- Tiffany Marlink
Reclaiming Communion
Ever have a moment when someone uses a word that makes your skin crawl? I am not talking about the words, like racist slurs, that need to be removed from our language. I am talking about the words that carry a story that create a physical reaction because of the memories they stir up.
My Spirt Guides have been pointing me in the direction of using certain words that historically I have resisted. Many of these words held certain religious connotations for me, so I had no interest in using them for myself or my business. As you well know, the Universe doesn't give up when it comes to guidance and messaging. Following the guidance of my heart, I began exploring the dictionary definitions and was surprised by the resonance that I discovered. Today I want to share one word in particular and extend an invitation for you to reconsider the definitions that you give to words.
The word I want to talk about today is communion. My guides pointed me to communion as one of the pillars for my new signature coaching and healing program (yes! more on this coming soon!). When I first heard the word, I cringed. For most of my life, I associated communion with religious ceremony. A stale cracker and a sip of grape juice. Both of which meant little to my young mind beyond a random snack in the middle of a church service (and yes, I know there is much more to communion than that). After going through a tumultuous breakup with religion in my early 20s, I cast aside most religious terms.
Fast forward nearly two decades and I found myself face to face with all of the terms that I had vowed never to use again. My spiritual awakening shed a new light on these words and soon I was swimming in the terms that I thought I had left behind. Unable to ignore the Universe's nudges, I decided to look at these words with fresh eyes and a sense of curiosity. I dove into a dictionary in hopes that I could cleanse each one from my own internal judgments.
When I looked up the definition of communion, I found this “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.” I’m not gonna lie, that definition made me do the puppy dog head tilt. Huh?! What the hell did intimate thoughts and feelings have to do with stale crackers and grape juice?
In that moment, I realized I had the opportunity to reclaim the word communion on my own terms. I chose to fold it back into my vocabulary because communion is what I do with my clients, friends and family every single day. I also enter into communion with my journal, my Higher Self and my Spirit Guides. In fact, under the dictionary definition, communion is one of my favorite things to do! Isn’t that a brain twist from where we started?!
I brought you this story today to remind you that you are allowed to change your mind. You have permission to reclaim words that have been tainted by religion or childhood experiences. You also have permission to clean the slate and start fresh. If you are feeling curious about where to start, I encourage you to consider using your own internal resistance to explore the areas of your life where there is space for you to grow and learn. Use your triggers as your guides and see what you discover when you question the definition of your reality.
For those of you who are supported by your religion, I appreciate your devotion and hope that your experience is expansive and loving. My experience is my own and I hold no judgment for the belief system that you choose to uphold. In return, I ask for your love and respect. We all have our own paths to the same truth and my only hope is that you find a path that allows you to move forward in a way that feels supportive.
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