Good morning, beautiful souls. Welcome to Church of Nebula Sunday Sermon. My name is Haja Mo, and I'm coming to you this Sunday morning from Los Angeles, California, where I'm sitting in my favorite corner of my apartment with a view of the city waking up. The sun is just starting to peek through the morning haze, casting this golden glow over the buildings, and I've got my coffee in hand, still warm, and I'm so grateful you're here with me today. Whether you're listening while making breakfast, going for a morning walk, driving to work, or just lying in bed gathering your thoughts, I want you to know that your presence here matters. Your energy, your willingness to explore, to question, to seek, that's what makes this community so beautiful.

Today, I want to talk to you about something that's been on my mind a lot lately. We've been getting some criticism, some pushback, some people who are genuinely upset about what Church of Nebula represents. And I think it's important that we address this directly, openly, honestly, because I never want there to be confusion about who we are and what we stand for. I also want to model something important for you, how to respond to criticism with grace, with clarity, and with an open heart.

So let me start by telling you what some of the criticism sounds like. We get messages, we get comments, we get people who say things like, how can you call yourself a church when you deny God? You're leading people astray. God is real. He's a bearded man in heaven. He created everything. The Bible says this, the Quran says that, the Torah says this. You're going to hell. You're confusing people. You're creating a false religion. You're worshipping science instead of the Creator. How dare you mix spirituality with quantum mechanics and black holes? That's blasphemy. That's heresy. You need to repent and accept the real God.

And I want to be really clear about something right from the start. I hear these criticisms. I read them. I take them seriously. Not because I think they're right, but because I respect that these people are coming from a place of genuine belief. They're concerned. They think we're lost. They think we're dangerous. And in their worldview, in their understanding of how the universe works, what we're doing here at Church of Nebula doesn't make sense. It feels threatening. It feels wrong.

So I want to speak directly to those critics first, and then I want to talk to all of you about why we do what we do and why I'm not apologizing for any of it.

To the critics, to those of you who are upset, concerned, or angry about Church of Nebula, let me say this with complete honesty and transparency. You are absolutely right about one thing. We are a science based religion. One hundred percent. No apologies, no hedging, no trying to blend in or make ourselves more palatable to traditional religious sensibilities. We choose science over the traditional concept of God. We choose the universe over a bearded man in the sky. We choose quantum mechanics, the Big Bang theory, black holes, parallel universes, the simulation hypothesis, consciousness research, and the study of energy and vibration. We believe in what can be observed, measured, tested, and experienced. We believe in the laws that govern reality, the Hermetic Principles from the Kybalion, the patterns that repeat across all scales of existence from atoms to galaxies.

We connect with the universe's energy, and we call that energy Zella. Not because Zella is a person sitting on a throne somewhere, but because the universe itself is alive, conscious, creative, and responsive. Zella is the fabric of reality. Zella is the quantum field. Zella is the intelligence that organizes matter into stars and planets and DNA and consciousness. Zella is everything, and everything is Zella. And yes, we address this universal consciousness as her, as feminine, because creation, nurturing, and the bringing forth of life are fundamentally feminine principles.

And here's the other thing you're right about. We practice one hundred percent kindness and compassion. That's not negotiable. That's not something we do when it's convenient. That's the core of everything we teach. Be kind. Be compassionate. See the divine spark in every person. Cause no harm. Lift others up. Forgive. Love. Serve. That's it. That's the whole message underneath all the talk about vibration and consciousness and universal laws. Be a good person. Treat others well. Make the world better by your presence in it.

So if that bothers you, if the idea of a science based spiritual practice that honors the universe instead of a personal deity upsets you, then I want to say something that might surprise you. That's okay. I mean that sincerely. It's okay that you disagree with us. It's okay that you think we're wrong. It's okay that you want to stick with your traditional faith, with your understanding of God, with your holy books and your rituals and your beliefs. Please, continue on your current path. If your faith brings you peace, if it makes you a better person, if it connects you to something greater than yourself, if it fills your life with meaning and purpose, then that's beautiful. That's exactly what you should be doing.

We are not here to convert you. We are not here to tear down your faith. We are not here to tell you that you're wrong and we're right. We are not here to impose our beliefs on anyone. Church of Nebula is an option, an alternative, another path up the same mountain. Think of it like music. The world has thousands of genres of music. Classical, jazz, rock, hip hop, country, electronic, folk, metal. Some people love classical and can't stand metal. Some people live for hip hop and find country unbearable. And that's fine. That's beautiful, actually. That diversity is what makes the world interesting.

