Connecting with the Divine
TRUST
Your path will appear
Your light will shine
You will choose your way
Of living
Believing
Loving
And the world
will change
around you
The Divine
The Light within each of us is our gift from the Divine, our connection with the Divine. When we connect with the Divine, our Light becomes brighter and bigger. We feel more supported and loved. We feel that we are not in this alone on this journey, in this life, in this time. The connection with the Divine has been sought after throughout history. People have discovered and created many practices and approaches to help them find their way.
There are 5 major ways of connecting with the Divine.
When we pray to God, Allah, Krishna, Goddess, Universe, Spirit, or to any aspect of the Divine, we are connecting to the loving compassion, the Light of the Divine. We’re putting our trust in the expansive, life-giving presence of the Divine. We’re opening ourselves up to receiving the love and support of the Divine. It is in this way that we can begin the process of letting go of our fears and Darkness, and replacing them with feelings of love, compassion and caring.
When we meditate, we are moving towards the center of who we are; past the walls of our cardboard box, our protective beliefs, past our thoughts and emotions and connecting with our Light which is our connection with the Divine. As we meditate more and more, the Light from our soul brings clarity and Light to our fear-filled self (our Dark self). It helps us see the Darkness for what it truly is - a temporary mist that does not truly define us - but rather limits us and creates a world of fear that surrounds us.
When we participate in religious services, listen to sacred music or read sacred texts, we are creating time and space in our lives to connect with the Divine and the Light within us. However, being in church isn’t enough. We must be truly open to letting go of the Dark and being in the Light for us to connect with the Divine.
When we feel our Life Force flowing through us, we are connected to our bodies, to Nature and ultimately, with the Divine. There are many ways to connect with the joy of being alive:
When we exercise, especially outside, and we feel the blood coursing through our body and the breeze on our skin…
Breathing, focusing and feeling the edges of our bodies - as in yoga - helps us to let go and be present...
Being in nature, we observe the beauty, feel the air, hear the wildlife and smell the earth...
When we see and connect with the Light in others, we connect with the Divine. Connecting to someone’s Light means looking beyond their fears, their beliefs, their box, and instead looking deep inside the person and seeing their Light. It means seeing the best of who they are, their most loving, compassionate and giving part.
When we connect with the Light of the Divine, we ultimately connect with our Inner Light as there is a part of the Divine in each of us. Understanding this connection brings clarity to who we were born to be. We begin to change the way we move through life, from walking around in a Dark cloud of fear and distrust, to being in a bubble of Light, of love and compassion. When we see the world with Light in it, our entire perspective changes and as a result, we begin to change the way we respond to and react to the world.
This can happen to us only if we see beyond the world of boxes that we believe define us and instead see that we are a mix of Dark beliefs and a Light-filled soul. This is the only way forward to a life of Light and love and away from a life of fear and Darkness.
Right now, in the world, many people are living in a state of fear and Darkness. Their response to the world is a desire to hurt or reject others who do not think like they do, look like they do or have the same beliefs that they do. Their response is led by a fear of being deprived, of doing without, of someone else getting more than they have, of losing what they have, or of others getting more at their expense. This fear is creating a world filled with destructive behaviors, destructive thoughts and destructive beliefs. The greater the fear is that’s controlling a person the more rigid, angry and destructive they become. They live surrounded by Darkness, seeing nothing but Darkness.
Dark begets Dark and Light begets Light. When we are in Darkness and choosing to surround ourselves with messages of Darkness, words of Darkness, people filled with Darkness, then our Darkness continues to grow and expand and contaminate those around us. It's like a virus that spreads from person to person until everyone without immunity is sick. Those who see their Light have immunity, because Light brings perspective to the Darkness. Light brings compassion, a desire to understand rather than condemn. It brings an ability to see the Light in others no matter how much they are surrounded by the Dark.
When we are in our Light, seeing the Light in others, connecting to the Light of the Divine, we bring more Light into the world. The Divine is always available whenever we need to be uplifted, inspired, supported and loved.
