Imagine you are standing on the shore of the ocean, the waves breaking gently at your feet. You wade in a little way, and you take an empty glass and dip it in the water. What are you holding in the glass? It is not the ocean. The ocean is still there and has not been diminished to any visible degree. But the water is of the ocean: from it, and like it. Its essence is the same. For me, God is like the ocean. And God’s Spirit within us is like the water in the glass.
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In my own understanding, God is what Is. There is nowhere – no time, no place, no situation – where God does not abide. God is our essence but, more than that, God is Essence. Anything which is not God is not real, even though it may appear to be so. At our heart is Love, and that Love is of God. At our core is eternity, which has been, is now and forever will be. When we show kindness, it is God acting through us. Our God-Self is the truth about Who we are.
Are we the ‘mad monkey mind’ which chatters away, judging others, judging ourselves, never satisfied and always seeking more?
Are we male and female? Young and old? Gay and straight? Black and white? Are we rich and poor? Healthy? Sick? Are we our bodies which live for a while but then return to dust?
Are we the things we own? The jobs we do? The roles we play?
Who are we, when we take off our costumes and masks?
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Genesis 1:27 suggests we are created in the image of God. Too often, humanity has turned this around and made a god in the image of man – one who, like human beings, is quick to anger, and whose love is conditional on our behaving in certain ways or believing particular things. That god is separate from us, as we believe we are separate from one another. Our existence is precarious. The world appears a fearful place.
It is worth taking a step back and asking how we came to be here. What created the universe? What caused the big bang? Did a reaction between infinitely small particles trigger the biggest explosion in the history of time and set in train an evolutionary chain of events which led to life on earth, and to you reading this book now? What made those particles and caused them to react? All matter, and time and space itself, was created out of nothing, out of formlessness. And what is formlessness? Energy. Spirit.
According to the Gospel of Thomas, a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus, “If the flesh came into being because of spirit, that is amazing. If spirit came into being because of the body, that would be really amazing”. [1] If we accept God is Spirit and that we are created in God’s image, does it not follow that our essential nature is Spirit as well?
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We seek to use words to describe what is beyond words. It is enough to say, ‘I Am’. That which Is, is God.
Then there are the qualities we ascribe to God. God is Love. God is Truth. God is Joy. God is Peace. But here already we are moving a step away from the simple truth, I Am that I Am. The problem is, we each interpret these words in different ways.
Yes, God is all of those things. But even when these qualities seem to be lacking, God is still there. He does not cease to Be. He cannot ‘go’ anywhere, because She Is everywhere. In the midst of the battlefield, God Is. When galaxies collide and stars explode, God Is. Nothing causes God to cease to Be.
That Is-ness – the indestructible Reality beyond time and space and form – is in us also. It is in us, as we are in it. We are part of it. When I speak, then, of the Divine Essence in everyone, I mean that which is, and which will always be. Our roles, dreams and fears, and our bodies too, we experience for a while. But all of them pass.
Are we something temporary, a flame which is snuffed out in a cosmic instant? Or are we that part of us which Is and forever will Be? Are we the form or the formless? Are we that which fears, or that which knows Itself as eternal, and is therefore free to love? It can look on death and see through it. In nature, we see death is not real. Each spring, death is overcome. There is an eternal force for Life. Stars too die, but in doing so they spark the seeds for new life. In the words of A Course in Miracles, “nothing real can be threatened” [2]. Our Spiritual Essence is from God, and like God. Eternal. Whole. Lacking nothing. When we are in touch with that core of our Being we come to walk cheerfully over the world, sons and daughters of the living God.
These exercises – and the others in this book – can be explored either on your own or with others in small groups. If you want to reflect on them with others, I have found that a creative listening format encourages deep sharing and may bring fresh insights. Through listening to one another in a spirit of acceptance and love, we open ourselves to new light and deeper connections. The format of a creative listening session is described later in this book in the section on Remembering.
If you are doing the exercises on your own, I encourage you to choose a time and a place where you will not be disturbed. Commit to not answer the telephone if it rings. If a dog starts barking outside, simply let it be. If you are not able to give these exercises your full attention now, it is better to schedule a time when you can.
Have a pen and notepad to hand so that you can write down what comes to you.
Sit in stillness for five to ten minutes. To centre yourself, you may wish to concentrate on your breathing. Be aware of the air as it enters through your nose. You may find it helpful to close your eyes. If your mind wanders, return to your breath to help anchor you in the present moment.
When you are ready, open your eyes and reflect on the sentences below.
• If it is true that there is a divine essence in everyone, then...
• If there is a divine essence within me, then...
• If my true Self is made in the image of God, then...
Without thinking too much, complete each of the sentences in your own words. Write down the first thoughts that come to you. Then, rooted in stillness, try to come up with several further responses. Do not censor any response that comes, or judge it. Simply write it down. For example, taking the first statement, I might write, ‘If it is true that there is a divine essence in everyone, then each one of us is holy. If there is a divine essence in everyone, then everyone is my brother or sister. If there is a divine essence in everyone, then what unites us is greater than what divides us. …Everyone has the potential for good...’ Let your responses fill a page.