Confronting the Powers: A Spiritual Framework for Belonging and Becoming

There’s a vision in The Gospel of Mary—one that has quietly, persistently stayed with me. In it, Mary Magdalene shares a revelation from Jesus. After his departure, she recounts to the disciples what he taught her in private: that the soul, as it seeks to return to its divine origin, must pass through four hostile powers.

Each one—Darkness, Desire, Ignorance, and Fear—tries to hold the soul back, to confuse, diminish, or distract it from its truth. And the soul’s task? Not to fight them with force, but to recognize them, speak the truth, and remember who it really is.

Now, let me be clear—this isn’t a religious tent revival. I’m not here to evangelize or convert anyone. This path I’m sharing isn’t about doctrine, dogma, or trying to fit everyone into the same belief system. It’s for the faithful, the atheist, the agnostic, the spiritually hungry, the culturally rooted, and the deeply unsure. It’s for anyone who has felt the weight of these inner powers—and wondered if there’s a way through that doesn’t require losing yourself in the process.

My Own Journey Through These Powers

When I first began this work—rooted in psychology, community, and spiritual curiosity—I didn’t have this language. But I felt it. Every time I sat with someone navigating bias, alienation, or injustice. Every time I challenged an institution to listen more deeply. Every time I wrestled with my own questions about faith, identity, and freedom.

And even now, in this moment of retooling and rediscovering what’s next, I’m aware that those same powers still show up—not just around me, but within me.

• Darkness shows up as doubt: “Is this really making a difference?”
• Desire shows up as craving approval or control.
• Ignorance whispers: “This is the way it’s always been.”
• Fear warns: “Don’t go too far. Don’t say too much. Don’t lose it all.”

These are not abstract ideas. They’re real barriers—in workplaces, institutions, families, and hearts.

And I believe our collective work—the real work of DEI and belonging—is to help people name these powers, face them together, and choose something freer and truer instead.

Tools for the Journey: Plates & Perspectives + Djembe

This is exactly why I created Plates & Perspectives and the Djembe card deck. Not as products or programs. But as spaces for return.

• Plates & Perspectives invites people to gather over a shared meal and speak what rarely gets said. It’s sacred table work—a modern-day supper where we confront what divides us by remembering what connects us.
• The Djembe deck offers guided, grounded conversation prompts to help individuals and teams surface the stories beneath the silence. It’s not about forcing confession or compliance—it’s about facilitating remembrance: of dignity, humanity, and shared responsibility.

Whether in corporate settings or community circles, these tools are here to help people move through their own versions of the hostile powers—with care, with courage, and without shame.

A Spiritual Framework for Collective Liberation

This isn’t about pushing belief—it’s about inviting resonance. If something here feels familiar—not just in your mind, but in your body, in your history, in the quiet moments when no one’s watching—then maybe, just maybe, this is a pathway worth exploring.

One that leads not to a new set of rules, but to a deeper kind of freedom.

Over the next few blog posts, I’ll reflect on how each of these hostile powers shows up in our systems and selves—and how we can create the conditions for real belonging by facing them directly.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a fog of doubt, grasped for control, accepted inherited lies, or been frozen by fear—you’re not alone.

The soul’s path is not linear. It spirals. And I believe we spiral forward by walking together.

Next up: Darkness—how it shows up in our DEI work, our leadership, and our lives.

#Belonging #SpiritualLeadership #MaryMagdalene #DEI #PlatesAndPerspectives #DjembeDeck #InclusionWork #Liberation #RadicalBelonging