What if the God you’ve been praying to wasn’t somewhere “out there,” but already alive within you? This reflection, inspired by Mary Magdalene’s lost Gospel and Jim Palmer’s insights, invites you to stop seeking a divine pen pal—and start remembering the divine presence you’ve always carried.
Dawn, the moment you noticed that inner voice, the cosmic confetti cannons went off. You don’t need to hustle your way to wholeness. There’s no race, no prize, no enlightenment gold star—just a sacred remembering of what’s been humming inside you all along. The system tried to gaslight God out of you. But here you are. Waking up anyway.
I hope it's not wrong to get a giggle out of a lot of your writings ("[...] isn't some metaphysical toddler floating around your spleen" X-D) I've seen here and in other Substacks! You're cool! :D
That being said...if the "image of God" we've been created in isn't some old bearded dude up on a cloud throne somewhere, but the light within each of us...er...do we really need organized religion /at all/? :-/
I read only the “free” part of Jim Palmer’s article, so I don’t know how he synthesized the points he made. Fr. Richard Rohr often invokes “panentheism”—he doesn’t bring an artificial division between humankind and the rest of creation. This is much broader than “interindividualism.”
Some “new age” and “non religious” authors also invoke a creation theory wherein all creation is “one”, and creation represents the infinite aspects of God wherein God experiences “Themselves”. These “expressions” may involve a degree of separation from one another. Many of these authors have determined that the easiest way to “heal” infirmities, relationships and “lack” is to try to determine the events or circumstances which engendered division and “release” or “fully integrate” the events or circumstances. Some Christian mystics might agree.
Deciding whether humankind is “the crown of creation” (with the hubris of some considering certain adult males the diadem on the crown) or just one of an infinite number of possible creations is not useful for living life in a particular time, place and set of conditions—a group must be able to separate themselves enough from the world to contemplate this.
Thank you for your thoughtful reflections, Michael. Your words open a beautiful inquiry, especially around healing, embodiment, and what it means to be human.
In the Gospel of Mary, healing doesn’t come from hierarchy, purity codes, or transcending matter. It begins when the soul turns inward and reorients toward the Good. The Savior tells the disciples not to chase an external redeemer but to become contented and agreeable in the presence of that other Image of nature, the one already within them. He points them to the Child of True Humanity that exists beneath all their divided selves
You mentioned humanity as the crown of creation. Virgin Monk Boy might suggest we’re not the crown, but perhaps the cracked vessel through which the light can pour. What sets us apart isn’t dominion, but the astonishing capacity to seek the Child of True Humanity, what some call Buddha nature, or what Fr. Richard Rohr often describes as the True Self. That indwelling spark, unearned and indestructible, is not just inside us but is us at the deepest level. It’s the part of us that has never been separate from God.
Rohr also reminds us that the path isn’t to get rid of the false self by force, but to lovingly dis-identify from it, to recognize it as the costume we wear in the play, not the actor beneath. Similarly, the Gospel of Mary shows the soul journeying upward by shedding “powers,” not as punishment, but through discernment. The soul names what is not true, and in doing so, becomes free.
And when it comes to healing, Virgin Monk Boy recommends a practice borrowed from tonglen. Pray not only for your own healing, but for all who share your affliction. Breathe in their pain, and breathe out the blessing you wish for them. This sacred exchange dissolves isolation and reminds us that grace is something we pass along, not something we hoard.
My comment on humankind being the crown of creation (besides being a lyric) was aimed at Jim Palmer’s hierarchy of creation (in the part I read.) Spiritually-informed science has revealed the intricate connections within groups of plants, molds and slime, insects, birds, arthropods and mammals living in colonies. Humanity could learn from other forms of creation if they refrain from trying to anthromorphize.
The part I was trained not to trust.... that's why it's not so easy to remember, but it's happening, slowly. Thank you.
Dawn, the moment you noticed that inner voice, the cosmic confetti cannons went off. You don’t need to hustle your way to wholeness. There’s no race, no prize, no enlightenment gold star—just a sacred remembering of what’s been humming inside you all along. The system tried to gaslight God out of you. But here you are. Waking up anyway.
