While I was at a friend’s house recently I found an old and much used copy of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress that had belonged to her father. In the short time I had between finding mind games for the children, I was enthralled all over again, it having been something like fifty years since I first read those illuminated pages. Memories flooded back! I must get a copy.
I meet you in the street and we are happy in each other’s company, we might not agree but we agree to disagree in respectful camaraderie, until that is the spectre of spirituality or indeed the phantom of faith comes into our conversation, and we cannot feign the fences or ignore the infinitesimal instruments that get in the way of our otherwise respectful repartee. The conversation cools.
Why is that?
I respect you because I recognise the vast array of differences there are between us all. I love you all as my sisters and brothers and know that you will possibly find and prefer one path over another that will lead us both to the same conclusion in the end. So be it. I wish you well on your way not wishing to dissuade or try to persuade you from your chosen way. But when those hurdles get in the way and have a habit of tripping us up, it is no wonder that religion and politics are banned as subjects for discussion at some dinner parties, when over-enthusiasts could come to blows!
Back to us in the street: we two pilgrims got on well, and OK things cooled a bit after a while, but we were not at logger heads, and so it is among most that you will meet of whatever colour or creed at our level. We get on well we can live next door with no problem. Then why is it that the masters have to be so dogmatic and demanding? They don’t even follow their faith as it is written but how they interpret the words of whichever prophet or holy book they had chosen to follow, and often that bears no resemblance to the original.
We are all pilgrims finding our way as best we can. Some of us have a hard time even recognising the possibility of a divine being of any kind and others at the other end of the scale so besotted with their status of being born again that nothing else can enter their minds. The scale is huge: some of us attribute our mood or headache to God or the Devil, others to changing energies and still others to nature, you know the thundery weather! Where do you fit in? Are you one of the enlightened ones wondering how you can help and cure yourself?
The trouble is that all of us are prone to ridicule or even hate and that to me is a most unfortunate thing. You could ridicule me and say, ‘well what do you expect? Not even sisters and brothers in the same family can get along without a fight.’
I was an only child so I was not privileged to witness that side of life but we brought up our two daughters to be kind and loving to one another and to others. So where do we have to start us pilgrims? Is there a parenting class at the local college?
Whichever road or path you choose, remember that we are indeed all pilgrims and in fact, although it might not seem like it, we are all on the same path, whatever our belief. Whichever path you choose, when you reach forward with your staff for support, remember to reach behind with your other hand, to help those who may be struggling behind you.
You may be aware that Angel Messenger was absorbed
into Hanukah the Scribe some while ago?
Well this is the ‘last post’ that will be trumpeted
under this banner and in the future
all messages will be posted by Hanukah.
We thank you for your support and hope that you will continue to join us on:
http://www.hanukahthescribe.wordpress.com
With Love, David & Eugene
clear
Angel Messenger 
So the time has come to say farewell to Angel Messenger and good luck to Hanukah the Scribe!! A million thanks to the Messenger and our best wishes to Hanukah for his continuous support to the Angel’s work.
Yes, indeed, we are all pilgrims.. our paths may look different but our goal is identical.
Dare I say that it is not the arrival that counts but the way we travel to reach it !!!
One thing that always impressed me was that some of us ,humans, seem to use all their strength and creativity to make sure their travel companions will arrive at the end station completely exhausted and having to realize that they were too often put on the wrong trains.
Those of us who have decided or accepted to be tour guides must know they are putting a very heavy load on their shoulder. It is a very great responsibility and he/she must know the way very well before even thinking about showing it to others.
Prejudices, misunderstandings, lack of altruistic love can all be boulders we put on our fellowmen’s trail. We don’t seem to care whether they fall under the heavy load we charged them with, as long as we are satisfied with ourselves and the way we have been able to impose our methods and beliefs on the others.
Those of us who believe in “reincarnation” know that one day it will be their turn to follow him or her on the journey through existence, and we can only hope that this time the tour guide will be knowledgeable and will help to make our exploration much easier than last time around.
Thank you again, Angel Messenger, for all the Good Tidings you filled your posts with. We have learned a lot in your company, but now it is up to us to show that we have understood the lessons.
Love and light to you, Messenger Hanukah, and also to all those who will read your post.
Eugene