In the Name of the Lord
Religions are a toolkit, used to move a story into the future, far beyond the lifespan of one person.
They do this by making us wonder, “What’s so great about that one story?” similar to the way monuments make us wonder “What the heck is that big old thing for?” That’s why we say they “stand the test of time”. This is how things became “fact” before there was internet, and before “experts agree” assertions. Each individual was a witness. Now, like me, you may think you have a visceral understanding of the way information is peddled. I once fell on the side of anti-religion but its become clear to me that religions are actually not the problem. In fact, when you get down to the root of it, any connection with Spirit is a noble one. Its sacrifice of one’s own existence to perpetuate the story of something much greater than any individual soul could hope to be or ever become.
Before computers and even before books, humans were the only storage for memories. Only the greatest of all stories would spark the excitement to be told for generations. This is still true, we just have so many stories, that they are diluted, and nothing but sin is remaining. We remember the Greats and we remember the Terrible. Whatever story it is that gets our blood pumping is the one we tell our children so that they can remember. It is a way for the soul to continue to live on after the mortal death. To leave a legacy is to become greater than one lifetime, for you will be spoken of by family and friends long after you are gone in the physical realm.
Think of it as a soul embodiment… the soul is actually carried by a human. If the human chooses to act in the name of the Lord (whomever that may be) the human doesn’t act alone. They embody that Being that has been passed down from generation to generation, told in nearly the same way. It is to say, “I do not act alone in this moment, I am accompanied by a Soul that has clout”. I’m only saying it that way because that’s what the Modern Human values. Really it should be something like “I carry with me the presence of a soul that has performed miracles and heals people with spoken word”, but we don’t care about those things anymore. We worship people that figured out how to collect a pile of cash and give them empty praises about their aesthetic or brand. (I just had to throw in one rant… bad Hermes). People trust Old Wisdom or they don’t, and even the skepticism is a manifestation of an Old Wise Soul that has learned not to trust fellow humans.
I think that somewhere in history, all of these religions diverged from one. I know I am not alone in this mindset. In fact, I think a lot of us intuitively feel that way, but the whole point of religion is to do the right thing to steer this Soul through eternity. Think of it like an off-ramp from a highway or a traffic circle of the Labyrinth. Humans have varied ways of explaining things, with different languages and cultures, so a single origin story, passed down for centuries is subject to change. So this iteration of life (yes, i’m talking about the one reading this…aka you) could choose whichever path to continue on forever, while also taking the risk of not selecting the one that is the last one standing.
I had this epiphany when my mom and I were talking about her faith. She is a devout Catholic that self identifies as Jesuit. We haven’t really gotten into the full extent of what that means, but I’m learning a lot more from how it makes her soul light up. She has memorized the stories of the disciples, the saints and the apostles to memorialize Christ. I know no person that embodies the spirit of Christ to the degree of my mother. In fact, its overwhelming the amount of love she provides to this world that doesn’t seem to deserve someone so pure as her. She speaks of Jesus like normies gossip about celebrity bullshit, and like I speak about the stars. I know we are connected in this quest for Truth. My Mother (yep… her name is Mary) has chosen the path of Catholicism to preserve what she has learned in this life. Its really a commitment and a beautiful one and she has really led me to consider taking a spot in Heaven with her to ensure she gets what she deserves from all of her suffering.
But I am a child of Mercury, and I am still just as enthralled by the journey of the story itself. I am not ready to choose one path to soul ascension. For me, the trick is to be able to loop in as many archetypes into a single soul story in order to preserve the actual meanings as much as possible. There’s a lot of symbolism to take apart in the ancient tellings. But it’s also important to understand that the miracles are what make the stories so great. Nobody would talk about Jesus or Mohammed if they hadn’t done something so incredible, and beyond-belief. We may not be remembered individually, but if we act in the name of a soul that people know, we become a part of that Soul’s Journey. We have to be dazzled in order for us to want to take part in the remembering. We go looking for that feeling in life of being awe-struck, and that is why people have always turned to religion. To hear those stories and to believe in them so deeply that they are reignited with passion to make it through all the trials and tribulations of life. Those stories will be retold for centuries to come.
Amen. A’ho. So it is.
