…as the old civilisation crumbles around us and the new is still forming, some of us may still carry the legacy of earlier ideas
Throughout the eons of human existence we have moved through countless concepts and ideas about the divine. And as the old civilisation crumbles around us and the new is still forming, some of us may still carry the legacy of earlier ideas of a vengeful God instilling fear, apportioning blame and exacting punishment. Others, experiencing the pain of the world turmoil, may feel that their faith has been betrayed and that their God has abandoned them. And yet we are reminded that God is within us – within our very selves:
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:29
…ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.” John 14:20-21
Perhaps the key is in the door to the heart.
What is that aspect within us which is God? How might we express it? How is it different from our more ordinary or worldly selves? Perhaps the key is in the door to the heart. And in opening that door, love pours through in an infinite flood. Love is God – within us, all around us and in every tiny part of creation – if we unlock the heart. This love is so expansive and pervasive that it embraces the whole of Life on our planet from the smallest atom to the mightiest peaks with everything and everyone in between. It is the love of the Soul as it reflects divine love into the world and throughout all things. The Tibetan Master describes the power of love:
Mind separates; love attracts. Mind creates a barrier betwixt a man and every suppliant deva. Love breaks down every barrier, and fuses diverse groups in union. Mind repels by a powerful, strong vibration, casting off all that is contacted, as a wheel casts off all that hinders its whirling periphery. Love gathers all to itself, and carries all on with itself, welding separated units into a unified homogeneous whole. Mind repels through its own abundant heat, scorching and burning aught that approaches it. Love soothes and heals by the similarity of its heat to the heat in that which it contacts, and blends its warmth and flame with the warmth and flame of other evolving lives. Finally, mind disrupts and destroys whilst love produces coherence and heals.” A Treatise on White Magic, page 81
…we are and always have been deeply and intimately related to the divine through our connections of the heart
If anything separates us from this Love, this God, it is our own created thought-forms, concepts and ideas about it. They are the inherited veils that appear to separate us but only exist so long as our minds accept them. In truth we are and always have been deeply and intimately related to the divine through our connections of the heart – the more we hold in our heart, the closer to that God we are.
There is a dynamic in this that is intrinsic within our humanity – a dynamic to aspire to be our “best selves” in our interactions with the world.
The relationship between human beings and their concepts of God has been lived out and expressed in a multitude of practices and rituals down the ages but a sense of that relationship has always been there – inherent in our human nature. Even those who declare themselves atheist, agnostic or unbelievers still live according to an inner sense, or code, of moral and ethical laws which in their essence reflect a caring for (love of) the greater good. There is a dynamic in this that is intrinsic within our humanity – a dynamic to aspire to be our “best selves” in our interactions with the world. Some of our most generous humanitarians may say they do not believe in God but their actions reveal a great love of humanity. Many bring aid to others who might appear to be unlovable yet such aid workers are serving the soul within, the “best self” that is the essential being. One such is Mother Teresa of whom Pope Francis spoke in these terms:
She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity. She made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created.”Pope Francis
The power of such examples to move us arises from our inherent reverence for all that is good, true and beautiful in essence. Despite all the limited concepts about divinity that have become anchored in the human mind, there is still that deeper aspect within us that resonates with what we sense as good and true and through which the energy of beauty flows and lifts us into a state of grace, momentarily perhaps but never forgotten once experienced.
This has been demonstrated for us by those inspiring Teachers whose inner Presence has become so radiant as to enlighten all around Them.
Our inherent nature is the blueprint for the divine in manifestation. The Plan of God is reflected within the human psyche itself. We come close to this when, in our moments of calm reflection or meditation, we turn from the cacophony of the outer world around us and enter the silence and stillness of that greater Presence. This has been demonstrated for us by those inspiring Teachers whose inner Presence has become so radiant as to enlighten all around Them. These are the Ones we have revered down the ages and Who have demonstrated the “best self”, the Soul, in full expression – a Christ, a Buddha and any of the great Teachers long remembered after kings and generals have passed. We might look for such as These when choosing our Leaders – and the power of that choice is ultimately ours.
The young generations coming into flower now are already pointing the way and taking responsibility for changing the world into one we all deeply know we need. They are not content to remain victims of a heartless fate but are taking up their role as responsible co-creators of a more divine expression. They are motivated by a sense of our common humanity and are acting on its behalf. This is powerfully demonstrated by the response of the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, after the horrendous shooting of 17 of their fellow students. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Again_MSD – and their song dedicated to those who died: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW6cXVzRnuo
We are realising that we are subtle beings participating in Life-sharing.
As we discover the limitations of a materialistic view of ourselves and our world and as we reach the limits of the world’s supportive resources, we are beginning to realise the powerful interconnection of all living things and all kingdoms in nature. It is an intricate and intimate yet precarious balance that enables all life to flourish in expression in our world – if we understand, appreciate and work with it. We share in the One Life of Earth which operates in perfect balance. This can now be clearly seen even in the material world but it is held in being by our balance, right relationship, with the inner world of love and shared purpose. We are realising that we are subtle beings participating in Life-sharing.
When we share something with others – even something as simple as a meal, a shared joke or experience – something opens between, a free-flow, because of the point of communion. In that instant (if only for a moment) we are released from the effort to maintain and defend a separate, even competitive, image and freedom enters in, and love, and an energy that uplifts and empowers because it puts us en rapport with the greater Life and the potency of a shared Heart. Realising that we are a life-sharing part of a greater Life, we become open to all that flows through that life – and the joy of it all!
As we become aware of our own subtle presence we realise the subtle Presences of the great Teachers who continue to reveal the way
As we become aware of our own subtle presence we realise the subtle Presences of the great Teachers who continue to reveal the way so we may see and live that ultimate harmony with God that the scriptures have recorded for us like a talisman of the new era now emerging – a talisman to awaken our best Self, the Heart, the power of God within us all. “Christ in you, the hope of glory”
Colossians 1:27
If you knew yourself for even one moment, if you could just glimpse your most beautiful face, maybe you wouldn’t slumber so deeply in that house of clay. Why not move into your house of joy and shine into every crevice! For you are the secret Treasure-bearer, and always have been. Didn’t you know? ~
No one knows what makes the soul wake up so happy! Maybe a dawn breeze has blown the veil from the face of God. ~ Rumi
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Sydney Goodwill Goodwill is love in action
