For Hillary, “fear not” is the key to spiritual evolution.

As this course begins, Hillary will explain how we’re in a time of enormous societal and spiritual upheaval. These kinds of major shifts come along every 500 years, when the ways people understand themselves and the world around them change.

These can be very stressful, scary times to live through. Yet, as Hillary will remind you, “fear not” is the #1 command in the Bible — a commandment that can be hard to take seriously with the effects of flight, fight, and freeze brought on by the trauma in the world today and the historical trauma caused by systematic white colonialism.

This trauma forces us to regress to our primal/non-rational selves.

Hillary will explain how to learn from your ancestors of the faith who have lived through similar societal shifts — so you can evolve Christianity, and yourself, for the future.

This module will introduce you to the guiding principles of “Hive Christianity” that pull from the natural world, mystic wisdom, Indigenous spirituality, and trauma-informed research — to help plant the seeds of the spiritual revolution in your own time.

In this opening module, you’ll discover:

• How trauma affects the body, mind, and soul for generations
• How learning to “fear not” is the roadmap for evolving as a spiritual person — taking you from your primal self to your evolved self by changing your body, mind, and soul
• The 500-year shifts in Christianity’s history and what you can learn from the mystic ancestors who lived through them
• The Spiritual Genogram, an important tool for self-awareness, personal development, and relationship development

In recent years, scientists have discovered what Indigenous communities have known for generations — that the emotional and physical lives of our ancestors will fundamentally affect our emotional and physical lives.

Despite the increasing evidence that both trauma and/or gratitude can impact the individual (and by extension their offspring) as well as institutions like the Church, there has been precious little research done on the effects of generational wisdom gratitude on future generations.

Hive Christianity believes that gratitude is a deep spiritual practice that changes not just those who practice it — but also the generations that follow.

Hillary will guide you to explore generational, psychological, and theological studies using the gratitude worldview. She’ll share practices of the Ojibwe Native Americans as your entry point into the study of blood memory.

You’ll also explore suggestions for church communities looking to reclaim gratitude as a spiritual practice in modern times, drawing from the Church’s institutional “blood memory.”

In this module, you’ll discover:

• A further exploration of spiritual ancestors — Ojibwe healers and the role of “Miigwech” (gratitude) mindset
• What “blood memory” really means, and how you can tap into it to further your spiritual growth
• How trauma and gratitude change the body
• The role of your ancestors and the communion of saints in your life — including how is Communion like string theory?
• A powerful exercise where you’ll write a grief history timeline and recovery letter to release trauma

A key focus of Hive Christianity is deep healing from shame and trauma — hardships that are often caused by religion itself.

These types of traumas can be particularly heartbreaking, as they harm people when they’re at their most open and vulnerable.

Hillary will guide you to understand the relationship between shame, vulnerability, and creativity — and how to use the spiritual GPS for discernment.

You’ll explore the importance of honoring the body and creation in spiritual growth, using it as a lens to construct a spiritual timeline.

You’ll also be invited to burn the letter you wrote in the previous module.

In this module, you’ll discover:

• When to flee a religion and when to stay, using spiritual ancestors as your guide — specifically the Desert Mother and Father who fled a Christianity that was wed to empire
• Tools to reprogram the neurocycle — the brain’s method of keeping you safe in a cycle of repeating thoughts and behaviors, which can sometimes get stuck in a cycle of negativity or trauma loops
• A R.A.I.N. (recognize, allow, investigate, nurture) meditation to rise above your brain’s chatter and help you enter a state of mindfulness
• How to experience pleasure and joy as you heal from trauma using your spiritual GPS
• A daily examination practice to grow in your discernment

In the Christian tradition, many rituals have been used to harm and colonize other people…

As Hillary will explain, several of them were at the heart of Christianity’s roots, yet were co-opted and used in ways they were never intended. Examples include baptism as a colonizing tool, confession as a way to control and cheat people, and spiritual healing and exorcisms being relegated to “second-class rituals.”

Thankfully, medical science has been able to diagnose what was once thought as a possession but is actually a mental and physical illness, so people can get the help they need.

