The divine is in you; you are not as yet in the divine. The greatest achievement in life is living in the infinite and eternal within us. Seeking the absolute and ultimate—the mystical quest—is a part of everyone’s life, still we seldom consciously and actively participate in it. You must truly believe in divine oneness and the possibility of reuniting in this life. Belief alone will not bring divine union, but too much doubt will probably ensure not being fully awakened to it.
You must seek to realize a perspective on all of existence beyond all of your own prior experiences or knowledge: unlike any of those sentiments that you have felt, any thoughts that you have conceived or any sensations that you have perceived in this life, using a direct mode of knowing. Here are a few imperfect analogies to assist in better understanding the challenges which you might encounter:
Imagine that you are a drop of blood within your body. As you move through its blood vessels, you become aware of the passing presence of organs, bones and tissue, yet believe this body to be the only reality there is or, at least, which can be known. Unexpectedly, there is a puncture in the skin just as you approach and you spurt forth in search of other realities. Outside, you discover a world which surpasses any that you had previously experienced. You may have been pumped out for testing, for transfusion into the same or another body, or be washed away to be absorbed in this much wider existence. You will certainly be tested; you might even be born again; washing away your self can result in reunion with the divine.
It would be easier for an artist to paint a symphony, or for a composer to orchestrate a painting, than for any mystic to describe what it is like to be in divine oneness. At least both art and music can somewhat highlight each other. An ant might be better able to interpret human life for other ants than a mystic can explain divine Reality to other people. Mystics are so aware of the limits of human forms of expression that most do not even attempt to portray what they experienced with all of their being and which has transformed their lives. To them, skeptics do not matter. They may only assist those who want to realize union with the ground of existence.
Spiritual knowing, mystical gnosis*, is complete intuitive insight. It combines the very definition of all three words. Complete: “The entirety needed for realization; consummate.” Intuitive: “Knowing something without rational processes; the immediate cognition of it.” Insight: “Discernment of the true nature of a situation; the penetration beyond the reach of the senses.” Complete intuitive insight precedes divine unity and usually follows it. It is suprarational. Union with the divine, however, surpasses knower, known and knowing; it is to be at one with the divine essence. It is not to be the divine, but to be in the divine as the divine is. It is sharing in universal consciousness.
Books on mysticism may speak of transcendence and immanence. Transcendence: “Passing beyond human limit; independent of any material experience.” Immanence: “Existing or remaining within; inherent.” Unity with the divine is both. You must go beyond your self to be in the divine. To be in the soul, the divine in you, is to be in the divine. The divine is not just in you, it is in