Aligning Faith with Soul
- Lizz & Esther / Deconstructing Mamas
- Mar 31
- 3 min read
Welcome to Grace and Space, a weekly newsletter from the Deconstructing Mamas Podcast! GRACE for who you have been, are now and SPACE for who you are becoming and will be!
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It's Not So Much That I Want to Know God
(an poem from our guest)
It’s not so much that I want
to know God
As to be close to the spiral in the seashell,
To feel the wind as my own breath,
To let birdsong all the way in to my being, let my bones
be the ledger lines
for its dancing song.
It’s not so much
that I want to know God
as to be reacquainted
with the intimacies of the stars
through remembering
they’ve always shone from within
the expansiveness of my own chest
It’s not so much that I want
to please any Cosmic Authority
as to be strong enough
to finally hold every little girl still inside of me
as she weeps old tears
that were never held.
It’s not so much that I need a particular
place of worship—
I want to flee less
the majesty of each moment
that the humble door
of my ancient heart
be more willing to open
to the wide beauty
of the world.
My only prayer is to be excommunicated
from ideology
and join the congregation of morning dew
shimmering with enlivened mystery
and freshness,
replete with sparkling wonder
It’s not so much
that I want to worship God
as for my devotional practice
to be opening
my body to the living scripture
of Life’s movement
as She dances Her desires
through me
and to remember
to say thank you
with deep recognition
for every small act of love
that finds me.
It’s not so much that I believe in God
as it’s been taught
but that all I desire
is to serve
the One Great Heart
that lives within us all.
Chelan Harkin
Our Podcast This Week:
The worst thing we ever did is pretend God isn’t the easiest thing in this Universe available to every soul in every breath. (Chelan Harkin)
Our episode this week is with Chelan Harkin, mama to two and mystical poet extraordinaire.
On this episode, we talk with Chelan about growing up in the Baha'i faith, the courage it takes to question what you've been told all your life, how our faith can align with our soul and especially how this all fleshes out in our parenting.
We chat through these questions:
1. Your poetry invites readers to redefine traditional concepts of God and spirituality. How has your personal journey with spirituality influenced this mission, and what impact do you hope it has on your audience?
2. You once embarked on a 30-day “bad poem” experiment to break free from perfectionism. Can you talk about how that creative challenge helped you dismantle the rigid expectations imposed by high-control systems, religious or otherwise?
3. You have a poem that calls children "life’s great revolutionaries," challenging us to overturn our ingrained habits and expectations. Can you share an experience where your child’s unfiltered perspective radically shifted the way you view success and the meaning of life?
4. Your words remind us that children invite us to let go of our obsession with perfectionism and to instead embrace the beautiful mess of each moment. How has your child’s spontaneous, raw energy helped you see the sacred in everyday imperfection?
5. Rejecting a God of fear in favor of one who delights in joy—symbolized by putting extra whipped cream on things—your poem reimagines divinity as a source of wonder and playfulness. In what ways has your relationship with your child reshaped your understanding of faith and inspired you to live more joyfully?
We found Chelan to be gentle, authentic, and very in tune with her soul. We laughed a lot, talked about ice cream, and also took a deep dive into some difficult questions.
You can find Chelan here:
Instagram: @chelanharkin
Facebook: Chelan Harkin
Resource Alerts:
These are three of Chelan Harkin's books, filled with healing messages for our deconstructing souls and calling our Soul into alignment with our Faith. They are perfect for you and also as gifts.
As you can see from the middle picture (taken by Esther), it's well-worn because it's well-loved.
If you haven't been to our website page with tons of resources for you, check them all out HERE!
One last thing. We want to remind you that we are so glad you are here. We wouldn't be the same without you. You will always find GRACE for where you've been and who you are now, and SPACE for who you are becoming and will be.
Carry on, our new-found friends. Welcome to the twisty-windy, full -of-adventure faith path that's laid out before us all. Love,
Lizz & Esther
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