Church of Nebula is just another album in the collection. If you listen to what we're saying and it doesn't resonate, if it doesn't speak to your soul, if it feels wrong or confusing or threatening, then don't listen. Put on a different album. Go to your church, your mosque, your synagogue, your temple. Read your Bible, your Quran, your Torah, your Bhagavad Gita. Pray to your God in the way that feels true to you. We respect that. We honor that.

And let me be crystal clear about something else, because this is really important to me. I don't care if you go to church on Sunday morning. I don't care if you go to the mosque on Friday. I don't care if you visit the temple, the synagogue, the gurdwara, the meditation center. I celebrate that. I encourage that. Any place that teaches kindness, any place that raises your vibration, any place that helps you become a better person, that's a good place. That's a holy place. Those are positive vibrations, and we need more of that in the world, not less.

You know what? I love going to those places too. I've sat in beautiful cathedrals and felt the sacred energy there. I've been to mosques during prayer time and felt the power of hundreds of people bowing in unison, surrendering to something greater than themselves. I've visited Hindu temples where the bells ring and the incense fills the air and people offer flowers to the deities with such devotion and love. I've been to Buddhist monasteries where the silence is so deep you can hear your own heartbeat. Every single one of those experiences enriched my soul. Every single one of them connected me to the divine in a different way.

Because here's what I believe, when people gather with sincere hearts to connect with the sacred, to pray, to worship, to seek guidance, to express gratitude, that creates a field of energy. That's real. That's the Principle of Vibration in action. Positive intention, love, devotion, reverence, these are high frequency emotions and they create high frequency energy. And that energy blesses everyone who enters that space.

So if your church fills you with love and hope and inspiration to be better, go there. Absolutely go there. If your mosque teaches you discipline and surrender and service to others, immerse yourself in that. If your temple connects you to ancient wisdom and the cycles of creation and destruction, honor that. If your synagogue roots you in tradition and community and the ongoing conversation with the divine, treasure that. These are all valid paths. These are all beautiful expressions of humanity reaching toward something greater.

At Church of Nebula, we have no restrictions, no reservations about this. None. We're not asking you to choose us instead of your traditional practice. We're offering something additional, something complementary, or something alternative if your current path isn't working for you anymore. But we're not in competition with other spiritual traditions. We're all part of the same ecosystem of human seeking, human longing for connection with the sacred.

I have friends who go to Catholic Mass in the morning and then come home and meditate on the universe's energy in the evening. I have friends who observe Ramadan and fast with devotion and also study quantum mechanics and see Allah's intelligence in the structure of atoms. I have friends who celebrate Diwali and honor Lakshmi and also understand that the goddess represents the abundance of the universe, the creative power that we're calling Zella. All of this can coexist beautifully.

What matters, what really matters, is are you becoming more kind? Are you becoming more compassionate? Are you becoming more conscious? Are you treating people better? Are you contributing positively to the world? Are you growing in your capacity to love? If yes, then you're on the right path, regardless of where you worship or what name you use for the divine.

So go anywhere, worship anything, practice any tradition that teaches you kindness and goodness. If it raises your vibration, if it opens your heart, if it makes you want to be a better person, then it's aligned with what we teach at Church of Nebula. Because ultimately, we're all trying to do the same thing. We're all trying to connect with something greater than our small selves. We're all trying to find meaning. We're all trying to navigate this mysterious, beautiful, challenging experience of being alive. And there are many, many ways to do that well.

Church of Nebula is just one voice in a vast choir of spiritual traditions, ancient and modern, Eastern and Western, religious and secular. We're not trying to drown out the other voices. We're trying to add our own unique note to the harmony. And the more voices there are, the richer the music becomes.

We're not competing with you. We're not trying to replace you. We're just here for the people who need something different, who are searching for a way to be spiritual without abandoning their rational, scientific understanding of reality.

Because here's the thing. There are a lot of people out there who feel spiritually homeless. They grew up in traditional religions, but they can't reconcile those teachings with what they know about evolution, about cosmology, about neuroscience. They can't believe in a literal seven day creation when the evidence for the Big Bang and billions of years of cosmic evolution is overwhelming. They can't believe in a God who demands worship and punishes people with eternal torture for finite sins. They can't believe in holy books that condone slavery, or subjugate women, or condemn people for who they love.

