I am a New Thought Minister and Co-Founder of Center for Spiritual Living Kaua`i. We are a trans-denominational Center where all are welcome. We have no dogma nor do we tell anyone what to do. We do not teach people what to think; but, we do teach them how to think. Our whole teaching is based on Love and Law. The Power and Presence of the Divine lives and breathes us. In reality: we are God.

Last Sunday, a woman, new to the Center (just visiting from another country) came up to me after our Celebration and message and asked to speak with me. She had been brought up Catholic and was not happy with that belief system. When she heard us speak, something rang very true to her. She felt this was what she had believed for a long time. She thought she was crazy and now she finally felt at home. She had one suggestion, in fact it was plea: Please stop using the word God and church.

Now, the word church is not one I usually use, but it did slip out of my mouth last week. Church connotes many negative things to people who have been brought up in fundamental religions and have left. I get that. In fact, I do not consider our center a church. I also understand how the word “God” can be a negative one to people, However, I tried to explain to this woman that God is not a deity up in the clouds, but the very Intelligence and Love that created the Universe and pours through and expresses as each one of us. She still insisted I needed to use another word so she would feel more comfortable.

I understand all of this. I’ve been in this teaching for over 25 years and have run this Center with my husband for ten years. I have embraced the Divine Presence that is me and within me and when I use the word “God,” which is just one of the words I use to name what cannot be named, I am not talking about a judgmental man up in heaven who is dolling out salvation. I have made the translation in my mind, and I know as Emerson stated, “God is another word for Love.”

So, what does a spiritual teacher like myself do when people come to me, asking me not to use this word or that because it brings up bad memories for them? What I’ve come to understand is that education is the most important and only thing I can do. I cannot restrict my words. I can only explain what they mean in their very essence. When I am giving my message, I know that Spirit is pouring through me. I can now see that my choice of words last Sunday were truly meant for this particular woman and her growth. The conversation I had with her is evidence of this. Life is always unfolding perfectly.

The word “God,” is not a negative term. It is only the memory the word holds that is negative to some people. One of my favorite teachers is Gregg Braden. I am now reading his book, “The God Code.” The message in our DNA is plain and now proven: “God eternal within the body.” That would be our body. We are God. The Creative Force of the Universe is breathing and expressing through each and everyone of us at the degree that we recognize it.

This is a Universal message. Whether I use the word, “God, Buddha, Allah, Krishna, Jesus, Source Energy, or the Field,” to name a few, it is up to us to do the work within ourselves to find the meaning that resonates and empowers us. I could not possibly choose a word or phrase that will make everyone happy.

There is a song from the musical “My Fair Lady,” that has this phrase in it, “Words, words, words, I’m so sick of words…”. Yes, I am sick of trying to find the right word to make everyone happy. I (we) are on a journey of evolution. The words we use as symbols to express our feelings are individual. As I said before, all I can do is educate and communicate what certain words mean to me. I will do my best to do that. I will be more conscious that sometimes words aren’t enough when we just state them.

So, if and when I use the word “God,” know that I am talking about you and about me. I am talking about our Divine Nature, our True Nature. It is Power. It is All-Knowing. It is Present Everywhere. It is only Love. God is something that can only be felt. I invite you to feel the way I am using the word and let’s have a conversation about that.

Love and Aloha,

Rev. Rita Andriello-Feren, Co-Founding Director CSL Kaua`i and the Institute of Magnificence and Author of “What Do I Need to KNOW? 101 Thoughts That Changed My Life” and “This Thing Called Treatment,” both available on Amazon.

PS: Here is a recent review on Amazon of my book, “What Do I Need to Know?”

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Written and insightfulReviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 8, 2023

“What Do I Need to Know” is a comprehensive, wide-ranging, and thought-provoking collection of essays/slash mediations that is meant to be digested over time, in short but far-from-superficial nuggets. The individual essays build on each other but have power embedded within each one. While reading the essays, on more than one occasion, I stopped, realized I’d never examined my thoughts from the angle presented by Andriello within the book, and felt my mind shift. That is what this sort of book is all about. Rita Andriello’s wisdom is a genuine gift.”