state and leading with love to experience one’s divinity.
Many religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, pagan and indigenous religions, and ancient Greek and Egyptian beliefs, have this central tenet. I believe in many things because I see how interconnected everything is. There are many similarities between different religions, and it has only led me to further believe in the doctrine that we are one. One with God, the universe, and each other. Whether or not we have the same beliefs, we come from the same creator.
Eventually, my research introduced me to various spiritual practices I now perform and study almost daily:
Tarot readings
Smudging: cleaning my space with sage, palo santo, and cinnamon sticks
Using crystals
Studying astrology
Balancing my chakras
I was naturally drawn to these practices as I found them comforting. I’m aware that some believe practices like these to be “witchcraft” and “silly,” but I do not consider myself a witch, nor do I find these practices “dark” in meaning. I implore you to keep an open mind to the natural gifts we are given in this world: our intuition and the ability to manipulate and read energy are among these gifts.
Watch Here: Hilary Burton from One Tree Hill explains appreciation for religion and spirituality.
When you find yourself in a difficult situation and feel completely lost, believing that God is on your side and that the universe is in your favor can be the one thing that keeps you going until you can take the next step and do the next best thing. It’s all about what you choose to make out your bad situation.
Each of you was given a life on this planet for a reason, and may you be blessed enough to find your purpose along the way. I believe in energy and karma; what you put out is what you attract. I’ve proven to myself the power of our minds, and it’s the reason why I emphasize the importance of learning to align your thoughts and actions with what you want to attract. I believe that power is divine, and therefore, so are we.