1 Corinthians 12-14
12-1. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit
5 And there are difference of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the girst of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues
11 But all these worketh that one and the same Spirit, diving to every man severally as he will.
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ
13 For by the one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
12-1. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
We are meant to know, acknowledge, give thanks for and use the spiritual gifts that God/The Divine/The Creator/The Universe has given to us.
2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
"Dumb Idols" or "false idols" are not pagan deities or polytheistic gods, or any interpretation of Divinity that differs from the Vengeful White God Man in the Sky from Catechism class.
"Dumb Idols" are your distractions. Bad habits. Destructive learned behaviors. Addictions. Spending too much time in the Devil Card. Dumb idols are capitalism, nationalism, white supremacy, and white Jesus.
Dumb idols can appear in the ways you treat yourself, in the ways you treat your body (your temple), the way your treat others, the way your treat your work, your art, your channel, the way you treat your faith.
Dumb idols can be learned, they can be ways that we have protected ourselves in the past that do not serve us in the present.
They can be focusing your attention on things that aren't meant for you, coveting what others have that is not for you.
3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost
It is not at the discretion of human kind, especially of patriarchal cis-man, to determine who is blessed, who has spiritual gifts, what those spirituals may be. It is only the Holy Spirit (the Creator Source in Action) that shows us what our blessings our, how They desire to move through us, be channeled by us.
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit
5 And there are difference of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.**
There are so many different spiritual gifts that manifest in us. These gifts are just as unique as the individuals, the sentient beings that hold them. No matter how different the gifts may be, they all originate from the same Divine Force, and move through us with the aid of the Holy Spirit, and our personal spirits, ancestors, deities and guides.
This passage also speaks to the different pantheons and systems of spirituality and religious beliefs. There are SO MANY gods. There are SO MANY goddesses. SO MANY Divinities. Unique to places, to people, to cultural identities.
Whether you work with The Virgin Mary, Toci Tonantzin, Kali or Kuan Yin - Divinity is present and connected to your spiritual practice, your spiritual life.
You do not need to be affiliated with an organized religion to have a spiritual practice or to use your spiritual gifts.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
These gifts are bestowed upon us by the Divine so that we may bare fruit from it, so that we may use them to live in abundance. This world is full of abundance!! Colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy have caused much of the abundance to be hoarded by few. This is not God's will!!
We are ALL meant to be abundant. Not from "hard work" or any boot strap bullshit. We are meant to be abundant because we are all blessed with existence. With Souls. With Sentience and Consciousness. Simply being is enough. We are worthy because we are.
8 For to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gift of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues**
We all have unique gifts! What is it that inspires you?
What makes you excited? Maybe you are an incredible nail artist, a craftsperson, a gifted mechanic, photographer, dancer. You may have a brilliant mathematical mind. Maybe you make uniquely channeled floral arrangements. You might be inspired by the ocean and the ecosystems and creatures. Spirit moves through us in infinite ways!!!
It's easy to get caught up with thinking that Spirit only works through us for divination or for psychic or medium work. A channel can literally be anything.
You can identify your channels through divination, or you can tune into yourself. Pay attention to the things that make you really happy. You don't have to be great at something right away for it to be one of your gifts. Most gifts of the Spirit require work and dedication to develop.
All of our gifts, no matter how different, originate from the same Universal Source, the Source of All Creation.
11 But all these worketh that one and the same Spirit, diving to every man severally as he will.
Humans have the free will to use these gifts as they please. This line also is a reminder that we must DESIRE to use theses gifts for them to really work.
All magic, even receptive magic, requires our effort in some capacity. Effective Spirit Work requires our dedication and consistency. It requires discipline, intention, devotion.
There is only so much the divine can do, the spirits can do, without our direct consent and our active engagement.
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ
13 For by the one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many.**
These gifts are not exclusive to followers of Christ, or any other "prophet." These gifts are not exclusive to members of certain organized religions.
These gifts are not exclusive of those in poverty, those who are marginalized, those who are oppressed.
We all have access to the same Divine Source and the gifts of the Divine Source. We are all worthy of receiving, simply because we exist. Not only are we all worth of receiving, there is also more than enough abundance to go around for ALL of God's children (if we are not seduced by greed like The Few of Humanity are).
I want to touch on the mention of "bond or free." The societies of Ancient Green and Ancient Rome were entirely dependent on enslaved "workers." It is believed that one third to one half of the population of classical Athens was enslaved.
This is, very clearly, fucked up. The exploitation of the working class through wage theft, cheap (underpaid) outsourced labor, and prison labor is still happening right now.
Jesus was alive during the time of the Roman Empire, born in Nazareth, a small village in Judea, which was conquered and colonized by Rome. Rome had a habit of enslaving and trafficking many of the people they conquered. Because like all patriarchal societies, it depended on the exploitation of labor to survive.
The Roman Empire was still chugging along in 57 AD, when Corinthians was written by a follower of Christ, known as Paul of Tarsus. To claim that those in bond have the same connection to the Divine as anyone free is a radical act.
It is encouraging those in bond to tap into their personal connection with Spirit. Because revolutions cannot happen through the world of the flesh alone. Revolutions need the intercession of the Holy Spirit, of all the Great Spirits Wise and Well. We need Faith and the power of our ascended spirits and ancestors with us in order to usher in the Next World as capitalism and white supremacy completes its fall.
Reflections & Questions
The Spirit moves through every individual in their own unique way. The individual experiences the spirit in multiple unique ways. Those ways may stick with them for long term, or may change with the cycles and seasons.
Use the questions below as journaling or divination prompts.
In what ways has the spirit moved through you in the past that you do not engage with in the present?
Did that stop because it no longer inspired you, because it grew into something different, or because you had to focus on other things?
What are some ways the spirit moves through you in the present?
What routines can support your current gifts of the spirit?
Are there any gifts of the spirit from the past or from alternate timelines that you long to integrate into the present? Call that in now.