The mystic living in the world will vacillate between two fundamental states. This is a simplification but simple distinctions can make general understanding easier. As with any state of experience, or with any spiritual reality, we need to name these states in order to make discourse about them easier. We have to remember that many names are possible to use, and some will prefer one name over another, often because of the overall conceptual scheme that is being used. So I just wanted to clarify about that before going on.

So we can call these two fundamental states separation and union, respectively. In mystical poetry, this theme of separation and union is often narrated in relation to the Beloved, who is God. And in the state of separation, the seeker is longing and often in pain for the Beloved. In the state of separation one feels divided from the Wholeness of Being and God seems transcendent. Now in one sense this feeling or experience of separation is based on an illusion of the mind; because one is never really divided from the Wholeness of Being, and God is really immanent in oneself and in life. Our very self-expression, however limited in scope and not always so perfect, is nonetheless a divine expression in some degree. Our own self-expression and that which is manifesting in the world IS Divine Expression to some degree. All that is around us, especially that found in the natural world, is the Divine Being in embodiment. So in this sense, there really is no separation from the Divine, since the Divine is in us and all around us. And so the feeling of separation is then merely based on a mental illusion or a negligence at realizing the intra-relatedness of the Divine in us and in all of life. For how can one really be separate from the Divine when one is actually in it? Or when It is actually in and through us?

Yet, although separation is ultimately an illusion, there is a validity to the feeling or experience of separation. Because whatever the cause of this feeling is, whether it be illusion or lack of realization, the very fact of the experience still remains. And thus, one is in this state of separation [from the Divine]. This experience of separation is also valid because it is sustained by the conflicts and problems encountered in the everyday world. This world of attractions and problems and conflicts and suffering is a reality that takes hold of our mind and attention. It tends to separate us from divine realization and unity of Being, as we get lost in this world of conflicts, problems, and superficial attractions. As we get lost in this world of separation, our individual experience falls into the state of separation.

But there is the possible state of union, which is one of the great purposes for our human existence. The other great purpose is divine expression and compassionate work in the world. When we regularly enter the state of divine union our self energies are transmuted to a higher level and our expression in the world is re-spiritualized or vitalized with a renewed quality of divine gnosis.

So how do we get from the state of separation to union? First we need to honestly recognize our separative condition. Then a desire must emerge to end the separation and come into union. This is the longing for union. Next we need will to get us from one state to the other. But this is not an ordinary will of trying to get somewhere. The separative state cannot use that kind of will to reach union. Instead, this will is a willingness to let go or surrender the illusive state of separation. It is a will of surrender or sacrifice. The separative ego and self-concept must surrender to the greater Being. Only then can the greater Being emerge into experience. In this movement from separation to union, the illusion of separation ceases, but there is also a transformation of the self-contracted energy into an expansive free energy.

In this state of union, all pain and struggle dissolve. There is only God, the Essential Being, and the quality of experience is best described as love and peace. The Spirit of Being is now free, open and expansive. There is a peace of just Being, and the heart is in a pure state of open love. The pain and suffering of the world and in oneself have disappeared, judgment and all thought have disappeared, desire and worry and struggle have disappeared; because one has entered union with the Essential Being which is beyond all this.

This state of union is transcendental to the world and its struggles. It is an experience of being the Essence of Being Itself, the Essence of God, which is of a higher dimension from the manifest world, though transcendentally present through the world. The qualities of this Essence can come into the world, but they are not conditioned by the world. We come out from this transcendental state of union back into the world of struggle and conflict, whereby we must again deal with the world as it is, and with our self personality as it is, but we are now revitalized with renewed Spirit.

There is an intermediate state between essential union and the world of struggle, where we sensitively experience the suffering and needs of the world but are not caught up in this. It is here at this level that we can help heal the realm of suffering. Here, we can become a radiating Light for the world. But we have to first come from the transcendental level of Being, where there is only peace and open love. So at this level between transcendental Being and world engrossment there is a sensitivity to suffering and need, and one can do inner work to alleviate this suffering, primarily through the radiance of light and love as derived from the transcendental state of divine Union.

There are three kinds of love to distinguish in all this. There is the essential love, which is Love Itself, and which is the healing of all separation, suffering and conflict. This is being in Divine Love Itself. Next there is love that is open and sensitive to the world of separation and pain, which also radiates love and healing to the world. This sensitive love begets the feeling of caring for the world and helping to heal the world. Next there is the love of longing for union, which is one’s love impulse [for union] when in the world of separation.

