Meet Khaaliq Thomas | Guide for Personal Spiritual Discovery

We had the good fortune of connecting with Khaaliq Thomas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Khaaliq, what do you want your legacy to be?

To me Legacy is about leaving behind an energy, a spirit, a feeling that represents who and what you were speaking for you in your physical absence. For me that legacy would be to leave behind a spirit of wonder, and curiosity that welcomes deep questions. Questions that challenge what we believe to be true giving answers that inspire us to move past cultural and societal norms and predetermined ways of being men and women. Questions that seek to know the meaning beyond life, purpose, and what it means to be who we are.

Asking new questions that explore new perspectives of life, self, God, love, and enlightenment requires venturing beyond what is given to us by parents, friends, culture and religion as true and ultimate. My legacy is inspiring a lifelong movement of discovery, growth, and newness experienced through the quest for spaces and experiences that accommodate the need for each of us to be all that we can be. My legacy is not about a commercial empire left behind, a lifetime of accolades, or an account full of 0’s. My legacy is about waking up something new in people’s spirit, having the courage to follow your own inner light and following the path that it illuminates.

I want people to remember I was someone that influenced them to question cultural norms surrounding religion, spirituality, and personal identity. I want to be remembered as someone that inspired people to look inward for spiritual worth and not strictly outward to an institution or religious doctrine. I want people to remember we are all loved by God, here to prosper, and created not to fit in but to stand out.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

My work involves helping individuals discover God, self, and enlightenment outside religious spaces. The objective of my work is for the individual to develop a personal spiritual practice that enables them to discover God and enlightenment without sacrificing who they are authentically. Religion can be oppression for some as it demands we become “what God wants” instead of acknowledging the value of who we are now.

Religion says, if you belong to the LGBTQ community you are not what God wants. If you don’t believe Christianity is the only way to God, you’re not what God wants. As a woman if you’re unwilling to accept your position in society as the weaker and vulnerable one that needs a leadership from a man, you are not God’s wants. If you don’t pay your tithes, you’re not what God wants. If you’re not slain in the spirit every worship service; catching the Holy Ghost, running up the aisles, speaking in tongues, and shouting in the sanctuary you’re not what god wants.

But what if we are already what God wants? What if our ability to be in a deep and meaningful relationship with God is not contingent on becoming who religion says God wants us to be? What if our attractiveness to God, our value, our connection is based on embracing who we are at our core, our uniqueness. This offers us salvation from conformity, self doubt, low self esteem, and self rejection. This frees us from the obligation of BECOMING someone God wants and grants us the freedom to BE those individuals God created and loves for who and what they are.

I believe through the activity of being faithful to who we are is the pathway to a deep and meaningful relationship with God. We have to begin to find God, self, and enlightenment for ourselves and not strictly rely on what the church tells us. If you have ever felt like you don’t fit in the church, this philosophy is for you. If you’ve ever felt as though you could not be your authentic self in the church, this is for you. If you’ve ever felt as though you don’t need to be in church to be with God this philosophy is for you.

Each of us was created by God as unique individuals and therefore can show appreciation and glorification to the creator by being authentic to that divine uniqueness. This is our purpose, to be faithful to our own unique design. Purpose is not found in occupying spaces according to a vocation. Purpose is found through the practice of being true to your inner guiding, spirit, truth, voice. Our purpose is to be faithful to who and what we are and through that activity we create, inspire, build careers, become best friends, spouses, and influencers.

I’m not saying to abandon religion. I believe religion is useful, it’s like a boat we use to get to the other side of the river. Once on the other side we should exit the boat and continue the journey. The boat is always there and what a boat can offer is invaluable but it is one tool available to use to travel our spiritual journey. From the boat the experience is limited, restricting you from feeling the flowers, walking in the grass or feeling the warm sands between your toes. Exploration of your journey involves utilizing various vehicles.

Think about how limiting a trip would be overseas that was only traveled by plane. Never getting off the plane and exploring the cities on foot, eating at the restaurants, or experiencing the people and culture. In the same way we need to use multiple vehicles to explore God, Self, Enlightenment, and the unknown.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the Silver Comet Trail. You can take a run, jog, walk, or bike ride, always a new experience. Ponce City Market Place is a great place that offers a variety of things to do, eat and see. Also any of the parks in ATL, City Winery, Georgia Aquarium, Botanical Gardens, and the High Museum of Art are some of my favorites.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I was in seminary school working to be a minister when I was assigned to read a book named Jesus the misunderstood Jew by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. The book opened my mind to the historical Jesus, the development of Christianity and Jesus as a Jewish man. The book influenced me to look at religion and spirituality differently and helped me to develop personal ways to discover God, self and enlightenment outside religion.

Website: https://www.khaaliq.com/podcast-1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khaaliq7/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzP527nyDNHrGEdD6CoRakQ

Other: Wisdom App https://www.instagram.com/khaaliq7/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

Image Credits
I took the photos therefore I own the right to the images –