Sahu Healing Space

In a time of recycled fashion and recycled music, it’s time to give religion a second look

These days, everything is getting a 21^st century make-over, be it music from the sixties, fashion from the seventies or interior design from the eighties (too soon? Wait for it...)

To make a successful resurgence, most things need something new, a new beat or a new way to wear an old dress. We’re constantly growing and evolving, so for something from our past to remain harmonious in our current society, it too needs to evolve.

Organised religion, for the most part, is not a fan of evolution...pun intended.

The strict rules and procedures are kept the same according to a fixed understanding of how God wanted it, so the basic argument is that such rules shouldn’t be modified to ‘keep with the times’ or to be popular.

This works in theory, but is subject to two fundamental flaws. Firstly, if this was the case, nothing should ever have changed since the birth of each major religion, a situation which is as impractical as it is terrifying. Secondly, this works on the shaky-at-best premise that those that came up with the rules in the first place had perfect clarity and understanding as to what is required of every single one of us by our Creator.

Most of us who are on a path towards enlightenment, ascension or simply a gentler way of being, come from a religious background, often quite a strict one. Many have rejected this religious past due to bad experiences or even simply because they reached a crossroad at some stage where their personal sense of morality or spirituality clashed with that of their church, temple or mosque. Given the inflexible and unwavering structures of most religions, the latter are left citing irreparable differences as they look elsewhere on their quest for Truth.

The sad part of this is that there is great wisdom to be gained from all religions, if the institutions could just get out of their own way and let the world discover the gold in amongst the judgement and condemnation.

But we are all learning to take personal responsibility for everything in our lives, so of course this must also be true of our spiritual growth and guidance. So rather than pointing fingers and harbouring blame for what was and still is in the world outside, consider creating your own set of laws and guidelines that assist you in finding your truth – your own personal religion.

What are your new Commandments?

Why bother, I hear many readers ask. Why not do away with laws and guidelines altogether?

Ultimately, this sounds ideal. However, right now, are you truly free of all laws and structures? Or are you subtly continuing to adhere to religious laws, family and cultural laws – even laws you created for yourself in the past?

It was Ram Dass who said, “If you think you're free, there's no escape possible.”

Once you acknowledge where you are boxed in to old structures, you can start re-writing laws and creating new structures that will, albeit paradoxically, help lead you to a place where they are no longer necessary.

So what are YOUR new commandments? If you could carve some new ones into stone, what would they say?

Here’s one to ponder on to get you started;

“Do unto yourself what you would have done unto others”

Have you ever beaten yourself up over something that, had you been consoling a friend who had done the same thing, you would have insisted was not a big deal and nothing to be ashamed of? Have you ever told a colleague that they are working too hard and need to take time for themselves, only to feel guilty when you taken an extra-long lunch break?

Spend some time pondering what other commandments would brighten your day and assist you with your own healing. Write them down, preferably on a tablet.

Don’t throw out what you can reuse: Getting creative with scripture

Scripture is almost a dirty word in parts of our society. But what’s often overlooked is how much value can be found in the Bible, the Torah, the Koran and the other Holy Books.

The problem is that people have become so fanatical over time that these books could never hope to live up to the hype continuously generated by their followers.

(Perhaps James Cameron and George Lucas know how God feels.)

The Truth isn’t out there, Mulder, it’s in here – in us, and in those texts, buried amongst misinterpretation and inadvertent red herrings. What seems like a metaphor is literal and what seems instructional is really symbolic. Read with an open heart, through the essence of our being, however, all is revealed.

So at a time of the year that’s energetically potent for many religions, get busy with your scissors and threads and weave something new, inspiring and deeply personal out of that old religion that you’ve had stashed away in the attic all these years, gathering dust.

You never know what you might find while you’re up there.

About the article 

First printed in Inner Self magazine, East/West Edition 20, page 12 

About the author

An astrologer and Reiki master, Claire Hennekam runs workshops and weekly meditation sessions in addition to seeing her own clients. She works out of Sahu Healing Space in Melbourne (www.sahu.com.au), a centre she created to provide the space and resources for clients and practitioners to pursue their own healing journeys. You can contact Claire on 0407 359 347, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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