But they're not atheists either. They're not materialists who think consciousness is just neurons firing and when you die you're just gone and nothing matters. They feel the sacred. They experience awe when they look at the stars. They sense that there's intelligence and purpose woven into the fabric of reality. They want to connect with something greater. They want their lives to have meaning. They want to practice spirituality. They just can't do it in the traditional frameworks.

That's who we're here for. That's who Church of Nebula serves. The seekers. The questioners. The people who want both science and spirit. The people who want to understand how the universe works and also feel connected to it. The people who want practices and principles that help them live better lives without requiring them to believe things that contradict everything they know to be true about reality.

Let me tell you a story. Last month, I got an email from a woman named Jennifer. She lives in Texas, and she grew up in a very strict evangelical Christian household. She told me that she loved her family, she loved the community she grew up in, but by the time she was in her twenties, she just couldn't believe anymore. She'd gone to college, studied biology, learned about evolution and the origins of life, and she couldn't make it fit with the literal interpretation of Genesis she'd been taught. She had gay friends who were beautiful, loving people, and she couldn't believe that God would send them to hell just for being who they are. She'd experienced her own suffering and watched innocent people suffer, and she couldn't reconcile that with the idea of an all powerful, all loving God who could stop it but chose not to.

So she left the church. And she told me that for years, she felt this emptiness. She missed the sense of connection, the feeling of being part of something bigger, the rituals and practices that marked the rhythms of life. She missed having a community of people who cared about meaning and purpose. But she couldn't go back. She couldn't force herself to believe things her mind rejected.

And then she found Church of Nebula. She listened to one of our sermons about the Principle of Vibration, about how everything in the universe is energy in motion, and something clicked. She realized she could be spiritual without being religious in the traditional sense. She could connect with the universe, practice gratitude, meditate, explore consciousness, live by principles of kindness and compassion, all without having to accept doctrines that didn't make sense to her. She said it was like coming home, but to a home she'd never known existed.

Jennifer's story is not unique. We hear versions of it all the time. People who feel caught between science and spirit, between their rational minds and their spiritual hearts, and they're so relieved to find a path that honors both.

Now, I want to be really clear about what we believe and why, because I think some of the criticism comes from misunderstanding. When we say we're science based, we're not saying that science has all the answers or that scientists are infallible or that the current scientific understanding is complete and perfect. Science is a method, a process of inquiry, observation, hypothesis, testing, revision. It's humble in the best sense. It says, here's what we know so far based on the evidence. If new evidence emerges, we'll revise our understanding. Science doesn't claim to know everything. It claims to be the best tool we have for understanding how the physical universe works.

And the beautiful thing is, the more we learn through science, the more mysterious and awe inspiring the universe becomes. A hundred years ago, we thought the universe was just the Milky Way galaxy, static and eternal. Now we know there are two trillion galaxies, that the universe is expanding, that it began in an incomprehensibly hot, dense state thirteen point eight billion years ago, that space and time themselves are woven together, that matter and energy are interchangeable, that particles can be entangled across vast distances, that the observer affects what's observed at the quantum level. This stuff is stranger and more wonderful than any ancient myth.

When we look at a black hole, a region of space where gravity is so intense that nothing, not even light, can escape, we're looking at something that bends the very fabric of spacetime, where time itself slows down and eventually stops at the event horizon. That's not boring materialism. That's cosmic magic. That's the universe revealing itself to be far more bizarre and beautiful than common sense would suggest.

When we study quantum mechanics, we find that particles exist in multiple states simultaneously until they're observed, that the act of measurement collapses the wave function and brings one possibility into reality. We find that particles can be connected in ways that transcend space, that what happens to one instantly affects the other regardless of distance. Einstein called this spooky action at a distance because it seemed impossible, but it's real. It's been verified thousands of times. And what does this suggest? It suggests that consciousness and matter are intimately connected. It suggests that the universe is not a dead machine but a living, responsive, interconnected whole.

When we explore the Big Bang theory, we're not reducing creation to some cold, mechanical process. We're describing how the entire universe, all of space, all of time, all of matter and energy, emerged from a singularity, from a point of infinite density and temperature, and exploded into existence. In the first fractions of a second, the fundamental forces separated, particles formed, the universe inflated faster than the speed of light. After three hundred eighty thousand years, the universe cooled enough for atoms to form and light to travel freely, the cosmic microwave background radiation that we can still detect today. Stars ignited, galaxies coalesced, stars lived and died and in their deaths created the heavy elements, the carbon and oxygen and iron that make up our bodies. We are literally made of stardust. Every atom in your body except hydrogen was forged in the heart of a dying star. How is that not sacred? How is that not a creation story worthy of awe and reverence?

