Diversity and Inclusion Is Important in Spirituality

Diversity and Inclusion Is What Keeps Life Interesting

Being concerned about diversity and inclusion has been part of my life forever, it seems.

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I’ve always had friends from different countries, income levels, religions, sexual orientations, etc. Fascination with other cultures began when I was a small child living in Texas. I was so curious about Native Americans. And later in life, I was deeply blessed to live in New Mexico surrounded by the 8 Northern Pueblos … attending the pow wows, feasts, and developing friendships with many Native Americans from numerous traditions.

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Whether I took to heart The Golden Rule teachings from Sunday school (treat others the way you wish to be treated) or it was something I was born with because I’m an empath (and can feel all the emotions others feel), I’ve always had a desire to make all people feel welcome and included. That’s now referred to as diversity and inclusion.

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The Desire to Help Others

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I felt so sorry for the one little black boy that was assigned to my first or second grade class when segregation ended. He felt so out of place and different that he sat under his desk and cried much of the time. I sat down on the floor with him and tried to make him feel welcome. I remember worrying about him and wanting to make him feel better.

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Diversity and Inclusion, the Spice of Life

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In college, one of my dearest friends was from Iran. Another of my college friends graduated from college before I did and got a job in DC. Being a cultural hub, I’d often visit on weekends. Every time I went, we’d say “What country do we want to visit today?” And we’d go to a restaurant from that country. Ethiopian and Japanese became my favorites.

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After college, four of us (hired at the same time by the same company) became close friends. One was a beautiful girl from India. We got to attend her traditional multi-day Indian wedding. Oh, how I loved it.

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The four of us met once a month for what we called “International Potluck.” We’d pick a country and then each of us would bring a dish from that place in the world. The food was always fabulous, and we got to celebrate a country and a culture.

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In the little hamlet north of Santa Fe where I lived, I (being a pasty white chick) was the odd one. Living all around me were beautiful brown people with dark eyes and dark skin … some Native American, some with ancestors from Spain and others with ancestors from Mexico. I remember going to the grocery store and being the only white person there. It was such a strange and delightful feeling. It was also really interesting to be the tallest woman there. At 5’4,” I wasn’t used to feeling tall.

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Exploring Other Cultures and Beliefs

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When I was homeschooling my son, we began exploring other cultures as early as 1st grade. One of the moms in our homeschool coop had found a book for kids about how different countries celebrated birthdays. Each month we’d have an International Birthday party for the kids having birthdays that month. We would incorporate games, food, language, crafts, and all sorts of things into the celebration.

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It was also when my son was in first grade that I got to share with him that not all families look the same. One of the families in our homeschool coop was made of up two women and a son. So when my son asked questions about why his little friend had two moms, my response was simply that families look all sorts of ways. I explained to him that, “Sometimes a family has a mom, a dad, and one or more kids. Some families have two moms and one or more kids. Other families have two dads and one or more kids. Some families have no kids. And some families have only one mom or dad and one or more kids.” That was the end of the discussion. It’s all he needed or wanted to know.

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In addition to learning about other cultures, I also made sure that I introduced him to music of all types and every religion I could find. I refused to force him to take on a particular belief about the Divine. I helped him explore and come to his own conclusions.

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The fascination with people, food, cultures, and traditions, unlike those I grew up with, continued as I traveled the world. One of my fondest memories was being on an island in Fiji with the boat captain and my son, hanging out with the people who lived there, getting to eat their food, and learn something about them. We were the only white people on the island at the time. Somo Somo was the only island in Fiji with a female chief. It was such an honor to be there.

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A Seemingly Unusual Level of Diversity and Inclusion

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As I’ve looked back over the many years I’ve been on this planet, I have often been amazed at the number of LBGTQ+ friends I’ve had, as well as the number of friends I have from various minority groups. I think I’ve always had very close friends who were gay and lesbian. Growing up, I didn’t know they were, of course. Maybe they didn’t either. But now that they are grown and open about it, it seems an unusually large number of friends growing up and all through adult life.

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Something else I find interesting is the large number of Jewish people in my life. I decided to look up one day the number of Jewish people in the U.S. and was surprised by the number. It’s only 2.4% of the population. Yet I’ve had many clients, students, and friends who are Jewish. The same is true of many other religions and countries of origin.

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I can’t imagine only having friends who are all the same … same color skin, food preferences, fashion and hairstyle, interests, beliefs, activities, and types of conversation. Diversity and inclusion provide the spice in life.

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The Spiritual Path Creates an Even Greater Need for Diversity and Inclusion

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Those on a spiritual path naturally have to learn to appreciate diversity and inclusion even more than the average person.

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Why?

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Because they want (or are often asked to) commune with beings beyond the veil. You can’t alienate others unlike yourself in the third-dimensional world and expect to befriend angels, animal spirits, ascended masters, and all the rest in the metaphysical world. It just doesn’t work that way. You have to welcome people, skin colors, beliefs, and cultures unlike your own.

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People who have taken up a spiritual path often want to find and learn about their spirit animal or totem animal. Do you really think spirit animals want to communicate with someone who doesn’t have a great relationship with third dimensional animals? The animal kingdom is a group it would be wise to develop a friendship with. If you don’t have any animals of your own, watch videos of animals in the wild or pets and their antics.

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If you are afraid of animals, then work through and release those fears. Otherwise, your fear can prevent you from having potentially fabulous relationships with beings beyond the veil.

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Spiritual seekers sometimes want to not just have crystals, but communicate with them and/or utilize them to enhance their communication with other beings of light. Many want to feel the presence, and hear the wise words, of their guardian angel and various ascended masters.

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Ascended masters come from many different heritages:

Thoth (Te-ho-teh) was Egyptian, and some say before that he was Atlantean.
Djwal Khul was from Tibet.
Quan Yin was from China.
Afra was from Africa.
White Buffalo Calf Woman was Native American (thousands of years before The United States of America was founded).
Yeshua ben Joseph (Jesus) was from Israel.
Buddha was from Nepal.
El Morya was from India.
Mahavatar Babaji was/is from the Himalayas.

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That was just a partial list of Ascended Masters to share with you the idea that there is great diversity in where great wisdom can come from.

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You have to be open to it. You have to embrace the idea that if an angel or ascended master showed up in your living room, they might not look like you or your neighbor. And you need to be OK with that.

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I certainly wasn’t expecting to see dolphins in a meditation I was doing with a medicine wheel. Since it was the first time I’d ever done a guided meditation, I wasn’t even sure I would see or sense the animals of the four directions – eagle, bear, wolf/coyote, and buffalo – that the book I was reading said I would be connecting with. But, not only did I connect with those four animals in a powerful way, but the coyote morphed into a dolphin swimming in circles. And that was the beginning of my delightful spiritual journey with dolphin-angels.

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Be open to people and beings of light unlike yourself, and savor the magical moments that can ensue.