This week, next Sunday to be exact (the third Sunday of January), is World Religions Day. This is a day in which the world’s amazing collage of different religions is honored. It was started by Baha’i’s in the United States but has slowly been spreading throughout the world.

On this day throughout the world interfaith conferences, dinners and dialogs are hosted in order to promote communication and understanding amongst the world’s religions. According to the Baha’i website, the purpose is “to call attention to the harmony of the various religions’ spiritual principles and to emphasize that religion is the motivating force for world unity.”

As I pondered the significance of this day, I was struck by the intention behind this proclamation. As stated in the Baha’i writings, “Religion should be the cause of love and agreement, a bond to unify all mankind for it is a message of peace and goodwill to man from God” and “Religion is the greatest of all means for the establishment of order in the world and for the peaceful contentment of all that dwell therein.”

We know that this idea certainly has not always played out this way.

As women spiritual leaders we are faced everyday with differences. These differences in the people we come across can range from differences in age, race, gender, socio-economic background, cultural background and, of course, religious background. How can we be messages “of peace and goodwill to the world” and help to “be the cause of love and agreement” when faced with these differences?

There are four important keys to this process:
1.    Introspection
First of all, we must take a good hard look at ourselves. It is important as spiritual leaders that we understand our Achilles’ heel – our personal wounds and sensitive spots. If we are not clear on these and actively working on healing them, it is probable that they will come out as judgment and projection onto others.

We also must remember to take nothing personally and we are wonderful beings. In the words of Ernest Holmes, “Nothing can touch us unless we let it touch us. Refuse to have the feelings hurt. Refuse to receive anyone’s condemnation. In the independence of your own mentality, believe and feel that you are wonderful. This is not conceit, it is the truth.”

We are in control of ourselves and our own pain. We must be able to not take things personally especially when dealing with “differences”.

2.    Open Heart/Open Mind
Stephen Covey exemplifies this in the principle: Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood. (Seven Basic Habits of Highly Effective People (copyright: Stephen Covey Associates))

We should go into encounters with others with the intention of understanding them. This means making sure that we are truly listening to them – not thinking about how we are going to counter what they are saying. Our focus should be on them and what they are thinking, feeling and saying; and we should be doing this with open heart and an open mind. Listen and look for hidden wants and needs of the person and also look for their strengths and hopes. This can be done when encountering one person or even when attempting to understand an entire group of people.

3.    Find the common ground
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field.  I’ll meet you there.” – From Essential Rumi
by Coleman Barks

So, it now follows that from knowing yourself and listening to others with an open heart and mind, you can begin to find some commonalities. These commonalities are the field Rumi is referring to where we can meet people who are different from us and set aside those differences so that we can connect with them more fully.

Leonard Pitts, Jr., a columnist for the Miami Herald stated in a speech made February 11, 2002, at the Friends Select School in Philadelphia,
“Unity is not two people clinging together because they both fear they’re about to be annihilated. Nor, for that matter, is unity two people standing together and pretending there are no differences between them. … Unity is respecting difference, honoring difference, valuing difference, learning from difference, but understanding that difference is not destiny. … And that, if there are 10 things that divide us, there are 100 by which we are drawn together. If there are 100 points of contention, there are 1,000 of common cause.”

4.    Value the differences
So by this point we have examined ourselves and listened to others with an open heart and mind. Through this exercise we have found both commonalities and differences. We have met the others in our field of commonality, but this does not imply that we should ignore or toss away the differences.

What should we do with them? We should value them for it is through them that we can learn and grow both mentally and spiritually. We each do not have the corner on all knowledge and truth and it is in meeting others who are different that we can be charged with new knowledge and fresh energy.

“Difference must be not merely be tolerated, but seen as a fund of necessary polarities between which our creativity can spark like a dialectic.” – Audre Lorde

This article was written by Patricia Selmo, an Interfaith seminarian, certified life coach, energy healer and entrepreneur. She is the co-founder of the International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders: www.iawsl.com, and is a practicing life coach, spiritual guide and healer helping people to live the life of their dreams: www.theblissfulsoul.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you commit to leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and include the following byline: The International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders was founded to support spiritual women in living abundantly while serving their unique missions. We invite you to download-as our GIFT to you-the 5 Secrets to Creating Abundance Through Your Calling. You will also be registered to receive our weekly newsletter full of information and tips for supporting you in your calling. Just click here: www.iawsl.com

We join our Jewish friends from all over the world on December 11th when the “Festival of Lights” commemorating the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem, begins at sundown.  For those who need refreshing, this holiday was born in the century just  “BCE” or “BC” when a renegade band of Jews led by Judah Maccabee pursued their goal of regaining the holy temple in Jerusalem.

According to history, the Temple had been desecrated; its revered artifacts and icons, including a Menorah (a candelabra) made of gold; broken and ruined.  The reigns of Pompey and then Antiochus IV, Epiphanes were responsible for the allowing the Temple to fall into disrepair.

When the Maccabees succeeded in regaining the Temple, they set about, and I imagine lovingly; dusting, scrubbing, and polishing the entire Temple including the artifacts.  One of the more important of these was the golden menorah just waiting to be rekindled to its former glory of lighting the alter.

The Maccabees focused on celebrating with a rededication of the Temple, and they ran into what I am sure may have been one of many problems putting together a commemoration of that size.  They found only enough oil to light the menorah for one day, and they had planned a lengthy celebration.

To the wonder of all of the celebrants, the menorah continued to shed its light for eight days and nights.  The center candle, or “shamash” meaning “servant” or “guard”, is used to light the other candles, one for each night of Hanukkah.  Traditionally, a blessing is said as the candle for that particular night is lit.

Hanukkah is a time of joyous celebration and rededication, commemorating an important series of events in the history of Judaism.

THE 8 WAYS THAT WOMEN SPIRITUAL LEADERS MAY REDEDICATE AND CELEBRATE…

1.    Identify what needs rededicating in your life

2.    Strategize

3.    Set out to pursue your goal

4.    Surround yourself with support (perhaps a renegade band of troops who will help you ‘recapture the Temple’)

5.    Dust, scrub and polish in order to:

6.    Lovingly restore what that is to its Brilliance

7.    Light a Candle to commemorate what you have rededicated and offer a blessing

8.    Celebrate!

This article was written by Rev. Ruth Reiner, who is an ordained Interfaith Minister, spiritual counselor, coach, nurse, former wife, mother, grandmother, and entrepreneur.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, PUBLICATION, OR ON YOUR WEB-SITE?  You may, as long as you commit to leaving the entire article intact, do not alter it in any way, and include the following: “THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN SPIRITUAL LEADERS” was founded to support spiritual women in living abundantly while serving their unique missions.  We invite you to download – as a gift to you- THE 5 SECRETS TO CREATING ABUDANCE THROUGH YOUR CALLING.
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