For those who celebrate, I wish you a happy Easter season! Blessed Spring! Wishing all the best of all the things to all of you.
Whether this holiday is big for you or not, it is worth noting that this time of year is a season of renewal. Of rebirth. Of resurrecting and rising up from what came before. It is time to shed the coat of winter, to release the brokenness of what came before and turn to the sun, hopes high, possibilities limitless, and begin yourself again.
This time of year, naturally, also makes me very present in the world of Jesus. Having been a born and raised Catholic, Jesus has always been a pretty major player in my life. Now that I’ve embraced my own brand of spirituality, my relationship with him has changed. He is no longer just the statue on display behind the alter. He is not some ancient story that I can’t touch. He is not a requirement, a chore, or a reason to follow certain church rules and laws. He is not a piece of bread or a chalice of wine. The distance present between us has been crossed. He no longer feels so far from me. In fact, Jesus has become something of an old friend. We talk. Regularly. He gives me insights and signs to help me move forward. He awakens me to the realities that exist within humanity and this world. We sit together in the garden. And I see him more now as I think he always intended to be… a teacher. A guide. A healer.
I do believe that in his crucifixion his intention was to help heal us all. He was a Reiki master after all, and he was very aware of the power of intention. To give up one’s life for the betterment of humanity is a powerful intention indeed. It was selfless.
It was magical.
But the bigger focus this weekend - the true reason for Easter after all - is Jesus’ resurrection. And therein lies the lesson we should take from all this…
Jesus died unto himself. Committed his spirit in sacrifice. He left behind all that he had been, all that he had created. Because he knew he had a higher purpose. He needed to follow his heart, his soul. He knew what he needed to do. He suffered in ways we can’t even imagine. Ridiculed, beaten, stripped, made to carry uphill the very cross that was to be his end. He was spit upon, covered in muck… and then nailed by hands and feet to a piece of wood - woven thorns cutting into his brow.
How many of us can relate? Maybe we haven’t marched through crowded streets, but how many of us have carried our own crosses? How many of us have been beaten down, bruised… physically, mentally, emotionally… How many of us have been pierced by hate and left to hang in our solitude? Jesus’ path does not minimize our own suffering. It is symbolic of it. It is a story that we look to when we feel at our lowest. It is a reminder that we are not alone. Someone else has been there too. And he left behind a legacy for us to know the love and strength it takes to make our journey and walk away from the lives that no longer serve us. To move on from the pain and rejection we’ve endured. To release what is no longer part of who we are.
And then… he rose up.
Whether or not you believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus, there is undoubtedly a magic that occurred following his death. After hanging on that cross, Jesus was no longer who he once was. He showed up with new wisdom, new words. He reached out to those he cared about. But he was renewed. Post-tomb Jesus was not crucifixion Jesus. The man had changed. The man embraced divinity. Maybe it was special “only son of God” divinity… but maybe it was simply the divinity that exists within all of us.
And that is the fragment we must hold onto the most. Change. Rebirth. Renewal. Resurrection. The Divine flow that we all are made of and possess. Sometimes we have to sacrifice what we’ve known to become better versions, or truer versions, of who we are. Sometimes we have to endure agony, crippling loneliness, derision… in order to discover who we really are. Sometimes we have to carry our cross. Jesus was one of us. He was human. He suffered as humans suffer. He loved as humans love. And his is an example of the beauty, the magnificence, and the enlightenment that enriches us after our darkest hours.
If you’re suffering right now, I feel for you. I’ve been there. In truth, we all have. But look to the man so many celebrate this weekend as an example. Look to him for guidance. Allow the pain to strengthen you. Let the darkness remind you of the light. Then embrace that light. You will get through the turmoil. You will find your way to the surface. You will come out of that tomb wiser, brighter, better, and more powerful than when you went in. You will know your own strength. You will understand those lessons that could not have been learned any other way.
So rise up. Rise higher than you thought you could. Rise beyond whatever is trying to keep you down. Cast off the anchors, the chains, the nails, roll away the stone keeping you in the dark, and walk into the light. Know yourself. Know your purpose. Know that you’ve grown and changed in ways you can’t even begin to explain. Use your experience to help teach and guide others so they too can find a way back.
You will rise. Things will get better. It is time for renewal. For rebirth. For resurrection. You have the strength. You have the will. You have the wisdom. You have the divinity. You have the ability.
Now rise up.
💖🕯🕊
You’re broken down and tired
Of living life on a merry-go-round
And you can’t find the fighter
But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out
Move mountains
We gonna walk it out
And move mountains
And I’ll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I’ll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I’ll do it a thousand times again
And I’ll rise up
High like the waves
I’ll rise up
In spite of the ache
I'll rise up
And I’ll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
When the silence isn’t quiet
And it feels like it’s getting hard to breathe
And I know you feel like dying
But I promise we’ll take the world to its feet
And move mountains
Bring it to its feet
Move mountains
And I’ll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I’ll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I’ll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
All we need, all we need is hope
And for that we have each other
And for that we have each other
We will rise
We will rise
We’ll rise, ohh ohhh
We’ll rise
I’ll rise up
Rise like the day
I’ll rise up
In spite of the ache
I will rise a thousand times again
And we’ll rise up
Rise like the waves
We’ll rise up
In spite of the ache
We’ll rise up
And we'll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
