We Are All Devine

Originally Published by: The Change Agent, September 2015

We Are All Divine

Curtis Braxton

My incarceration has made me appreciate life instead of taking it for granted. I celebrate life, that Divine Energy that’s in me and you. I believe that you never lose as long as you learn from your experience and grow from it. I believe that no one is a mistake.

Every morning I celebrate the Divine Energy within me by praying and quoting an affirmation of empowerment. I am thankful for another day.

Every year on April 21, the day I was born, I celebrate by calling my mother and telling her Happy Birthday because it was the day she gave birth to me. I also fast for 24 hours—no food or water. Fasting is a cleansing process that detoxifies the body and gives the digestive system a rest. It also energizes me and clears my mind.

A Yoruba proverb states, “The River that forgets its source will soon dry up.” Thinking of this proverb, I have added a new ritual to the celebration. I acknowledge my ancestors because if it weren’t for them, there would be no me.

The ritual is an African custom called libation. Libation is the pouring of a liquid (I prefer to use water, which is the source of our life). I pour out the water as an offering to God and to honor those who came before me.

What we fail to realize is there is only one Divine Mind, One Life, One Spirit. There is no new birth. There is only continuation. We are all embodiments of the Divine Energy that animates all creation. We are all connected, and our destinies are forever linked. The earth is the Mother of us all. Our bones come from her stones, our flesh from her vegetation, our blood from her water. One day we will return to her. That is why every day should be a celebration of life.