FAITH
You have, as you might say, a lifetime all-access pass to your Faith. You don’t need to renew your membership or buy an upgrade; it’s always there for you. Your faith is believing in the power of the Divine, the source from where everything and everyone comes from. YOU were created from this same source. A piece of the Universe resides within you. It’s a Light, it’s pure energy, it connects you to everything: other people, animals, plants, flowers, the ocean, the hills filled with green grass, the trees swaying in the wind, as well as the heavens - the stars, the sun, the moon and all those things you can’t see from where you stand.
Even though you cannot see the wind, you can feel it. Even though you can barely see Orion in the winter night sky or clearly see the planet Jupiter, you know they’re there. And, whether or not you ever travel to Africa from wherever you call home, you know Africa exists. Think about your Faith that way. You can feel it deep in your core. You know something bigger than you is at work because you feel it.
While Faith is trusting in a power and a source and an energy that is bigger than you - the Divine – remember, you also were born of this source. You are never alone in your faith because it’s connected - YOU are connected to the greatest source of energy that is constantly breathing in and out, keeping all you see and all you feel alive. If you want to live a life connected to your Light, being driven by your Soul and your Soul’s purpose, all you need to do is quietly connect and listen.
When you trust and have faith in your Light, you can’t go wrong.
CONNECTING MIND, BODY & SOUL
One way to connect with your inner Light is to practice yoga. The essence of yoga with the greeting Namaste - means the Light in me recognizes the Light in you. You connect with your soul by feeling grounded, centered and at peace from the very core of your being. It helps clear your mind, lengthen and strengthen your body and connect with your Light. It calms you down, helps you let go of negative thoughts that come creeping in, and increase thoughts of love.
When you do something - like yoga - that strengthens your awareness and connection to Self and who you really are at the core of your being, it’s an act of you stepping into your Light. You can access this state of being and feeling in many ways. Yoga works for some people - but mountain climbing, playing basketball, dancing, skydiving, surfing…work for others. Choose whatever works for you that helps create that feeling of deep connection and peace. It’s about aligning your mind, body and soul. When you are present and grounded in your body, you are home - at one with your Soul.
When you feel connected to yourself and the deeper wisdom of the Universe all at the same time, it feels yummy and divine and powerful and peaceful. You feel like a tree with roots grounded into the earth and branches that stretch towards the sun. Quiet your mind, feed your body with the grace of movement and connect to your soul.
Invitation To Go Deeper
Allow yourself as much time as you want or need to do this homework. There is no rush.
Review the 5 ways of connecting with the Divine.
Choose 1 way you are familiar with or are comfortable with even if you haven’t tried it for yourself.
Choose a second approach that you find intriguing and are curious to try.
Set aside a time and space to relax and focus on yourself. Get anything you might need to give the approach a try: such as sacred music or a yoga mat and yoga DVD, or perhaps go someplace you want to take a walk, or plan a time to talk with someone you want to connect with at a deeper level.
Before you begin any of the approaches you have chosen, you must first connect with your Light. You can listen to the meditation attached to blog 4 or you can lead yourself through the following steps.
Sit up with your feet on the floor or sit on the floor, chest up and out, palms on your lap face up, eyes closed or semi-closed.
Focus on the sensations of breathing out - the sound, the vibration, the movement for several minutes until you can feel yourself begin to let go and feel more relaxed and at peace.
Reconnect with our memories or feelings of joy, connection, love, or remember the faces of small children we have observed feeling joy, love, the exuberance of being alive. Notice what you are feeling inside as you reconnect with the memory or the image. Notice your chest expanding, your body relaxing, maybe a smile coming to your lips.
Allow yourself a few minutes of connecting to your Light and then feel into how you want to move forward. Ease into it, moving slowly, finding your way. Each person is different and it's ok to experiment and see what works best for you. For those of you who would like to meditate, there are many different approaches. I recommend Pema Chodron’s audiobook “Pure Meditation” as a great way to learn.
Remember, this is a lifetime practice, so there is no rush. Give yourself time to try, adjust, and try again. Give yourself permission to have it go wrong - getting stuck in the mud while out in nature, not being in the mood to listen to music or read, feeling blocked.
Relax, have fun and play - after all this is your chance to connect with the Divine, how exciting, uplifting and inspiring is that?!