Wonderful Jasper shared an idea with me, about writing a personal catechism. I looked up the “Baltimore Catechism” that I remember memorizing parts of as I prepared for First Communion and Confirmation in the Catholic church when I was a child.
I thought I would enjoy taking a walk through many of these questions again, (whether at “half time” or “4th quarter” of life), and try to articulate what I honestly, actually believe now in words. I also thought I’d modify, add or delete questions as I follow my own process.
And of course you know I’m curious about your own personal catechism. I think we are all brave for just showing up, and trying to live with this beautiful mystery.
(The cartoons are from a Tarot inspired spiritual development project I made in graduate school)
LESSON FIRST
Who made the world?
I haven’t read any modern theories of physics, but I resonate with the gist that the first atom of the universe was not there, and then it instantaneously WAS there and has been exploding outward ever since. I have no idea why the universe came into being and if there was Intellegence involved or just random weirdness. As for other universes or planes of existence I don’t know if they exist, and if they do, how they came into being. The world/nature is an amazing design which is hard for me to imagine evolving without a Designer.
Who/what is God/dess, Divinity?
A Being or Value which some humans believe created and rules all the known and unknown world.
Who/what is God/dess, Divinity, to me?
I resonate to the idea of an eternal Collective (of which we are all a part) whose purpose is creativity, inquiry and play. Part of the inquiry and play may be to involve Itself in an act of Its own imagination, but in such a way as to not remember (for a time) that it is a game. The events that follow would be unpredictable, and interesting.
I also resonate with the kind/just Father, Son and Holy Spirit I grew up with and KuanYin/Mother Mary Goddess of Compassion. But each one as portraying general qualities of the Divine.
I also feel like we might be part of a being, who is part of infinitely smaller and larger beings. Like a cell who has an infinite body and resides in an infinite body and so on.
In general, I have no idea or certainty. But really hope IT will be revealed as ultimately more beautiful and complex and sweet than I could ever imagine now.
What are humans?
Humans are animals who evolved (whether through chance or plan). Our brains have evolved not only survival strategies but creativity, curiosity and spiritual longing. And we have opposable thumbs so we can make and build stuff.
Why did God/dess Divinity make humans?
There are two equally compelling ideas, and I don’t see how they could go together but somehow they do in my mind. I don’t have any idea if either/neither or both are true.
- With or without divine involvement, humans are the result of atmospheric and geological forces which took centuries upon centuries. With centuries upon centuries before we were even a candidate for any stand-out status, and probably centuries upon centuries after we are extinct.
AND 2. We agreed to participate in the divine game as described above. We are our own SIMS, in a temporal program.
Why was I made, specifically?
Again, these two equally compelling ideas come to mind, and seem to coexist.
1. With or without divine involvement, I am the product of my parents joining their DNA at a specific moment. A both natural and unique flowering and fruiting of the human family tree.
AND
- The eternal ME decided to play a temporal game in order to explore questions and ideas.
What must we do to save our souls?
I’m not sure how to articulate this question in a way that is meaningful to me. Maybe, What are the best standards of practice for being human? If this is a game We are playing, what would the most satisfying outcome of the game be for an individual human?
What are the best standards of practice for being human? If this is a game We are playing, what would be the most satisfying outcome of the game for an individual human?
(This answer is in progress and I am very interested in the answers others have formulated.)
How shall we know the things which we are to believe?
Observation. Asking wiser humans and/or being inspired by them. Reading sacred texts and listening to nature. Thinking and meditating on our ideas. Asking the “Divine Whatever” (Dawn’s name for IT) for guidance. Seeing how our beliefs do or don’t increase our ability to act justly and lovingly toward ourselves and others, and adjusting them as needed.
o, live 