-----

The practice of soul development, which includes development of consciousness and love, can be viewed in a different way, as a practice of communion. In the practice of communion, one enters into the consciousness and love of the Divine Spirit. One enters into communion with the Divine. This is difficult to describe anymore. It is so simple that it is difficult to elaborate on. One has a feeling of being in communion with a greater Consciousness and a greater Love. Ultimately it is communion with God, the Universal Being, the Great Spirit of all. So this way of communion is also a way of soul development, because communion releases all boundaries between self and Divine Spirit, and it expands and enriches the soul.

One extra effect of communion is joy. We need to embrace this joy and love this joy. Too many teachings of the past have emphasized a detachment and a repulsion to joyful emotion. But positive emotions such as joy, love and gratefulness ought to be embraced. Communion with God, or Divine Spirit, gives us joy, and this joy is beautiful. More and more we will want this joy of communion, which gives us motivation to come into communion again and again. And God is always here to receive us, saying “come, and come again.” There is no need to be shy or reserved about this. God, the Great Lover, is always welcoming us into the Divine Communion. So come into communion with Love, in God. This is the greatest joy, for it is union with Love Itself.

First there is a thinking about God. Then there is a knowing about God. Then there is an experience of being in the Presence of God. And finally, there is communion in God.

-----------

It's not that this self is an illusion or non existent, for this is contrary to experience. A self is certainly here in experience. It's not that there isn't a distinction between the self and God. but that self is a limited container for God, and this limitation is not fixed, but is the point of expression. The point is not fixed as big or small, just as a drop may be big or small, or a ray may be bright or dim yet still a ray. The Way is freedom beyond limitation, to open larger the container, are actually break the container completely so there are no boundaries to the essence, no shore, no boat. The knowing of the essence alone in order to fully drink the wine. Let God return you back to the self at whatever station.

--------

The essential realization is that God IS here. This needs to be continually realized, because there is a tendency to forget it and focus so much on our own self concerns that no larger realization of reality can occur. The essential teachings say that God is here, rather than separate or outside of here. Yet God is also transcendental to the world, which means that this world and what is presently actual does not exhaust the infinite potential of God. God is here in and through us, yet greater and beyond as well. The Infinite and Eternal is necessarily transcendental to the world of actual manifestation. So whatever is here now, in actuality and in our experience, could never be the fullness of God. God, like Potentiality, must always be greater than actuality. In other words, God is greater than what is presently manifest and greater than what is presently experienced.

The manifest world, and each individual experiencing being, is like a container or a portion of God. Thus, the Goal is for the world to contain more of God, a greater portion of God, by bringing more of the Divine Potential into actualization. Likewise, the Goal for each individual to contain more of God, a greater portion of God, by bringing more of the Divine Potential into experience and actualization. The Way to this Goal is to break the boundaries of limitation and open up to the Greater and Beyond. Open up to a Greater Consciousness, Love, Intelligence, and Power. Open up and let the Greater Light emerge, let the Greater Love emerge, let the Greater Intelligence and Power emerge. Let this emerge right here in this present moment. And let it keep on emerging. This is the Way. It is mostly gradual, though there are possibilities of acceleration at times when we consciously make this into a practice. A key is realizing that God is already here in potentiality, even though not fully experienced. Also realize that one is really in God. My body is in the greater Body of God, my heart is in the greater Heart of God, and my mind is in the greater Mind of God. My life energy is in the Life Energy of God, my love is in the Love of God, and my consciousness is in the Consciousness of God. So I am opening to that which I am already within. This realization goes beyond the important realization that one is within the greater ecology of nature, because it also includes being within the Greater Spirit, the Living God, the Greater Potential and Creative Power behind the whole ecology of nature. So, opening to that Greater Being, of which one is in, is an opening to the greater Power of God, including its Love and Intelligence.

Unveiling… unveil God.

-----------------------

Some spiritual paths emphasize the longing for God. This is especially so with sufi mystics. This longing serves a useful purpose along the Path. It increases our intensity to come into union with God, to merge with the Universal Being, and to realize our essential oneness with God. Longing for union is a kind of emotion and desire, but not an ordinary desire. It is a higher desire of the human being. In deeper spiritual consciousness we inwardly feel that we are part of a greater Being, the Universal Being, and we feel this greater Being surrounding and embracing us. Specifically, we may feel that we are known and loved by the greater Divine Being. We are in a special relationship with the Divine Being. We might also feel a certain sense of humility and dependence in relation to the greater Being, God. We might also feel a desire to be in God's Will. These are all good feelings and right realizations. Yet the mystics say that our relationship with God can become even more profound, for they say that we can be in union with God. This is quite a dramatic proposition, that we can be in union with God. If we consider this with normal logic, and with ordinary experience, it seems rather impossible to be in union with the whole Universal Being, God. How could this even be possible?

