For whom the bells toll

I have always felt that I was not born into my current faith in my previous lives. I cannot relate to the various interpretations of my faith at all. In its pure form it is a good faith. It has the same tenets as most religions. However, it has a tendency to be chameleonic...it takes on the local hue of its location. So pure faith intermingled with various tribal, local, archaic customs becomes ominous and today it is infamous in this ominous, intolerant form. One thing that mortifies me more than its intolerance to my gender is the intolerance to non-believers. Its almost as if non-believers are non-humans. And of course the hypocrisy and double-standards of its custodians....

I have this uncanny affinity to bells. So, was it temples or churches? Only a past life exploration may hold some explanation. I even have a ear for bells ringing. In songs, in the wilderness, I can catch the sound of the tolling bell.

Brass, silver, procelain, all kinds....I have a bell from every part of the world I have visited. My sister got me a Swiss cow bell which I never had. Now I want another one....with a typical colourful Swiss strap as I don't have one. I have a collection of small bells hanging from my ceiling. A large Chinese bell from Shanghai hangs near my doorway. Christmas bells are a must during the festival. A lovely brass bell got stolen from my house recently.

Every time a a bell rings, my soul recognises it. Whatever for?