I will try to keep these posts to about 500 words.

Here is the quote:

July 8 — Finding God and finding Self are the same thing. Ultimately, yoga practice is about recognizing the union of Self and Divinity. Sit quietly this morning. As you inhale, invite the word “Divinity” within. With each exhalation, share your Self with the world. Practice this for ten minutes, and live it the rest of your day.”

Attending to this quote in a way other than declaring it as blasphemy is so going to get me in trouble with the devoutly religious.

I made a commitment to my Self to do this challenge and this is the quote which turned up. I could say God chose it for me, but that might get me into trouble. I could say Fate chose it but that would be calling God by another name.

Ech. My blog. My rules.

Ok: I get what she’s saying here, so well. Christianity (and other religions) impose that God is separate from us and we are separate from God. Yet we are also told that Jesus is in our hearts. But as a Catholic, I have seldom experienced an OK moment when I could refer to Jesus on a first-name basis.

I’m drifting…

I happen to be really OK with having God in my heart. I happen to love the concept. It makes me feel so safe inside. Breathe it in: DIVINITY. That’s good!

I will admit that sometimes I do a really crappy job of honoring God, honoring that Divinity inside me. Sometimes I yell. Sometimes I’m impatient and cruel. Sometimes I boast and exclude or shame.

Sometimes I rationalize to the point of guilt for excluding and I end up harming myself by choosing people around me who don’t have my best interests at heart. When we honor Divinity inside us, we can’t make any bad choices, it becomes quite clear: is what I’m choosing good for my slice of Divinity?

I believe what Lasater is going after here is to allow yourself the gift of Being a Product of Divinity: perfect as you are; love as you are loved; believe that it was an act of Divine Love (not your parents getting it on) that created you; that you are made of the same cosmic energy which lights the sun and Polaris and the Eagle Nebula — that you are ALL of that and that is so fantastic, so wonderful and SO COMPLETELY AMAZING that it’s all you need to know. Did you know that the same element, iron, which can destroy a super nova, is the same element that is in you? and when that super nova is destroyed, it creates carbon and platinum and gold and all the foundational elements in things we see around us — including us — that all those things are made of stardust? That you are made of stardust? That you are made of stars?

Take a bow.

And it’s all you need to know to be kinder to others. We can not give what we do not have. But once we realize what we are made of: cosmic dust, energy, light, love, photons and atoms and cells and all that amazing stuff… then it’s IMPOSSIBLE to not recognize it in others, the rest of the day.

Maybe the rest of the week. Or the month or the year!

You are made of the same stuff as Polaris!

If we believed this, with all our hearts, all the time: I can’t help but be optimistic and propose that there would be no more addiction, sadness, depression, self-injury and -pain. We would transcend all that “mortal” stuff because we would recognize that we are more than carbon-based: we are made of stars.

It’s lofty. Supremely lofty, to think this way.

One might even say arrogant or blasphemy, to think this way.

If thinking this way makes you feel so radiant, so good inside that you have a hard time suppressing it, that you want to share it and feel the same way about your neighbor or your checkout clerk or your boss, that you allow these people to be made as flawlessly as you are made … how can that possibly be wrong?? That the same Divine energy, God, made you also made Polaris, how is that wrong? You’re not sinning when you are expressing that, right??

You can feel this way about others and not have to take care of them or be their silent partner too y’know. All you have to do is extend light and love … no commitment. No personal sponsorship, just feel love and you’re done. You can keep going on to the next person…

Everyone will think you’re on quaaludes. That’s ok. You’re just feeling good and that scares people. Sometimes if people don’t have something to complain about they feel lost. Let them feel lost; love them anyway. Move on…

You are made of stars.

Thank you.