Audacity is such an endearing word to me. Merriam Webster online says it is “a bold and daring quality that is sometimes [perceived as] rude or shocking”. Yes, I have been called audacious and it is a badge of honor!
One of Unity’s fundamental principles is the idea that there is that of the Divine within each one of us. A spark of divinity; the spiritual I AM of us; the Christ of our being. It is our essence, our blueprint, that which makes us each a part of the whole. It is the destiny of being made in the image and likeness of the Divine referred to in Genesis 1:26. It is that which makes us heirs to the divine kingdom.
Sometimes the message of the power of our inner divinity gets linked to a message of how our inner divinity should manifest in the physical world of our bodies. Unfortunately, for some, when the picture of how our inner divinity should look in physical bodies doesn’t match the picture of how our bodies actually look and feel, we lose sight of the original, powerful message of our inner divinity. But WHAT IF, there is no single picture of what a vibrant and healthy divine essence looks like in physical manifestation? What if the album of vibrant and healthy divine essence includes your picture? Radical Wholeness begins with that audacious foundation, but it doesn’t stop there!
Radical Wholeness has its inception in questioning the teachings and messages interpreting that fundamental principle of our inner divinity and Radical Wholeness encourages us to continue to question. As we begin to craft a more inclusive theology, are there ways to unmask the deeply embedded “ableism” inherent in how we describe the power of our divinity? Talila Lewis offers this definition of ableism in her January 2022 update of a working definition: “A system of assigning value to people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, productivity, desirability, intelligence, excellence, and fitness. These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in eugenics, anti-Blackness, misogyny, colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism. This systemic oppression that leads to people and society determining people’s value based on their culture, age, language, appearance, religion, birth or living place, “health/wellness”, and/or their ability to satisfactorily re/produce, “excel” and “behave.” You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.” [working definition by @TalilaLewis, updated January 2022, developed in community with disabled Black/negatively racialized folk, especially @NotThreeFifths. Read more: bit.ly/ableism2022]
Questioning is a demonstration of the very power we are taping into. Questioning can arise from our divine wisdom and understanding. It can arise from our unconditional love for self and others. To be the agents of change the world is yearning for, we must question the ways we exclude others. If you want to be a part of a community but are unable to, ask why there is no way for you to access the building, the lessons or the social interactions of spiritual community. If the metaphysics of a lesson focus on a healing outcome marked by ableism, ask the minister how that might also be interpreted differently. Community by community we can build a more inclusive network of support by having the audacity to question exclusion.
What are the dreams of the disabled? Far too often we (the disabled) are told to tamper our dreams, to “be realistic”, and not to claim ALL of the kingdom we are heir to! Radical Wholeness encourages each one (whether you perceive yourself to be abled or disabled) to claim all that you might desire through the power of the inner divinity in you! What does a sense of well being look like to you? Not compared to anyone else or to a standard held up as the model for everyone to aspire to. If prosperity is a sense of wellbeing, how might that appear in your body and your life? What do you have to share? Affirm there is a channel for that expression in the world right now! Want more love—be more love! Principles work and there are no limits on how principle works based on what the world perceives as physical/intellectual limitations. Disabled people heal, we manifest dreams, we love, we create, we live beautiful lives. Be audacious enough to ask the Universe for what you desire and believe it is yours. Do not settle for the lesser dreams others may say you are entitled to. Be bold, be unreasonable, be daring, be more than others believe you to be, be all you were created to be. Be the audacious expression of Radical Wholeness you are!
Radical Wholeness 