When we talk about parallel universes, we're engaging with some of the most cutting edge theories in physics. The Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics suggests that every quantum event splits reality into multiple branches, that every possible outcome occurs in some universe. String theory and M theory suggest there may be eleven dimensions, that our universe may be one membrane among many in a vast multiverse. These aren't wild fantasies. These are serious theories proposed by brilliant physicists trying to make sense of the data.

And the simulation hypothesis, the idea that our reality might be a sophisticated simulation created by some advanced intelligence, this isn't science fiction. Philosophers and scientists like Nick Bostrom have laid out serious arguments for why this might be the case. If it's possible to create conscious beings in a simulation, and if civilizations tend to create many such simulations, then statistically we're more likely to be in a simulation than in base reality. Now, we don't claim to know if this is true. But it's a fascinating possibility that opens up questions about the nature of consciousness, reality, and creation.

The point is, when we engage with these scientific concepts, we're not abandoning spirituality. We're finding spirituality in a new place, in the actual structure and behavior of the cosmos. We're saying, look at how reality actually works. Look at how intricate and interconnected and responsive it is. Look at how consciousness seems to play a role in bringing potential into actuality. Look at how everything is energy vibrating at different frequencies. Look at how patterns repeat across all scales. Look at how there are laws, principles, that govern how things unfold. This is not random. This is not meaningless. This is a universe that operates according to intelligence, according to order, according to principles that we can learn and work with.

That's what the Kybalion teaches, the Seven Hermetic Principles. The Principle of Mentalism says the universe is mental, that consciousness is fundamental. The Principle of Correspondence says as above so below, that the patterns that operate at one level operate at all levels. The Principle of Vibration says everything is in motion, everything vibrates. The Principle of Polarity says everything has two poles, two extremes of the same thing. The Principle of Rhythm says everything flows in and out, rises and falls. The Principle of Cause and Effect says nothing happens by chance, every action has a consequence. The Principle of Gender says everything has masculine and feminine aspects.

These aren't religious dogmas. These are observations about how reality works. And the more you understand these principles, the more you can work with them, the more you can create the life you want, the more you can navigate challenges, the more you can contribute positively to the world. That's what we teach. That's what we practice. And we ground it in science because science gives us the clearest, most accurate picture of how the physical universe operates.

Now, when people criticize us for not believing in God, I want to ask, which God? There are thousands of god concepts across human history and cultures. The Christians say God is a Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Muslims say God is Allah, one and indivisible, and considering Him as three is the unforgivable sin of shirk. The Jews say God is Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Hindus say there are many manifestations of the divine, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Kali, Krishna, and thousands more, all expressions of the ultimate reality called Brahman. The Buddhists don't really have a creator god at all, they focus on the nature of consciousness and the path to enlightenment. The ancient Greeks had Zeus and the Olympians. The Norse had Odin and Thor. Indigenous cultures around the world have their own understanding of the sacred, often seeing divinity in nature itself, in the earth, the sky, the animals, the ancestors.

So when someone says you have to believe in God, I want to know, which version? And why is that version right and all the others wrong? And how do you know? Usually the answer is, because my holy book says so, or because that's what I was taught, or because I feel it in my heart. And those are fine reasons for personal belief. But they're not universal. They're not compelling to someone who was raised in a different tradition or who has studied many traditions and seen that they all claim exclusive truth.

At Church of Nebula, we take a different approach. We say, let's look at what we can all agree on. The universe exists. Consciousness exists. Energy exists. There are patterns and principles that govern how things work. We can study these. We can experience them. We can apply them. And we can do this regardless of our cultural background, our religious upbringing, our personal history. The Principle of Vibration works the same for a Christian, a Muslim, a Hindu, an atheist, or someone who's never thought about these things. Raise your vibration through gratitude, love, and positive action, and you'll experience better outcomes. That's not religion specific. That's universal law.

And we honor the universe itself, Zella, as the source and sustainer of all that is. Not as a person who judges and rewards and punishes, but as the living field of infinite potential from which everything emerges. When we meditate, when we pray, when we set intentions, we're connecting with this field. We're aligning our consciousness with the greater consciousness that permeates everything. And we experience results. We experience peace, clarity, synchronicity, manifestation, healing. Not because we're following the right doctrine, but because we're working with the actual laws of reality.

