All we are is God in drag

Every day I spend 45 minutes or so on the treadmill. I typically listen to music or podcasts during this time. Hearkening back to my Catholic upbringing, on Sundays I'll usually listen to a podcast of something spiritual; I'll do this on other days as well, but especially on Sunday. The persistence of childhood traditions is funny that way.

So today I was listening to talk given by Ram Dass about 10 years ago (podcast from Zencast). Early in the talk, he said that all he's doing is saying what people already know, as evidenced by audience members nodding in agreement at various statements ...but that we all seem to need to hear things over and over until we truly hear them. And in my mind, I nodded in agreement as the sweat began to trickle down my face and back and arms.

After a while, he said what I now gather (after some quick Internet trolling) has been a theme of his for years: "All we are is God in drag"

And I nodded in agreement.

My own spiritual path has been far less intense than that of Ram Dass. But after forays into - or readings about - traditions Catholic, Pentecostal, Hindu, Buddhist, transcendental, Native American, Sufi, Hawaiian, shamanic and others ...and reading biographies of saints from various traditions, of political figures from around the world, of other people of interest ...and after years of meditation, sometimes along with pranayama, asana practice, chanting, and various other little ventures ...after or during all of that, I have had glimpses. I've had moments (or longer) of near overwhelming bliss, feelings of the unity of all that is. And I've certainly experienced the strongest grasp of my own human emotion. And it's like a yo-yo, going to one end and then the other, staying near either end for varying periods of time.

"All we are is God in drag"

And I nodded in agreement.

Comments

[Dr. Lavine (faints at the sigh]

I long ago concluded that the Universe is far more complex than any human could conceive of, and, rather than seek any overwhelming spiritual realization, I have to agree with Vonnegut, that the only real purpose of Human Life on this planet is for us to just help each other get thru this, and be grateful for the small moments when things are nice.

[Kitty]

One of my all-time greatest realisations was to remember that God is outside of all human, scientific, time and other 'wordly' limitations.

He created time and is outside it.He created science and is not bound by its laws.

He created us in his own image and is inside us. God in drag is a wonderful image for that.

Thanks for that Joe.

[Kitty]

Sorry I realised after writing that comment that it could read as if I am part of the fundamental-creationist lot. I'm not. Just wanted to point that out :)

[Joe Litton]

@Dr Lavine: I guess you're what I'd term a compassionate existentialist. I do hope there's FAR more to reality than this existence. We'll see. It's an adventure regardless :)

@Kitty: Oh gosh, no, I did not for a moment think you were part of the fundamentalist lot. You are FAR too intelligent for that!

[Kitty]

Phew! :)