On September 10, 2024, the Catholic pope Francis said, “All religions are pathways to reach God.” This turned a lot of heads, especially among the Catholic folks. How could he say such a thing if it is only through the Christians’ Jesus Christ that one can reach Heaven? Well, while all religions are certainly pathways of celebrating the Divine, the way to understand and experience “god” is through the heart. This is why we created EarthSpirit Interfaith Ministry. We open our hearts to our neighbor whom we celebrate the existence of the Divine with, universally and recognizing all paths. We incorporate teachings of all religions and take from them what is true to all. We don’t debate theologies and catechismal teachings as they are man-made tenets specific to each organized path. Instead, we focus on the principle of love, as Esoteric Christians state “God cannot love or be loved by anyone but rather is the love in everyone.”
So, here we are in the holiest month of the year, according to Druids of ancient Celtic cultures. And in order to convert more of the pagan worshipers to Catholicism, Pope Boniface IV moved the Catholic celebration of All Saints Day from May 13 to November 1. Therefore, the Eve of Hallows is the last night during which the pagans of the time could worship the departed in the way they have come to know. But of course we now know that many of the Christian holidays and celebrations are deeply rooted in pagan traditions. Since many of our current attendees of EarthSpirit Interfaith Ministry are practicing witches and scholars of pagan origins, we welcome these festivities. (It is important to note that we are an “interfaith” ministry, and we will celebrate the traditions and holidays of the religions and beliefs that our congregants wish to prioritize.)
And so not to forget our Asian brothers and sisters, during this same time of year many of them, particularly Hindus, celebrate Deepawali. It is the time in which we observe victory of light over darkness, good vs evil, and especially prosperity overcoming poverty and misfortune in the honoring of the goddess Lakshmi. This auspicious time of year accentuates the power of love itself as it envelopes all in its strong hold while banishing everything meant to tear us down into a state of despair. On Saturday, October 17, 1998, I took part in the most beautiful celebration of love I ever witnessed. It was the second night of Deepawali, and I was at the Siddha Yoga Meditation Center in Atlanta, Georgia. As we honored the guru Swami Chidvilasananda of Ganeshpuri, India, a procession of women dressed in saris lay roses at her feet while men waved arati trays in front of her, and we chanted the Narayana Stotram for more than an hour. The Kundalini energy that awakens during such an event was overwhelming, and it defined the power of love with its mere presence. This is the love which the poet saint Narada Muni described saying, “The nature of love cannot be defined, only experienced.” This is the love we share at EarthSpirit Interfaith Ministry with all who attend our events and services.
Whatever your belief is, even if you do not believe in a divine entity at all, our purpose is to love, to accept, without judgment, without reproval. All people are welcome here as long as there is love in your heart. While all rivers lead to the same ocean, the ocean does not belong to any one river. The same is true of the Divine, of god, of the Universal Intelligence, or whatever you refer to it as. Religion is merely a way of honoring That, yet That is equally present in all beings at all times. While this is what we believe as a ministry, we are not here to convert you or to tell you what you should believe. Everyone is welcome to participate in our events no matter which path you follow. We are about fellowship, we are about neighborly support, we are community. Not only that, we are also family. No one here is above or below another. No one is invisible. We are one in that which binds us – the fact that we are here.