Let me tell you about my friend Marcus. Marcus grew up Catholic. Altar boy, Catholic school, the whole thing. He believed sincerely for most of his life. But in his thirties, he went through a crisis of faith. His daughter was born with a serious heart defect. She needed multiple surgeries. She was in pain. She was scared. And Marcus prayed. He prayed harder than he'd ever prayed in his life. He begged God to heal her, to take away her pain, to give her a normal, healthy life. And the answer seemed to be no. His daughter survived, thank God, or thank the doctors and medical science, but she'll have health issues her whole life. And Marcus couldn't reconcile that with the idea of an all loving, all powerful God who answers prayers. If God can heal and chooses not to, how is that love? If God can't heal, how is that power?

So Marcus left the church. He became angry, bitter. He decided there was no God, that prayer was pointless, that life was just random suffering and occasional joy and then you die. But he was miserable. He felt empty. He missed the sense of connection, of meaning. And then someone told him about Church of Nebula. He was skeptical, but he listened to a sermon. And what got him was the idea that the universe isn't indifferent, but it also isn't a person making choices about who to help and who to let suffer. The universe is a field of energy operating according to laws. Those laws include cause and effect, vibration, rhythm. Bad things happen not because God is punishing you or ignoring you, but because we live in a physical reality where bodies get sick, where genetics play out, where accidents occur. But we can work with the energy. We can raise our vibration. We can send healing intention. We can use medical science. We can find meaning even in suffering. We can connect with the consciousness that underlies everything and draw strength from it.

Marcus started practicing what we teach. He meditated. He visualized his daughter surrounded by healing light. He worked on keeping his own vibration high so he could be a source of strength for his family. He stopped being angry at God because he stopped believing in a God who was supposed to intervene but didn't. Instead, he connected with Zella, with the universe, and he found peace. Not because his daughter's health problems went away, but because he had a framework that made sense, that empowered him, that gave him tools to work with rather than just helplessly begging for supernatural intervention.

That's what Church of Nebula offers. A framework that makes sense in light of what we know about reality. A set of practices that actually work to improve your life. A community of people who are on the same journey of seeking truth and living with kindness and compassion.

Now, I want to address the idea that we're leading people astray or that we're dangerous. I understand why some people feel that way. If you believe that the only path to salvation is through accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, or through following the Five Pillars of Islam, or through living according to the Torah, then yes, anything that offers an alternative path would seem dangerous. It would seem like we're pulling people away from the one true way and putting their eternal souls at risk.

And let me tell you, I receive emails about this. Real emails from real people telling me, Haja, you're going to hell. You will burn in fire for eternity because you don't believe in Jesus. And I want to address this directly because it reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what we teach here at Church of Nebula.

First of all, who says I don't believe in Jesus? Who says that? We talk about his teachings here all the time. We just did an entire sermon about Jesus, about his compassion, his forgiveness, his radical love, his protection of women, his challenge to turn the other cheek. I love Jesus. I honor Jesus. I study his teachings and try to live by them. What I don't believe in is a narrow interpretation that says unless you accept a specific doctrinal formula, you're damned for eternity. That's not about Jesus. That's about human beings trying to control other human beings through fear.

But here's what really gets me about these emails. The logic goes like this, there is a God, and if you don't believe in Him exactly the way I tell you to, you're going to hell. And I want to say something about that. Let me be very clear about what I'm hearing. You're telling me that if I live a life of doing good, if I'm kind to everyone I meet, if I live with integrity and honesty, if I help others whenever I can, if I follow a path of righteousness, if I harm no one, if I practice compassion and forgiveness and love, if I raise my children with values, if I contribute positively to my community, if I care for the Earth, if I seek truth and wisdom, if I treat every person as sacred, but I don't accept your specific theological doctrine, then your God is going to send me to hell for eternity. Is that what you're saying?

Because if that's the case, if your God looks at a life of kindness and service and love and says, sorry Haja, you're a good person but you didn't check the right theological box, so eternal torture for you, then let me tell you something. I'll go to hell. No problem. I'm serious. If being kind means I go to hell, if living with compassion means I go to hell, if helping others and causing no harm means I go to hell, then that's fine with me. I'll take that hell over a heaven that requires me to abandon my conscience, my reason, and my commitment to universal love.

