The Lodestars | Catherine Viel

By Catherine Viel, January 18, 2023

(Golden Age of Gaia)

January 17, 2023

The child who threw away leaf after leaf of the many-
coated onion, to get to the sweet heart, found in the end
that he had thrown away the heart itself.
~Allen Upward, The Onion



Lately, I’ve been ruminating upon the possibility that not only has religion been presented to humanity through a dark veil of subterfuge, but so has “spirituality.“

It gives me no joy to believe that treasured, albeit imperfectly understood, spiritual precepts might be tainted with tarradiddle. For instance, I no longer think that reincarnation, karma, or soul contracts are quite the hallowed concepts I once believed.

The latest precept to crawl under my microscope is the one that admonishes us to excavate every corner of our psyches and drag up every nasty rat we find in that woodshed.

Childhood traumas? Barely remembered humiliations at school or work? Relationships that went south through our immature handling of them? Bring ‘em out and start grilling them. Only then, so the truism holds, can we be free of their poisonous influence.

*****



I remember one therapist I saw years ago, a wise woman with penetrating eyes and a wry and practical approach, who would shrug off my dismay when another aspect of some perceived past injury would surface. “But we’ve already talked this to death!“ I would exclaim.

“Just remember, delving into these issues is like peeling an onion,” she would respond. “There’s layers and layers before we reach the center.”

I’m beginning to wonder if there even is a center. I accept that there is value in acknowledging things that are bothering us now, and recognizing a root issue being triggered in the present. That seems little different from barking your shin on a table and recognizing that the impact caused a bruise—it’s just common sense.

But as far as diving in and excavating every crumb of that past trauma—again—is there truly great value in that? Is it imperative to keep peeling the onion until we reach its odiferous center?

*****



It’s often implied in spiritual circles that we’re obligated to clear and release whatever nastiness shows up in our realm, because otherwise, New Earth cannot bloom. There’s a subtle threat to this commonly held spiritual belief that inescapably reminds me of that chestnut of Catholic wisdom: “You’d better be good, or you won’t get into heaven.“

Many spiritual authorities expect us to dutifully do our shadow work whether the shadows emanate from our inner realms or lurch into our sphere from our “ancestral lineage” or the outer world. Such authorities frequently point to venerable clearing methods that involve lengthy, convoluted, and repetitive steps or rituals. Simply saying, oh, there you are again, you dratted old trauma, now buh-bye, is insufficient according to that viewpoint.

Doubtless, most who insist we must diligently and thoroughly clear the darkness are well meaning, high minded, spiritually advanced individuals. They believe that the world will never be truly free unless we each do our bit toward healing earthly traumas (whether we feel like doing so or not).

But, are they right? Are they correct in their assertion that clearing Earth of all darkness through our individual efforts is a necessary step that must occur to usher in New Earth?

*****



Inner guidance is always key. That’s one spiritual precept that I fully believe in. I don’t think any amount of evidence telling me otherwise would convince me to abandon it.

What does your heart say? What do you feel is right? What allows your body to relax with a sigh of relief when it occurs to you?

The body’s messages, the heart’s knowing, the intuition and Spirit connection, are the lodestars by which I wish to navigate. And others may navigate using their lodestars, which relieves me of any lurking desire to “set them straight.” They already are straight, according to their belief system.

I smile. Which is my body speaking, saying, yes, yes. This is true for you.