We No Longer Need to Judge Devotion
By: Dr. Jennifer B. Rhodes
Tags: Spirituality, Mental Health, Astrology, Personal Development, Psychology

A Christmas Intuitive Guidance + Psychology Message

Photo by Annie Spratt

I am currently in lockdown in an area that I thought would be spared from more restrictions. I am an American in Canada with locked borders already — separated as a single person from family (like so many of you). When I made the decision to not stay in the city of Toronto, I thought that things would be calmer. I’m in the country, outside a major city, and while things have not been exactly normal, they were (up until now) functional. The fear and the panic has increased this week as the government has announced extremely stringent policies to help curb the spreading of COVID-19. I feel the pain of the community in my legs and in my heart — its a mixture of panic, fear and grief.

As I went for a walk yesterday, I walked past three churches. This little town is brimming with spiritual energy and history. Yet, all three of these churches have been closed for months leaving the energy surrounding the buildings deadened. Most of us think that this is a good thing given the medical crisis we are facing but when it comes to Christmas, winter, and a huge increase in mental health challenges triggered — most often by family — we need to take a moment and reflect on the message being sent. It is message from the spiritual world that we need to look within for we are always connected even when it feels like our freedoms have been taken away. We also need to be more mindful to energetically care for institutions that are meant to serve our communities — small churches, libraries, family owned businesses etc… have not only been financially destroyed, their empty buildings destroy the magic in a given town or city.

While we can no longer use our churches, synagogues, mosques, spiritual temples or wellness retreats to fuel us with a higher vibrational energy, we can begin to up level our spiritual training. We can no longer afford to argue over whether someone should be following a religion or a spiritual practice. We are exhausted and the fighting, especially as it pertains to Christian and Catholic traditions, needs to take a chill pill. Christianity and the story of Jesus (and Mary Magdalene) speak to love. But we do not often speak to the suffering that we need to experience in order to learn what unconditional love truly is. It is not just our religious institutions that need healing but our medical systems, educational systems and the mental health system. We have all forgotten that we are spiritual beings with a life mission and some of us are meant to devote our love to a religion and others are meant to find another path. Neither way is superior. We all have healing work to do and religion will need love to begin to take the responsibility needed to start the process.

As our communities have been torn apart and replaced with virtual meetings, our ego likes to jump in and tell other people what to do. We have lost the art of collaboration and compassion. We have also lost the art of setting boundaries and asserting our power, when necessary, instead choosing to blame others. It is only through remembering who we really are and through the devotion to love (in whatever form that you believe in) that we will remember that the Universe is wiser than we are and has simply given us multiple options to explore our spiritual paths.

So on this holiday, please extend love to religion. Not because you believe in it but because it is time for it to be healed. We have been digging up the shadows and exposing the darkness for some time — it is time to remember that the purpose of shadow work is eventually to bring the light to the darkness with love.

What Does Psychological Science Say about Religion?

Research indicates that many people need religion or faith for our mental health. Interestingly, many of our medical doctors and scientists do not believe in something beyond themselves while the majority of Americans do.

“There is a chasm between doctors and patients. A 2018 survey of American physicians and patients suggests that about 64% of physicians believe in the existence of God or a higher power, and more than 90% of patients claimed the same. This is consistent with a Pew study which concluded that about 90% of Americans believe in a higher power. In contrast 25% of physicians reported uncertainty in their beliefs.”

In addition, as we move forward into a more heart centered culture, our professionals will need to rectify their own beliefs in order to help their patients find their way toward the healing modalities that would be of most benefit. Unfortunately, not all medical providers (and mental health providers) are comfortable with spirituality.

“While many in the medical community may think it inappropriate to ask patients about beliefs and faith, patients disagree. One study concluded that 77% of patients thought physicians should consider patients’ spiritual needs. More specifically, 48% welcomed or desired that their physicians pray with them, and another 37% wanted physicians to discuss religious beliefs with them. Despite these desires, the same study found that almost 70% of patients claimed their physician had never broached the topic of religion with them.”

As a psychologist who trained in New York City and then moved to New Orleans post-Katrina, I can attest to why it is so hard for professionals to open up. We are trained in logic and rational thinking (hello NY culture). Yet, when it comes to healing the human heart, our emotions, and our soul — there is no room for logic (one of the things I learned from being in NOLA). From this perspective there is beauty when a spiritual patient and a non-spiritual doctor meet — they are each other’s teacher and such a relationship should be honored and respected. There is no room for control and it is often the doctor who needs to learn this lesson.

@Alana_Fairchild Lightworkers Oracle Deck

What Does the Sixth Ray of Devotion Mean?

The Sixth Ray of Devotion refers to the feeling that, even when we do not believe that we have power, the power of our thoughts and feelings are powerful tools for change. It is also a reminder that the energy of our thoughts and emotions can become easily unbalanced and that we need to channel the energy into creative projects or simply play! Love comes from lightness and we often forget this when the circumstances of the outside world seem dark and dreary.

It is also a reminder that we are all here to shine in our own ways. Like tiny drops in the ocean, when we are following our own path, we all come together to create our physical reality. We often forget that we have a life path and too often get caught up in the details of which spiritual practice one should use in order to get on to the “right” path. There is no right path — only your path.

So on this day, take the time to contemplate what love means to you. Take the time to send love to those that identify with a religion and are seeking support that may be very different than the way you operate in the world. Most of all, send love to everyone in the world who is doing their best just to get through this difficult season. Devotion to love is what the world needs right now and we should not get caught up in what that looks like. Those are the humanly details not the universal energy that we are all capable of passing to each other though human kindness. Our ego loves an argument and to pass judgement but the little voice inside our heart knows better. It is time to go quiet and turn within.

And in the meantime, I will walk past these churches knowing that the love in my heart and the vision in my mind will be received by the ground that these spiritual institutions are build. With any luck, they will serve the community in healthy ways in 2021.