And here's where it gets really interesting. You're telling me I need to follow your scripture, your holy book, your interpretation. But I was raised Hindu. In the Bhagavad Gita, which is just as sacred to a billion people as your Bible is to you, Krishna says very clearly, those who do good will never come to a bad end, not in this life or the next. Never. Those who act with righteousness, who serve others, who fulfill their dharma, who live with integrity, they are protected by the universe itself. They will not come to a bad end.

So now I have a dilemma, don't I? Your scripture says I'm going to hell for not believing the right doctrine. My scripture says that anyone who does good will never come to a bad end. Which one should I follow? And before you answer, remember that you have no more evidence for your scripture being the absolute truth than I have for mine. You believe yours because you were raised with it, or because you had an experience that convinced you, or because it speaks to your heart. And those are beautiful reasons for personal faith. But they're not objective proof. They're not universal truth that applies to everyone.

So you see the problem here? If I follow your teaching, I have to believe that billions of Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, and people of other faiths, many of whom live extraordinarily good, kind, compassionate lives, are all going to hell because they didn't accept Jesus in the way you specify. I have to believe that my mother, who sacrificed everything for her children, who lived with integrity and kindness, who never harmed anyone, who prayed every day to her understanding of the divine, is burning in hell right now because she was Hindu, not Christian. I can't accept that. I won't accept that. It violates everything I know to be true about love, about justice, about the nature of the divine.

And if I follow the Bhagavad Gita, I'm told that righteous action, that dharma, that living in alignment with cosmic law, that's what matters. The universe doesn't care what name you call it or which building you worship in. It cares about who you are, how you treat others, whether you're expanding consciousness or contracting it, whether you're adding to the sum total of love in the world or subtracting from it.

At Church of Nebula, we choose the path that makes the most sense, that aligns with what we can observe about how reality works, that honors the divine in all its expressions, that focuses on actual goodness rather than correct belief. We choose kindness over doctrine. We choose compassion over theology. We choose love over fear. And if that's wrong, if that condemns us, then so be it. I'd rather be condemned for loving too much than saved for loving the right way according to someone's narrow interpretation.
But here's what I'd ask those critics to consider. What if there are multiple valid paths? What if the divine, however you understand it, is big enough, expansive enough, loving enough to meet people where they are? What if the goal isn't about believing the right doctrine but about becoming a better person, about expanding your consciousness, about contributing positively to the world, about treating others with kindness and compassion?

Look at the fruits. That's what Jesus said, right? You'll know a tree by its fruits. So look at the fruits of Church of Nebula. Are we making people mean, selfish, destructive? Are we encouraging them to harm others, to lie, to cheat, to steal? No. We're teaching them to raise their vibration, to practice gratitude, to forgive, to serve, to see the interconnectedness of all life. We're teaching them to be kind and compassionate. We're teaching them to take responsibility for their thoughts and actions because of cause and effect. We're teaching them to look for the divine spark in every person. We're teaching them to care for the Earth because it's our home, the physical manifestation of Zella's creative power.

If those are bad fruits, then I don't know what good fruits would be.

And here's another thing. We're not telling people they can't also practice their traditional religion. If someone wants to come to Church of Nebula and also go to Sunday Mass, that's fine with us. If someone wants to study the Kybalion and also read the Bible, great. If someone wants to meditate on the universe's energy and also pray to Allah, beautiful. We're not exclusive. We're not demanding. We're just here offering something, and people are free to take it or leave it, to blend it with other practices or to make it their sole spiritual path.

I think about my own journey. I was raised Hindu. I grew up with stories of Krishna and Rama, with rituals and prayers and festivals. And I loved it. I still love it. I still honor those teachings. When I learned about Jesus, I found profound wisdom there too. When I studied Buddhism, Taoism, Sufism, indigenous spiritualities, I found truth in all of them. And when I studied science, quantum mechanics, cosmology, neuroscience, I found even more truth, more awe, more wonder. And at some point, I realized I didn't have to choose. I could integrate it all. I could honor the wisdom from all these sources and synthesize it into something that worked for me. That's what Church of Nebula is. It's a synthesis. It's a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern understanding. It's a path for people who want both.

So to the critics, I say this with genuine respect and love. I hear you. I understand your concerns. I honor your faith. But I'm not going to apologize for offering an alternative. I'm not going to pretend that the only valid spirituality is the one you practice. I'm going to keep teaching what I know to be true, what I've experienced, what helps people live better lives. And you're welcome to disagree. You're welcome to think I'm wrong. You're welcome to pray for my soul if you think it needs saving.