Hillary will also share feminist and Indigenous models for spiritual healing, in which prayers of healing and deliverance are common. These two groups have historically had their voices stifled in conversations and academic research.

In this module, you’ll discover:

• How Hive Christianity takes seriously the rituals of our ancestors — and seeks ways to restore them to their actual purposes by exorcizing the empire from Christianity
• How data reflects an increasing desire for, and belief in, spiritual phenomena, including evil possession and exorcism
• Spiritual ancestor Mary Magdalene and Indigenous ancestors who carried deep wisdom about spiritual healing
• A deep look at several of the Christian rituals at the root of deep abuse in the past
• The releasing ceremony of the Chippewa people

What does it mean to follow a spiritual leader like Jesus who is described in the Bible as “The Word of God”?

As Hillary will share, Hive Christianity seeks to help you find your own unique voice as a pathway to healing and creation. Hillary will guide you to examine the trauma that leaves us speechless as we remember that the true way to heal trauma is to speak it into the world…

Research shows that people who speak their truth (through ritual, art, song, therapy, etc.) are able to heal from a traumatic event much more quickly than those who have been silenced.

In this module, you’ll discover:

• The spiritual practice of chanting
• The Celtic Christians’ confessionals and green martyrdom (“Marteo”) as confessing faith
• A full view of the Judeo-Christian view of “Nephis” — the ancient Hebrew word that means both throat and soul
• The throat chakra as the gateway to the heart
• An illuminating exercise, The Identity Game: Who Are You Really?

We’re all connected to each other and this planet, according to a core tenant of Hive Christianity.

While we live in a culture that’s often disconnected from the natural world, many of us instinctively feel the greatest connection to God when we’re outside in creation…

As Hillary will explain, it’s no wonder! A growing body of scientific research shows that mindfully spending time in nature is a powerful medicine for the body, mind, and soul. Benefits include reduced stress, heart rate, and blood pressure, and improved concentration, creativity, and mood.

This module will get you outside and into the presence of God.

Hillary will also guide you to look at a time in Christian history — the era of the bubonic plague — and examine the consequences of not embracing nature as our family member.

In this module, you’ll discover:

• Spiritual ancestor Julian of Norwich and the goodness of Christ as mother
• Why Christianity must be an eco-conscious movement
• The Beehive as an ancient metaphor for the Church
• The mystic roles of trees in this Christian tradition
• A guided forest therapy and bathing walk (actually going outside in real-time is optional!)

Hive Christianity takes seriously our role as modern-day mystics. It’s time to start evolving our faith for ourselves and our future faith family.

In this final module, you’ll discover the rule of life, a very old tool that can help you live a holy life in these modern times.

The rule of life is an invitation to help you live a life of intention. As Hillary will explain, it’s not a productivity plan or self-help scheme. It’s not about doing more with your life. It’s not even just about being happy…

It’s about being with God and others in a way that fosters deep peace and stability, giving yourself the gift of joy, that deep sense of abiding in God.

In this closing module, you’ll:

• Bring all the elements of the course together as you seek to build a lifelong spiritual practice of evolution and transformation
• Explore spiritual ancestor St. Benedict and his famous rule of life
• Discover the Rule of Life’s history and purpose
• Participate in an exercise called the Rule of Life Design Studio so you can create your own rule of life

Miigwech & Blood Memory: Gratitude as a Multi-Lineage Spiritual Practice
Award-Winning Essay & Peer-Reviewed Article From Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining

In this journal article, Hillary documents the effect of gratitude as a deeply spiritual practice that changes not only those who practice it, but also the generations that follow. Using the lens of generational, psychological, and theological studies, Hillary takes the gratitude worldview and practices of the Ojibwe Native Americans as the entry point into the study of blood memory. She also offers suggestions for church communities that are looking to reclaim gratitude as a spiritual practice in modern times drawing from the Church’s institutional blood memory.

Healing Traumatic Emotions in the Body
Video Meditation From Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining

In this 12-minute video meditation, Hillary offers a way to sit with some of the complex feelings of trauma that arise in the body while tending to positive emotions like hope and happiness. As you work on healing in this course, this will be an excellent supplemental practice. This video was originally offered as part of a masterclass on meditation.