We are all, at our core, healed and whole; perfect and deeply loved.  When we experience that part of ourselves, we experience the divine…

In my previous blogs, I have written about the divine within.  I truly believe we all have divinity within us – that our very essence, the core of who we are, is divine.  We are all capable of perfect peace and perfect love.  But, how do I tap into the core – the very essence – of who I am; that place of perfect peace and perfect love?  Some find this to be easier than others.  I find it to be somewhat difficult but know that, with practice, it can become easier to do over time.  I believe it is a matter of setting aside my mind and ego, looking beyond my physical self and my physical needs and wants, and looking at what is left because what is left is all that really matters.

When I say “mind and ego”, to what am I referring?  I believe that my mind and ego are what make me who I am as an individual human being.  They hold the emotions that I experience as a human.  My ego dictates my desires to be noticed, known, loved, appreciated, forgiven…  My mind dictates feelings of happiness, frustration, love, anger, resentment, abandonment, trust, loneliness, and most other emotions.  These are all “worldly” feelings – things of my physical reality.  They oftentimes lead me away from deep peace and joy as my concentration lies in the physical realm of my existence. 

In order to set aside my mind and ego, then, I first need to honestly recognize these emotions and desires as part of my physical journey in this lifetime.  What is creating my emotions and desires?  Am I spending too much time with my mind and ego?  Is my concentration solely on my physical self and surroundings?  Not that this is all bad but I must find a balance between concentration on my physical existence and concentration on my spiritual/divine existence.  My mind and ego are attached to and developed within this world -this physical existence - and I need them in order to navigate my physical life.  They help me make decisions so it is important to develop a healthy relationship with them while not spending all of my time with them.

Once I understand that my mind and ego are based in my physical existence, I can begin to set them aside.  I do this by sitting quietly and acknowledging each of my emotions and desires as they come to the surface.  As I acknowledge each one, I ask myself if that emotion or desire is truly serving me and,if not, am I willing to let it go.  Some I will let go of completely while others I will simply set aside for a time knowing that I will engage with them again in the future even though I recognize that they do not serve any good for me.  Each time I work through this process, I strive to completely let go of an emotion or desire that is truly not life giving for me or anyone with whom I come into contact hence becoming more whole and healthy in my physical as well as my spiritual existence.

As I set aside each emotion and desire, I strive to look at what is left.  This is what truly matters because what is left is my divine self that exists perfectly well without the worries of this world.  It exists in a place of perfect peace and perfect love and I can too if I only spend a little time seeking it each day.  Just twenty minutes a day of setting aside my mind and ego results in a very different existence.  Setting aside those emotions and desires that do not serve me and basking in pure peace and pure love – then taking that experience with me throughout my day…  It does not only serve me well - it becomes a positive experience for all those with whom I come into contact.

When we eliminate the unknown, we eliminate fear.  When we eliminate fear, we eliminate violence.  When we eliminate violence, we are at peace…

This used to be my thought on living a peaceful life:
“I desire to live a peaceful life - a life free of violence and fear.  While this is desired, I tend to continue to live with conflict and frustration.  I tend to cling to the life that I know rather than open myself to work toward a life of peace.  I am not sure I know how to go about living peacefully and have the potential to struggle in this lifetime (and beyond) to find that ever-allusive state of being.” 

I no longer believe that peace is an allusive state of being any more than a violent state of being is.  It is how I view my self and the other that will dictate how I live.  When I dispel conflict and violence in my life, I will experience peace.  This is how I think it is achieved:

The root of violence is, ultimately, fear.  The root of fear is the unknown.  To eliminate the unknown, I must take the time to understand the unknown hence it becomes known.  When I come to understand that the unknown is actually a part of my self, I will no longer fear it hence eliminating the conflict it has caused within me.

Violence is often directed to one of two places.  I can be violent toward another individual or I can cause violence to be stirred up within and against myself.  When I do not view my self for my full worth – if I do not take the time to know my deepest self – I remain unknown hence creating conflict (or violence) within.  When I do not view the other for his/her full worth, the other remains unknown hence creating a fear of the other which can lead to violence toward the other. 
What is my “full worth”?  What is the “full worth” of every human being?  My “full worth” - the “full worth” of every human being - is divine essence.  Divinity is at the core of every human being which is what makes all of us the same.  I am created with the same divine essence as everyone else hence I am not separated from anyone.  Rather, I am connected to and the same as all other people.  If I can discover this divine essence first within my self then in others, I will no longer fear my self or others.  There will no longer remain an unknown factor.  Everyone can be known hence no need for fear of the other.  With no more fear there is no more violence.  With no more violence there is only peace.  When I recognize that my divinity is no different than anyone else’s, my life will be peaceful because no one will be unknown.  I will have discovered the one thing that unites all people and I will be able to live a peaceful life.

And this is the goal of all belief systems – a state of perfect peace and perfect love.  This is Moksha, Nirvana, the Garden of Eden, Jannah, the Kingdom of God, Heaven.  Whatever its name, it is the same state of being.  When I seek what unites all human beings instead of concentrating on the differences among us, I will no longer fear the other.  When I no longer fear, conflict will subside.  When I no longer experience conflict, I will be in a state of peace.
 

Next blog: “Recognizing the Divine Essence in My Self and Others”