Life Coach — Seeker — Real World Mystic
I am so glad you’re here!
If you go no further on this page, before I get into who I am and all that jazz, I want you to know 2 (ok, 3) things:
- You were born good enough.
- You have always been loved.
- Those 2 things will set you free.
I’m Marste, and over the last 20-ish years, I’ve come to believe that we are all part of God, the way a wave is part of the ocean, or our hands are part of our bodies. I also believe that we are born already knowing that we are good enough, just as we are. (Seriously, have you ever listened to a young child tell you enthusiastically how fantastic they are? It’s a beautiful thing!)
That fundamental quality never changes: we are loved and good enough from the moment we’re born until the moment we die. But during the course of our life, we pick up other stories and beliefs about ourselves and about what’s True (with a capital T) from family, religions, the culture at large. And we take those stories to heart. We come to believe (or mis-believe) that we are separate from God, that we were never worthy, that nothing we do could be enough to make us worthy.
We end up believing that the only way back into joy and grace and soul-deep spirituality is through specific churches, specific belief systems, specific behaviors. If we feel guilty enough, or acknowledge our unworthiness, or if we condemn people who don’t live the way we think is “right,” then maybe – MAYBE – God will have pity on us and we’ll make it into heaven.
Eventually some of us end up feeling like there has to be a better way. We feel like we’ve outgrown our religions, our theologies. We question what we’ve always been taught, and then question if we should be questioning.
If you’ve been there, maybe you’ve wondered if you’re making the wrong choice. You’ve wondered if the wrath of God will send you to Hell, and in the same moment wondered how “loving” God can be, if He’d send His children to Hell for eternity. And maybe you’ve tried other religions and philosophies, but nothing “fits,” and yet . . . you still believe in SOMETHING.
I talk to people all the time who are questioning and rewriting their spiritual beliefs. They find themselves in a framework that makes them feel tired, beaten down, even hopeless . . . but they don’t want to be atheists. They’re not really religious anymore. But they’re not sure how to be spiritual without the religion they’ve always known. They’re not sure how to believe in a God that isn’t punitive and punishing.
That’s where I come in.
I am over-the-moon, crazy-pants passionate about helping you remember your worth, your enough-ness, and your divine connection – in the way that works for YOU.
My nuclear family was casually Christian – we church-hopped, sometimes didn’t go at all, showed up for holidays. My dad’s side of the family is DEVOUTLY Catholic, and my mom’s side is DEVOUTLY Baptist, and the community I grew up in is/was DEVOUTLY evangelical/Baptist. And here’s the thing: I was a kid who DESPERATELY wanted to fit it.
You guys, I tried SO HARD to shove myself into the “religious Christian” box: I’d wedge myself in there, decide I was going to go to church and be meek and quiet and get married, have kids and stay home so I could be accepted as a “good Christian.” (I even tried to give up swearing, which . . . YOU GUYS. I love swearing!)
And then that still, small voice in my head would remind me that It couldn’t be placed in a box, that it was bigger, and more beautiful, and somehow both more AND less complicated than everything I was being told.
So I fought my way out of the box(es). I spent 20-ish years studying religion, metaphysics, various interpretations, even a year in grad school studying Spiritual Psychology. What I learned was that every box, every religion, has some Truth and some Bullshit. Some Truth and some Dogma. Some Truth and some Ego. I started looking for where the Truth showed up – where most or all the religions and philosophies said the same things – and I built my relationship with God on that, from the ground up.
Now, I know at my core that we have always been good enough. We have always been loved. It was never, EVER conditional on ANYTHING. And I want you to know that, too.
I’m someone who believes that we are all divinely guided, so if you are here, you’re probably here for a reason. Feel free to look around, check out my social channels linked above (where I spend most of my time), sign up for my email list, leave a comment . . . whatever feels good to you. Let me know how I can help you.
One more time for the folks in the back:
You have always been enough.
You have always been loved.
Once you know those things for sure, you’ll find your freedom.
I love you.