What I feel is true for me, and always has been (even when I was a Christian) is that all is sacred. That is the universalism. The sacred divine used to be present everywhere for all to commune with, find strength in, and care for.
When the Patriarchal men who made Christian dogma in the US began preaching that the sacred is only through one male diety, his son, and a "holy ghost", they intentionally removed the feminine divine and subjugated women and children. They made it so that the people who wanted to receive help or support must adhere to rigid church teachings, tithe to enrich the church's wealth, and put all the decisions about everything in the hands of men, many of whom abused their authority.
They began vilifying all those who did not adhere to their brand of "new" religion, and the people who lived in rural areas were called "heathens." This allowed those in power who were willing to use violence to get more power to dehumanize those who dared to resist, enabling them to torture and kill them all in the name of their "God" and claiming "God's Will" - which all too often matched their own will.
Women used to be revered for their wisdom and life experiences as healers, teachers, spiritual & community leaders, and of course for their
talents in music, song, art, dance, and storytelling.
The witch hunts were used to subjugate and murder any strong women who dared to challenge male authority. Once I started actually studying history, I got angry about the twisted spirituality I was brought up into and which enabled so much of abuse I suffered. I feel like my life could have been very different had Christianity not been used as a hammer on my psyche throughout my life.
When I am in nature, I feel connection. I feel uplifted. I feel gratitude and wonder and the sacred all around me, deserving of protection and reverance.
