What Do Anita Moorjani, My Near Death Experience, Butterflies and Coming Full Circle Have In Common With Leaving The Mormon Church? (This title sounds like it should have a punchline :P HAHA.)

I have come full circle.

A month or so ago, I went to a conference with Wayne Dyer. He said life is either love or fear.

I think I have lived in fear for SO long.

In the Mormon Church it seems we fear everything.

We’re terrified!

Especially as women in the Ordain women movement, in or out.

 I experienced that fear first hand in a women’s class when the Stake President (A man in charge) sat in the Women’s class at church about the Priesthood (Which he never has done.) Women were tripping all over themselves making comments to make sure that he KNEW they weren’t like me. Especially when they were staring at me as they said their comments that at times seemed pointedly directed at ME.

We in the church fear EVERYTHING. We fear change, we fear God, (Even though we talk about his love) we even fear hemlines. I have seen the slight indiscriminate snotty stare any woman gets for having a hemline just a little too high. Or a little too low.

Heaven forbid they wear a tank top! WOW! (Ok now I’m rolling my eyes, but I have seen it!)

In this conference I went to, Wayne Dyer talked about people being afraid and fearful, and because of this, not realizing their potential. But LOVE… love changes everything! It opens us up! Fear closes us off. Love opens us up to anything.

At that conference love is what a woman named Anita Moorjani spoke of when she had her near death experience. Unconditional love is such a clumsy word for this world to try to explain a near death experience, but that’s as close to heaven as we get here. (If you are curious about my near death experience at 16 years old  it is here: http://songsofaletheia.blogspot.com/2013/03/strangulation-then-peace.html )

I bought Anita’s audio book and as I was coming home from the conference I listened to it. (I highly, HIGHLY recommend it- it blew my mind. Seriously. And I loved hearing her voice…there’s a peace in her voice I love)  http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Dying-to-Be-Me-Audiobook/B007VQ15LE?bp_ua=yes&mkwid=3SEtwpsL&pmt=b&pkw=_inurl:/pd/&source_code=GO1GB909GSH102413&gclid=CjgKEAjwuMmdBRDljdfi2_qQpxkSJADDCRws5hCyj92G_NWm0g_-Md5p_W5Kbe2awvorEqWQ0vx5ZfD_BwE

The thing that REALLY struck me was that her father was Hindu and had tried to force her into an arranged marriage. She ran away.

When she died she met her father (He had passed before her) and all of that didn’t matter. Religion didn’t matter; societal training and cultural beliefs didn’t matter.

All that mattered was LOVE. This amazing, bigger than life, bigger than all of us unconditional LOVE.

I KNOW this love.

Before she left heaven her father and best friend (Who had died months earlier) told her to go back and live life fearlessly. I think that’s beautiful.

The biggest thing she said she learned in heaven was that everyone has their own truth, and that you should never let anyone take that from you.

It’s funny she said that, because that has always been my philosophy. I wonder if that is because of my near death experience that I feel that way.

  

(There’s more she said that actually answered a very BIG question that I have had for years, but I’ll save that for another day.)

  

(Another couple of good books are “Proof Of Heaven” by a man who was an atheist who had bacterial meningitis of the brain- his brain was literally dead…and he came back believing in heaven… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSb3G53HsA  you can hear his story on YouTube- and listen to the 5 hour book read also on YouTube, http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=embraced+by+the+light&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=30368813935&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8995284591167518618&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_g0txhimqr_b)

"Embraced By The Light” is another good one. http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=embraced+by+the+light&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=30368813935&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8995284591167518618&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_g0txhimqr_b) 

I was talking to a neighbor today who is Mormon and goes to my church and he asked me where I have been.. (I haven’t been to church in a month or so)I told him that I’m done going to a church where men in little rooms judge unrighteously. That the only judgement that I need is Gods, who really knows me.  He kept asking about Joe my husband, as if somehow our marriage must be in trouble when in fact, Joe honestly just doesn't like to deal with people and just doesn't want to go.. The truth is, there has been more peace in the house since we stopped going…this last year has been torture at church because of the behavior of the incredibly controlling Bishop. (My experience with that and what he did to try to control me is here::http://songsofaletheia.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-road-less-traveledmy-nightmare-of.html )  And the ridiculous things said by members, that would be here: http://songsofaletheia.blogspot.com/2014_06_01_archive.html  not to mention the gossip.

I kept telling that neighbor “I’m ok”, but he just didn’t get it. I felt the need to reassure him, I don’t know why other than I feel better than I ever have in my life, I fel free, FINALLY!  He told me to stop saying I’m ok, but I think in the end I said it more just because he told me not to:P

 I don’t know that he is so worried for my immortal soul that he just can’t help himself, but I don’t need him to understand. People need to look after their own souls, God knows me MUCH better than they do.

I know the nature of God. I don’t need someone who hasn’t had a near death experience or get it to explain Gods love to me. I know the churches doctrines, I’ve feel I've dug deeper in my study than most members seem to and I know what my truth is. Nothing else matters.

I feel that there is good reason this is the church of my abusive father (No wonder he chose the LDS church, its abusive practices towards women must have appealed to him)

I believe organized religion is men’s excuse to play God. I believe that God is ready to give us so much, but that we are the ones who aren’t ready.

Less than a week ago I was in a training meeting.That very morning  I had been in the shower at my best friend’s house from high school…I had jumped out of the shower, thrown my bathrobe on, ran out to the front room where Jennie was sitting and said “I want a butterfly tattoo!” I went to the space where I was being trained that week. I saw the receptionist, and on her arm, was a butterfly tattoo! (I call her butterfly Sam :)) I went out into the lobby after class, and suddenly saw I saw a butterfly that was flying around this 2nd story building inside the very room I was in. Here I was at my training watching a BUTTERFLY..

I look at butterflies as a sign of freedom, of rebirth…I have always seen butterflies when I’ve been bothered by something, it’s always felt like a sign of God’s love…and God knows what a free spirit I am.

I was frustrated talking to this neighbor today…he’s a nice enough man but he has his truth and I have mine: That SHOULD be ok. It was just annoying that I felt he was trying to correct me, shaking his head no at me as if I am wrong when I KNOW what my truth is and I don’t need to be corrected. I don’t need to be talked to like a child as if I don’t get it.  As I was talking to that neighbor telling him how liberated I feel, a butterfly flew right past us.

Just because he doesn’t understand, doesn’t mean God doesn’t.

Thank you God!

I think I’m going to get a butterfly tattoo…one with big ol curly black feelers and the word “FEARLESS” In big letters around it!

FREEEEEEEEEEEEDOM!