Lessons From Hell part 1

So I did a class on Hell this week....Ministry and the Imagination: And He Descended Into Hell. It was an AWESOME class/retreat and I learned a lot from it. So I thought I'd post some lessons from Hell and some Poems from Hell to give you some idea of what I went through. The poems will be in part 2 of this blog post.

The whole few days were amazing. We descended into hell together and ascended back up into the world together. We did this both literally and figuratively via an exercise that was amazing. We smelled hell, felt hell, saw hell, tasted hell, and heard hell. In my group we danced hell and took pictures of what hell was for us (and made pictures of what hell was for us). We choreographed dances in my group that described hell and coming out of it once again. We had fun, too, with massages and ear candling and creating salts and doing all kinds of artwork! The community was the best part, I think. To get to know people better and to care so much more for them. Going through hell and back really connects you with people. The place was beautiful, going out in the snow and watching the sunrise through the window and just....WOW! And now...to the quotes!

"Hell is not having it of yourself to help yourself"- Heather

"One of the deepest regions of hell is for those incapable of community"- from Dante

"People are Hell"-Sarte.... and the ones condemning people to hell- Heather

"We need our own certainties harrowed and this harrowing can feel like hell"- Heather

If we must go to hell...so must Jesus (since he was fully human)

The nature of God is the irreversible diversity.

One reason we need hell is because we have a need to see those who cause harm punished.

"Christ descended into hell as a conqueror not as a victim"- Heather

time and death are not barriers to God's love, so what barrier is there?

We need someone to teach us how to rebuild ourselves and our lives, whether it be a 12 step group or purgatory

"We are called to walk through fire, not walk on water."- Heather

"You have to fight fire with fire (of God"