I was thinking about how we got so far away from God, from Spirit, from our connection with Nature.  In ancient days, people reportedly could actually hear and see a physical presence of the Creator or Spirit as, today, we see each other.  What happened to those capabilities?

All wisdom traditions have a creation story where the original Earth beings had direct communication with their Creator.  Most indigenous cultures had personal contact with their spiritual ancestors who protected and guided them.

We can see reasons for the current disconnect in our known history.  I remember the film “Daughters of the Dust,” about a community in coastal South Carolina where the descendants of former West African slaves continued to practice the Yoruba traditions of their ancestors.  I felt sad after watching it.  I understood why the young people left the island.  They wanted to be modern.  They wanted to have more, to be more.  They didn’t want to live the same life over and over.  Ultimately, those indigenous ways went the way of the wind.

Each generation that relinquishes ancestral teachings contributes to the dilution or extinction of that knowledge and connection with the earth and spirit and life itself.

The history of all religions shows how much they have changed from the original precepts.  In each wisdom tradition, there was one person who claimed Divine Inspiration and developed an ideology and practice guidelines that attracted a broad-based following.  Today, these original teachings are followed by only a few.  Truthfully, many can’t be and shouldn’t be followed literally, given the differences in today’s social, economic, and political life from that which existing millennia ago.

For example, certain religions were developed when persistent conflict and subjugation were normal and constant facts of life.  The known world was at war for centuries at a time.  (Not as the United States has been at war.  Think of the current situations in Iraq and Syria and imagine living in the midst of overwhelming and daily violence and destruction for generations.)  The tenets of religions emerged during those perilous times.  Nations were either on the offensive, planning to be at war at all times to expand their territory, resources, power and influence, or they were on the defensive, trying fruitlessly to avoid becoming slaves or otherwise subjugated.  As a result, there was continuous integration of religions, gods, idols, and practices.

As societies changed, as the world changed, as new cultures originated or were discovered, worship changed and adapted.  That facilitated the development of sects and numerous denominations in major religions.  Jesus was a Jew.  His followers were not called Christians until centuries after his death.  Islam incorporates both Judaism and Christianity.  Religions were brought to different regions and people said “This is too hard to follow;” or “That goes against our teachings and our way of life.  We’re willing to follow it, but not 100%.  We’ll adapt it to our lifestyle and our ways.”

Over time, some original teachings became dormant or disappeared entirely.  I think this is one way in which we have gotten further and further away from Spirit, from fully realizing that we are spiritual beings.  As well, we started following the messenger, prophet, or messiah.  We became enamored with the personality instead of the message.  We worship the person, the teacher, instead of adhering to the teachings.

In “The Infinite Way,” Joel Goldsmith writes:

“Always there have appeared men bearing the divine message of the presence of God. . . These and many others brought the light of Truth to men, and always men have interpreted this Light as the messenger, failing to see that what they were beholding as a man “out there” was the light of Truth within their own consciousness.  In seeking good through Jesus, men failed to find the omnipresent [Spirit] in their own consciousness.  In every case, the messenger appearing to man is the advent of the [Spirit] in individual consciousness.”

The New Testament of the Bible is mostly comprised of writings from Paul who personally never met Jesus and was likely born after Jesus’ crucifixion.  Paul received his vision of the resurrected Christ 30 years after Jesus’ death.  Yet, Christians hold Paul’s teachings as the word of Jesus and, therefore, the word of God.

The manuscripts attributed to what Jesus actually said are not widely read by the mainstream public.  In these, Jesus repeatedly taught his followers to “know thyself.”  Gnostic devotees of Jesus believed that God was both male and female.  Their writings of Jesus’ teachings state that the divine is present within humans and that the way to salvation is through self-knowledge.

I believe that we need to discover our own Divine Inspiration and use original and diluted teachings as guides to the development of an illumined consciousness.  To the extent possible, we must use available sources and transformative practices to regain our connection to Mother Earth and the wisdom that She offers.  We need to access the spiritual presence and guidance of our ancestors.  We need to rediscover our spiritual values and regain the spiritual life that can greatly contribute to stability, joy, and peace for many generations.