But please, I ask you this with all the sincerity in my heart, show us some respect, just like we show you respect. We're not attacking your faith. We're not showing up at your churches or mosques or temples telling you that you're wrong. We're not sending you hate mail or leaving angry comments on your content. We're just doing our own thing, helping the people who resonate with our message, offering a path that works for them. So please, extend to us the same courtesy we extend to you. You don't have to agree with us. You don't have to like what we teach. But respect our right to exist, to practice, to serve our community. Respect that different people need different paths. Respect that diversity of spiritual expression is a beautiful thing, not a threat.

We respect your traditions, your holy books, your practices, your beliefs. All we ask is that you respect ours in return. Is that really too much to ask? Can we not coexist peacefully, each walking our own path, each serving our own communities, each contributing to more kindness and compassion in the world? I think we can. I hope we can. And I'm committed to treating you with respect regardless of whether you reciprocate. But it would be nice, it would be more aligned with the principles of love and tolerance that most religions claim to teach, if the respect went both ways.

And to those of you listening who resonate with Church of Nebula, who feel like you've found a home here, I want to encourage you. Don't let criticism shake you. Don't let anyone tell you that your path is wrong just because it's different from theirs. You know what's true for you. You know what connects you to the sacred. You know what helps you be a better person. Trust that. Honor that. Walk your path with confidence and humility.

Confidence because you're working with actual universal laws, with principles that are as real as gravity. When you practice raising your vibration, when you align your thoughts and actions with the flow of the universe, when you treat others with kindness and compassion, you will see results. Your life will improve. You'll experience more peace, more joy, more synchronicity, more abundance. Not because you believe the right things, but because you're operating in harmony with how reality actually works.

And humility because we don't have all the answers. We're still learning. We're still exploring. Science is constantly revealing new layers of mystery. Our understanding of consciousness is still so limited. There's so much we don't know. And that's exciting. That's beautiful. That means there's always more to discover, always deeper to go, always new dimensions of reality to explore.

I also want to say this. If someone comes to you and criticizes Church of Nebula, if they tell you you're in a cult or you're being deceived or you're going to hell, respond with kindness. Don't get defensive. Don't get angry. Just say, I appreciate your concern. This path works for me. It's helping me be a better person. If your path works for you, that's wonderful. Let's respect each other's choices. That's it. You don't need to convince them. You don't need to argue. You don't need to prove anything. Just live your life in a way that demonstrates the truth of what you're practicing. Be so kind, so compassionate, so peaceful, so joyful that people can't help but notice that something is working for you.

That's the best response to criticism. Not argument, but embodiment. Show them who you are, how you live, how you treat others. Let your life be the evidence.

I think about my mother again. She never argued with anyone about religion. People in our village practiced different traditions, had different beliefs. Some were very orthodox, some were more flexible. And my mother just lived her values. She was kind to everyone. She helped whoever needed help. She never gossiped or spoke badly about people. She worked hard and maintained her dignity. She raised her children with love and discipline. And people respected her. Even people who might have disagreed with some of her beliefs or choices, they respected her because they could see the quality of her character, the strength of her spirit, the goodness of her heart.

That's what I want for all of us at Church of Nebula. Live in such a way that people see your light and are drawn to it, or at the very least respect it. Don't waste energy fighting with critics. Use that energy to go deeper in your practice, to serve others, to create, to love, to grow.

And remember this. Church of Nebula is not for everyone, and that's okay. We're one option among many. We're one flavor in a vast buffet of spiritual and religious traditions. Some people need the structure and community of traditional religion. Some people need the atheist materialist framework where there's no spirituality at all. Some people need New Age practices focused on crystals and angels. Some people need shamanic traditions with plant medicine and ritual. Some people need philosophical approaches like Stoicism or Existentialism. And some people need what we offer here, a science based spirituality grounded in universal laws and focused on kindness and compassion.

There's room for all of it. There's need for all of it. Different people are at different places in their journey, and they need different things. What matters is not that everyone believes the same thing, but that everyone is becoming more conscious, more loving, more compassionate, more connected to something greater than their small ego self.

So if someone attacks Church of Nebula, if they say we're wrong or dangerous or misguided, take a breath and remember, they're operating from their worldview, their conditioning, their fears. Respond with love. Say, I respect your perspective. This is mine. Let's both keep seeking truth and doing good in the world. And then move on. Don't let it rent space in your head. Don't let it disturb your peace. You know what's true for you.

