Why am I here? Who am I? What do I believe?
How shall I live my life? Where do I stand? When do I speak out?
CREDO FOR TODAY
Ten Commitments
- I shall honor Spirit: my God, your God, their gods, and the god within me.
- I shall honor my word, and take responsibility for what I speak.
- I shall rest, honoring a Sabbath time.
- I shall honor my family, my community, and my beloved biosphere.
- I shall honor my capacity to kill—and have the common sense, wisdom, and compassion to not commit such an act.
- I shall honor my sexuality, committing no offense.
- I shall not steal.
- I shall tell the truth—and endeavor not to add to chaos, war, or misery.
- I shall govern my envy of others, refusing to let it dictate my behavior.
- I shall be grateful, to humbly bow and kneel to the beauty and mystery of it all.
Ten Reminders
- Clean up my inner litter; this includes not dumping it in my neighbor’s yard.
- Quit carping and complaining, raining my misery on others.
- Let go of my personal hurts; stop nursing them as if they were my only children.
- I am not the center of the universe; life is not all about me and what I want.
- I am connected and interconnected with everything. What I do matters.
- Accept all of myself, and all of you—our greatness and our pettiness.
- Be of service to others, to something greater than myself.
- Loosen my attachments: to being right, to being liked, to being perfect.
- Listen to and trust my inner voice, my inner wisdom, and the wisdom of my body.
- Befriend death and dying.
Why Am I Here? Perhaps …
I am here to wake up.
I am here to be useful.
I am here to be happy.
I am here to make a difference.
I am here to work out my spiritual dilemmas.
I am here to love.
I am here to create.
I am here to be in this miraculous yet ordinary body.
I am here to realize my birthright as an evolving being.
I am here to remember who I am.
Mandala of Creation, by Michael Naumer (medium: chalk pastels)
© 2006. Catherine Sevenau.
All rights reserved.
Peggy Bair says
Ah, Catherine… you have shared some of these words before… I cherish them, I cherish you. I miss seeing you more often, and I know that time will shift again and make that possible. It is rare for me to go through a full day without thinking of you, without sending you my messages of love and spirit. THANKS FOR SHARING.
Catherine Sevenau says
Time gets away from us, but never our friendship! I love you dearly Peggy Bair.
Marguerite says
Great stuff Catherine! Thank you for sharing so openly and so well.
Barbara Jacobsen says
I like your “Why am I here” at the end. Thanks, Cath.
Jan says
Very wise
Jeff Elliot says
Well spoken, now Queen of Common Sense and Compassionate Living! Your credo cuts to the heart of the matter and leaves doctrines and “isms” and prejudices behind.
Catherine Sevenau says
Thanks Jeff, I wrote this ten years ago when I was attending the University of Creation Spirituality. I went there to clarify my feelings about God. I left feeling pretty much the same as when I when it. I was raised Catholic, and the Ten Commandments as I learned them did not work for me, so I reworked them until they did. A Credo for Today was the end result.
Linda Troolin says
Words of wisdom.
Robert S says
Thanks for this thoughtful piece.
Paul Maysonave says
This was sooo beautifully expressed – I copied and sent this to my brothers… blessings, Paul
Sandra Youdall says
A good reminder to us all of what is important.