Hello My Sin Is: & Other Taboos Writer's Shouldn't Discuss

By Christopher Bernard

Regardless of our beliefs, or lack of, we all sin. Why? We sin because we have to. It isn't simply a religious thing, it is uniquely human. Exploring the classification for 'wrong doing', which is sometimes attributed to the ego, this collection of personal letters and essays examines the notion that sins are tools not of 'The Devil', but instead tools of the ego that protects the fragility of the spirit. Inspired from the 'Hello My Sin Is' blog, this writer’s journey into his soul will leave you thinking about your own personal philosophy on love, hate and everything bursting from within.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christopher Bernard
• Release date: Nov 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9780991789108

Christopher Bernard

Over the past ten years Christopher Bernard has crafted stories that have entertained and inspired readers around the world, and has developed the ability to create authentic characters through his sense of observation. Growing up in Canada he found inspiration through his love of cartoons, comics and mythologies that featured fantastic adventures, courageous characters and satirical situations.

Book preview

HELLO, MY SIN IS

& Other Taboos Writer’s Shouldn’t Discuss

Christopher Bernard

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Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Christopher Bernard

HMSI Publishing Copyright2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except for brief quotation for review purposes only.

HelloMySinIs.Wordpress.com

Twitter: @HelloMySinIs

Facebook: Facebook.com/HelloMySinIs

ISBN: 978-0-9917891-0-8

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

From Saint To Sinner & Back Again

The Birth of My Soul

Soul Searching

Allow Me To Reintroduce 'Thyself'

Humilitas

Speaking from the Spirit

Superbia

The Scarlet Letters

The 7 And the Other Seven

Protecting My Spirit

A Shell of a Man

Caritas

Speaking from the Spirit

Avaritia

The Scarlet Letters

Spiritual War, Fair?

Rethink Conflict. Think Possibilities

Me, Myself & Id

The Yellow Brick Road Was Paved With Good Intentions

Temperantia

Speaking from the Spirit

Gula

The Scarlet Letters

Together But Separate

The Coming of the Profit

Ego Trappin’ My Not So Foolish Pride

Letting My Ego Do Its Thing

Industria

Speaking from the Spirit

Acedia

The Scarlet Letters

If Clothes Make the Man, Who Makes the Clothes?

Exposing Vulnerability

Starve the Artist. Kill the Art.

The Beat Goes On

Humanitas

Speaking from the Spirit

Invidia

The Scarlet Letters

The Thin Line Between Love and Hate

To Give is to Receive & To Receive is to Give

This Is A Test

Cosmogonic Journey

Castitas

Speaking from the Spirit

Luxuria

The Scarlet Letters

Use Your Illusions

Catch-22

Paradoxes & Parables

Hard-Boiled

Patientia

Speaking from the Spirit

Ira

The Scarlet Letters

The Winter of My Discontent

Death Of My Soul

Acknowledgements

This book is the product of an inescapable desire for my own self-awareness, and the love of the craft of writing. Aside from the influential work of authors, Joseph Campbell, Carol S. Pearson, physicist Brian Greene, inspirational leader Bishop T.D. Jakes, and other religious leaders of different creeds I admire, there are countless individual stories that have helped to inspire this book. The friends and families whose paths crossed mine helped me to find my way through many trials and tribulations of my endless journey. I would like to express my deepest and sincerest thanks for inspiring and encouraging me to learn my own truths and become who I am.

Without the arresting image, this book would not have come to the attention of others, so I must thank Bekki and Crystal Draper for capturing a thousand words in a single image, their generosity and support. I am extremely fortunate to have Anita Gupta, of Andor Artist Management Services as the editor for this book. Her professional and personal contributions helped to improve not only my manuscript, but my own sense of value.

Within this collection of essays and letters is a personal philosophy of a world I perceive. I’ve always wanted to change the world, but I realized that it was impossible until I first changed my perception of it. I offer these thoughts and perspectives with the faith that you will begin to think about being the change you wish to see in the world and discover your own philosophy.

From Saint To Sinner & Back Again

The Birth of My Soul

Like everything in existence, birth is where it all begins. In many cases, birth is a traumatic experience, which we've all come through, yet have no memory of. Almost all life begins inside an egg, or a seed which often resembles an egg. The lovely oval shape of the egg is not only nurturing, it also offers protection to the life growing inside it. While the growth taking place inside the egg shape is important, the ever- adjusting outer shell`s growth is equally important. Without the exterior there is no protection and, ultimately, no life. Whether smooth, rough, or seemingly impenetrable, the exterior has weak areas which could ultimately lead to the destruction of the precious life growing within. Most of the time, the weakness is cleverly concealed by nature in order to project an image of strength against the forces that would damage the entire cycle of life.

Consider the life of a tree. The tree begins as nothing more than a small oval surrounded by soil from which emerges a seedling that broke free of its casing. Gathering nutrients from the soil, it grows and pushes out in both directions to firmly secure itself in the earth below and reach for the light above. Trees need both the warm light of the sun, and the rich darkness of the earth to survive. With their tough exteriors, they may seem indestructible but, in time, even the largest trees fall to nature.

Watching life hatch from its egg is a beautiful thing and nothing short of a blessing. For a period of time, the mystery lies inside a cocoon, fighting to survive until it transforms into what nature intended. Feeding off of the food of its protector, it eventually becomes strong enough to break free of its encasement to embrace freedom. What was inside is now outside. A new cycle has begun and will continue to repeat throughout time and, as before, the safety of the shell is not noticeable until it is time to break free again.

The miracle of birth is accompanied by the protection of parents which a child eventually challenges as he learns to adapt to his environment. Later in life, when the child has become an adult and the separation from his parents is complete, the cycle resumes as he in turn becomes a parent protecting his own children. Ironically, perceptions shift as the once needed protection becomes an imprisonment which must be broken, but then imposed on the next generation by the jailbird. Not only is this rite of passage birth and rebirth, it is the breaking of the old into the new. And as Bishop T.D. Jakes suggests, it is important to recognize 'the blessing is in the breaking'.[1]

Because of the way I'm forced to perceive time and space, I have no working knowledge of how my soul lives on through the universe. I don't recall how I came to physically embody my soul, nor do I know what will happen to it once this body has reached the end of its cycle. But like everything in existence, my soul had to have been born at some point