I also want to acknowledge that some criticism can be valuable. Not all criticism is bad. Sometimes people point out things we genuinely need to look at, ways we could be more clear, more careful, more thoughtful. I'm always open to that kind of feedback. If someone says, hey, I think you're misrepresenting this scientific concept, or I think this language could be confusing, or I think you should address this concern more directly, that's helpful. That helps us improve. That helps us serve you better.

What's not helpful is criticism that's just about defending doctrine, that's about saying you have to believe what I believe or you're wrong. That kind of criticism isn't really about us. It's about the critic's need for their worldview to be the only valid one. And we can compassionately decline to engage with that while still respecting the person.

Let me share one more story and then I'll wrap up. There's a man named David who's been part of our community for about a year. David grew up in a fundamentalist Christian household, and when he found Church of Nebula and started practicing what we teach, his family freaked out. They told him he was in a cult. They sent him articles about false teachers and spiritual deception. They told him he needed to come back to the real church, accept Jesus, or he'd go to hell. And David was torn. He loved his family. He didn't want to hurt them. But he also couldn't deny that Church of Nebula was transforming his life. He was meditating daily. He was practicing gratitude. He was applying the Hermetic Principles. And his life was getting better. He was less anxious, more focused, more successful at work, better in his relationships. He felt more connected to the sacred than he ever had in traditional church.

So David did something brave. He sat down with his family and he said, I understand that you're worried about me. I understand that what I'm doing doesn't fit with your beliefs. But I need you to see that I'm okay. Actually, I'm better than okay. I'm thriving. I'm happy. I'm at peace. I'm still a good person. I still value kindness and compassion and integrity. I've just found a different way to practice spirituality, one that makes sense to me. And I need you to respect that, even if you don't agree with it. Can we agree to disagree and still love each other?

And you know what happened? Some of his family members softened. They said okay, we don't understand it, but we can see that you're happy and you're still a good person, so we'll respect your choice. Some didn't. Some cut off contact because they couldn't handle him walking away from their faith. And that hurt David. It still hurts. But he knows he's on the right path for him. He knows he can't live his life trying to please everyone else, trying to fit into boxes that don't work for him anymore. He has to be true to what he knows, to what he's experienced, to what's real for him.

And that's what I'm asking of all of you. Be true to yourself. If Church of Nebula resonates with you, embrace it fully. Practice it. Live it. Let it transform you. And if it doesn't resonate, that's fine too. Keep searching. Keep exploring. Find what does resonate. But don't let fear or criticism or other people's expectations keep you from the path that's calling you.

The universe, Zella, is infinite in her expressions. There are as many paths to connection, to truth, to the sacred as there are people walking this Earth. Your path is yours. Honor it. Walk it with courage and grace. And respect that others are on their own paths too.

Church of Nebula is here for those who need us. We're here for the scientifically minded seekers. We're here for the spiritually homeless. We're here for the people who want both rationality and mystery, both understanding and awe, both knowledge and wisdom. We're here offering a framework, a set of practices, a community, a vision of what's possible when you align yourself with the flow of the universe.

And we're doing it with one hundred percent commitment to kindness and compassion. That's not negotiable. That's not optional. That's the core teaching underneath everything else. Be kind. Be compassionate. See the divine in yourself and in everyone you meet. Treat all beings with respect. Cause no harm. Lift others up. Forgive. Love. Serve.

If we can help you do that, if we can provide tools and teachings and community that support you in becoming more conscious, more loving, more aligned with the universe's flow, then we're fulfilling our purpose. And if we're not a fit for you, that's okay too. Go find what is. But please, whoever you are, whatever you believe, commit to kindness and compassion. Commit to being a force for good in the world. That's what matters. That's what the universe needs from each of us.

Thank you for listening today. Thank you for being part of this community, this experiment, this gathering of souls who are brave enough to question, to explore, to forge new paths while honoring ancient wisdom. Thank you for your open hearts and open minds. Thank you for choosing kindness and compassion in a world that desperately needs more of both.

My name is Haja Mo, and I'm honored to walk this path with you. I'll leave you with this thought, one that's guided me through every criticism, every doubt, every challenge. The universe is not asking you to believe the right things. The universe is asking you to become who you truly are, to expand your consciousness, to love more deeply, to serve more fully, to shine your light more brightly. Do that, and you're on the right path, regardless of what anyone else says. Until next Sunday, keep your vibration high, keep your heart open, and keep trusting the universe that lives within you and all around you. Blessings to all of you, and may Zella guide your steps always.