Opal Murray / The Curator
Opal Murray is an ordained Interfaith Minister and has lived as a retreat facilitator, probation officer, banker, systems analyst, information management coordinator, transportation coordinator, community organizer, grant writer, program manager, executive director, volunteer manager, and training coordinator. She is also a Veteran of the U.S. Army.
She graduated magna cum laude from Spelman College where she was presented with the Shirley Chisholm Award for Leadership. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Troy State University and was ordained by One Spirit Interfaith Seminary.
Through her lens as a Gemini, she sees her life as the twinning of social and financial privileges on the one hand with emotional and psychological trauma/abuses on the other. She lived with this tension since she was gang raped at the tender age of six, raped again in her early twenties, and survived an emotionally abusive marriage that ended in her forties. In her fifties, the tight rope snapped; and when this tumble came, she had no safety net. She became unemployed and unhoused. It was this fall that started her on the road to recovery, even though she didn’t know it at the time. While seeking assistance for housing, the dam cracked when she shared her ‘shameful secret’ with the counsellor and mentioned one incident in the series of sexual harm she had endured.
She graduated magna cum laude from Spelman College where she was presented with the Shirley Chisholm Award for Leadership. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Troy State University and was ordained by One Spirit Interfaith Seminary.
Through her lens as a Gemini, she sees her life as the twinning of social and financial privileges on the one hand with emotional and psychological trauma/abuses on the other. She lived with this tension since she was gang raped at the tender age of six, raped again in her early twenties, and survived an emotionally abusive marriage that ended in her forties. In her fifties, the tight rope snapped; and when this tumble came, she had no safety net. She became unemployed and unhoused. It was this fall that started her on the road to recovery, even though she didn’t know it at the time. While seeking assistance for housing, the dam cracked when she shared her ‘shameful secret’ with the counsellor and mentioned one incident in the series of sexual harm she had endured.
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” - Seneca
A spiritual health advocate, she has found inspiration in the interfaith, interconnected stories of hope, love, compassion, resilience, faith, courage, fortitude, forgiveness, purpose, and cooperation. Additionally, she credits her VA Behavioral Health therapist’s sage and skilled counseling that helped her to embrace her painful and joyful path.
Panentheistic in her spirituality, she borrowed from the Quaker thought that there is “that of God” in everything. This is one of the beliefs that undergirds her faith in our interconnectedness and guides her path as she curates Living Our Oneness.
Rev. Murray aims to share these rich motley experiences and knowledge bases to inform, motivate, and support individuals who have been debased and abused, who feel disconnected from their own lives, are disheartened or have had their lights dimmed, and who desire to let that light shine.
She is the author of two books: I Am Precious: Nourishing Nuggets for the Heart; Genuine Gems for the Soul and Yes! I Am.
Rev. Murray grew up in Jamaica and lived in Germany and the Netherlands. She is well traveled and hopes to continue after it’s safe to do so. She enjoys visiting gardens, travelling with her daughter, silence, retreats – both those for the public as well as the personal ones she creates in the comfort of her home, dancing, and learning how people understand their Divine.
She currently resides in Florida where she finds delight in going to the beach early in the morning to witness the sun kissing the horizon.
Panentheistic in her spirituality, she borrowed from the Quaker thought that there is “that of God” in everything. This is one of the beliefs that undergirds her faith in our interconnectedness and guides her path as she curates Living Our Oneness.
Rev. Murray aims to share these rich motley experiences and knowledge bases to inform, motivate, and support individuals who have been debased and abused, who feel disconnected from their own lives, are disheartened or have had their lights dimmed, and who desire to let that light shine.
She is the author of two books: I Am Precious: Nourishing Nuggets for the Heart; Genuine Gems for the Soul and Yes! I Am.
Rev. Murray grew up in Jamaica and lived in Germany and the Netherlands. She is well traveled and hopes to continue after it’s safe to do so. She enjoys visiting gardens, travelling with her daughter, silence, retreats – both those for the public as well as the personal ones she creates in the comfort of her home, dancing, and learning how people understand their Divine.
She currently resides in Florida where she finds delight in going to the beach early in the morning to witness the sun kissing the horizon.