Best alarm clock ever
Thank you!
Thank you for helping me to remember who I am. 🙏
Beautiful ✨🙏💜🏵️💫
This sounds very like the Quaker experience connecting to “that of God in all of us”.
May we all be held in the light. :)
Namaste, Medea! :)
I hope it's not wrong to get a giggle out of a lot of your writings ("[...] isn't some metaphysical toddler floating around your spleen" X-D) I've seen here and in other Substacks! You're cool! :D
That being said...if the "image of God" we've been created in isn't some old bearded dude up on a cloud throne somewhere, but the light within each of us...er...do we really need organized religion /at all/? :-/
Perfect...!!
Many must have experienced it in somewhat the same way, because it's not in seeking but in feeling and that's why its everywhere in the now...
Thank you for writing this 🙏🙏
I’m learning. Thank you for the instruction and inspiration.
I read only the “free” part of Jim Palmer’s article, so I don’t know how he synthesized the points he made. Fr. Richard Rohr often invokes “panentheism”—he doesn’t bring an artificial division between humankind and the rest of creation. This is much broader than “interindividualism.”
Some “new age” and “non religious” authors also invoke a creation theory wherein all creation is “one”, and creation represents the infinite aspects of God wherein God experiences “Themselves”. These “expressions” may involve a degree of separation from one another. Many of these authors have determined that the easiest way to “heal” infirmities, relationships and “lack” is to try to determine the events or circumstances which engendered division and “release” or “fully integrate” the events or circumstances. Some Christian mystics might agree.
Deciding whether humankind is “the crown of creation” (with the hubris of some considering certain adult males the diadem on the crown) or just one of an infinite number of possible creations is not useful for living life in a particular time, place and set of conditions—a group must be able to separate themselves enough from the world to contemplate this.
Thank you for your thoughtful reflections, Michael. Your words open a beautiful inquiry, especially around healing, embodiment, and what it means to be human.
In the Gospel of Mary, healing doesn’t come from hierarchy, purity codes, or transcending matter. It begins when the soul turns inward and reorients toward the Good. The Savior tells the disciples not to chase an external redeemer but to become contented and agreeable in the presence of that other Image of nature, the one already within them. He points them to the Child of True Humanity that exists beneath all their divided selves
You mentioned humanity as the crown of creation. Virgin Monk Boy might suggest we’re not the crown, but perhaps the cracked vessel through which the light can pour. What sets us apart isn’t dominion, but the astonishing capacity to seek the Child of True Humanity, what some call Buddha nature, or what Fr. Richard Rohr often describes as the True Self. That indwelling spark, unearned and indestructible, is not just inside us but is us at the deepest level. It’s the part of us that has never been separate from God.
Rohr also reminds us that the path isn’t to get rid of the false self by force, but to lovingly dis-identify from it, to recognize it as the costume we wear in the play, not the actor beneath. Similarly, the Gospel of Mary shows the soul journeying upward by shedding “powers,” not as punishment, but through discernment. The soul names what is not true, and in doing so, becomes free.
And when it comes to healing, Virgin Monk Boy recommends a practice borrowed from tonglen. Pray not only for your own healing, but for all who share your affliction. Breathe in their pain, and breathe out the blessing you wish for them. This sacred exchange dissolves isolation and reminds us that grace is something we pass along, not something we hoard.
Grateful to walk this spiral with you.
My comment on humankind being the crown of creation (besides being a lyric) was aimed at Jim Palmer’s hierarchy of creation (in the part I read.) Spiritually-informed science has revealed the intricate connections within groups of plants, molds and slime, insects, birds, arthropods and mammals living in colonies. Humanity could learn from other forms of creation if they refrain from trying to anthromorphize.
Thank you for the encouragement.
This is so Beautiful 🥰💕 Thank you 🕊️💫🙏🇨🇦
Yes! Love this. 🙌🏻❤️🔥
Thanks for your magnificent article — theology at its finest! The painting at the beginning is absolutely beautiful too. ❤️