Image is mine.
When I was much younger, I attended one of our religious seminars. Being a youth, means that I get to stay in the youth room.
The program is usually divided into the Adult section, the youth section and then the children section. In this particular seminar, we had quite a controversial topic or rather a controversial question was asked. Basically, the topic we were discussing was centered on relationships and intimacy.
Amongst other things that were discussed, one thing that I can never forget was the controversial question a youth asked.
The youth wanted to know if same sex relationship is considered a sin and if there's any punishment attached.
We all listened with wrapped attention as the Clergy was about to speak, we call them higher initiate (HI).
Being of African descent, same sex relationship is considered a taboo. But now, we are not doing culture, we were dealing with Spirituality which made us more inquisitive as to what the HI would say.
"What did the Master (our mediator) say about love?" The HI asked, wearing a beautiful smile as she paused so we could respond.
"The Master said love is divine and love heals all things" one youth seated at the front responded.
"Anyone else?" The HI questioned again, stretching her neck to see if there's a hand up at the back. She waited for a little while and seeing no one else had any contribution she continued....
"You see, whenever the master talks, it is void of condemnation because we are souls and what makes us unique is our individual experiences. What love means to an individual, might be different from another.
Coincidentally, the master has talked about same sex relationships in one of his audio". By now, we were all so quiet to hear what the master had to say about homosexuality.
The hall was dead quiet, no body movement and one could hear a pin drop.
It was as if time stood still and we were all holding our breath. "What would it be?" I bet was the question going on in everyone's mind.
I also wondered what the master thought about homosexuality, seeing how it has been tagged sinful and a taboo.
We are on a religious path after all, so what will the master say differently? or would it be the same narrative? I questioned so deeply in my mind, that I could almost hear myself verbally.
The HI, after putting us all in suspense, smiled again and then asked, "how many of you listened to that talk? The one the master gave during the Springtime seminar?" We all looked lost because common, I bet most of us didn't feel the need to listen to the master's audio. We felt it's what adults are meant to do and probably tell us about it when the need arises, like it did at that moment.
Seeing that we obviously didn't listen to the audio, the HI let the cat out of the bag. But not without reminding us that we are the future of ECKANKAR and we should do well to always listen to the master's audio, to shape us for our future in ECK.
We were still anxiously waiting because our young minds needed to know what to believe.
Like a burning fire quenched with water, we relaxed when the HI spoke. She said, "according to the master, same sex relationships can be likened to other love relationships.
It is not just two individuals, but two souls connecting as one to express love.
With a same sex relationship, that's how best the souls involved know how to be in love and there's nothing wrong with that." She concluded.
On hearing this, some of us had our reservations and another youth voiced it out for us when he asked, "So what happens to procreation if everyone of us decides to be gay?"
The HI laughed and then said, "but we all aren't gay now, are we? Certainly, there are some things your parents do that you don't do. More so, you and your siblings do not live the same life and that's the beauty of soul's journey, individuality."
For the rest of the seminar, I wasn't myself. I kept pondering and thinking what does love really mean.
Year after year, the word from the master concerning same sex relationship, being a way that the soul's involved knows how best to express love, kept eating me up.
I couldn't place it and I couldn't draw meaning to it, but all that changed recently.
For a very long time in my life, I finally get to experience true happiness, I finally get to know what it feels like to be genuinely happy.
One day in my happy mood, I questioned myself, "why are you happy?" For someone who always wanted to share life with her man, I didn't quite get that luxury. Usually whenever my relationship fails, I feel so alone and hurt. But here is me, not in any relationship and I didn't feel alone.
"What changed?" I questioned myself and then it hit me. My best girl, there's nothing in this life that I do not share with her.
Whatever the situation might be, we are going through it and solving it together. No judgment, no ghosting and no abandonment.
It started making sense to me what the master said about same sex relationships and what it really meant. I had viewed it from the perspective of sexual intimacy that I had missed the message.
Like God will always answer our questions in the most practical of ways, I also met Daniella Donkor. With her actions, always wanting to see me win and pushing me to be better, Daniella further proved to me that love is not gender specific.
My heart finally got the soul food it needed to be whole.