How can our own being and our consciousness be in union with God? First of all, we need to feel and realize that God is here. God is here in us, through us, and all around us. And any apparent separation from God is only in the temporal bubble of our thinking mind. God is already here in us, but if we are unconscious of God then our mind and actions will not be in union with God. So really, all we need to do is to awaken in God. Yet this is not an easy task, because there are many layers of separative walls between our regular ego consciousness and God. These walls of the ego are partly created by ourselves, though our overall society is also responsible for this conditioning. But, no matter what created the walls, the remedy is our willing dissolving of the walls. We must each dissolve our own walls of separation, and thereby come into union with God. This union is not merely a thought or a concept; it is a real experience and a real transformation of being. Yet we cannot really know this union, until we consciously and willingly dissolve the walls of separation. We can do this with love, love for God, and it also requires a sincere longing or desire for union with God.

The longing-desire provides the energy to propel one towards union, yet the actual coming into union requires surrender, or the sacrifice of self-separation. The way to dissolve the barriers to God is through surrender, surrender of our mind, surrender our heart, and surrender of our life to God. Through this surrender, there is an evermore union with God. There is an immediate experience of God, to the degree of our surrender. One becomes more God-conscious, more in conscious union with God. Then, in the ultimate dissolution of the walls, there is no separation from God. This is the mystical goal. The goal is union with God, which is God-Consciousness. It is also to be the God-Heart, to be God-Love. Open your heart to God, and God will fill your heart. Open your heart completely to the All-Love of God, and you will become the All-Love Itself. Surrender absolutely in love, and you will be absolute Love. Surrender into God, until there is nothing but God.

This is what the love mystics called union with the Beloved. It is of course a spiritual love, not a sensual love. This love relation with God, and the consummation of union with God, is primarily to do with the heart, though it secondarily involves the mind, because the mind has to follow the heart in this relation and into this union. The mind has to give consent, or agreement, to this relation and subsequent union. But primarily we are speaking about a relation and journey of the heart. Metaphysically, we are talking about a soul relation to the Divine; yet experientially this is about the heart, for our soul is primarily experienced through the heart.

Now, in this relation, God is the Beloved and we are the lover. Though from God's view, we are the beloved. In each of the poles of Beloved and lover there is both an active and receptive aspect. In other words, in the relation we are both active and receptive, and so is God. Our longing and striving for union is our active aspect, while our opening and surrender is the receptive aspect. God's active aspect is the power of divine gravity drawing ourself to God, while God's receptive aspect is the divine patience awaiting our striving and ultimate surrender. Our relation with God is both a receptivity to God's active Love and a striving propelled by our longing for union with the receptive Beloved. The recognition of our separation from God, from the Beloved, motivates us to long for God and strive towards union. Yet the way to union is through surrender, which is to surrender our sense of separation. It is even a surrender of our longing and striving, when we finally realize our union with God. So, the mystic vacillates between two modes of relation to the Divine. One mode, or experience, is a recognized separation accompanied by longing. The other experienced mode is realized union. The mode of union can become real, but it does not last because of our relation to the world. One may reach union, but it is not ever-continuous because the world will always bring us back into an experience of separation. It is very difficult to maintain the divine union while living in this world, yet we must still continually strive towards union. We cannot give on living in the orld because there is much to do in this world to help in the world. So we are in this predicament, but we keep on striving and surrendering.

---

*** Desire to serve:

Not what God (or Universe) can do for me;

but what I can do for God (or Universe).

Ordinary desire is basically concerned with an acquisition or enjoyment for oneself. The focus is always on oneself, or for oneself. This is the ordinary state of man and woman. Concern is for oneself, or fulfilling personal desires. One may still work for others or help others, but in the ordinary state of ego this would only be done in a kind of bargain, like I will do this for you if you do that for me, or I’ll give you this if you give me that. Of course there is nothing wrong with bargaining, just as there is nothing wrong with getting what one desires. But we should not confuse this with a higher possible love and higher state of self. So to be clear, ordinary desires and the ordinary state of self are not to be denounced as bad (or like sin), but this should be recognized as a lower state of being – compared to a higher possible love. If we can recognize the state we are in, honestly, then it is possible to make a spiritual leap into a whole other way of being.

This higher way of being, this higher possible self, is not primarily concerned with personal satisfaction and getting what is desired. That is already a radical idea, so take a moment to consider it. Bargaining for equal satisfaction and playing the whole game of acquisition and personal success is not even happening at this higher level of being. One has risen above personal desires and seeking acquisition. Trying to get for oneself has been abandoned. Instead, ordinary personal desire has turned into compassionate love and service. One is now primarily concerned with giving rather than acquiring, with serving life rather than merely getting from life. Desire for oneself has turned into desire for service and giving.

Ordinary desire has also transformed into spiritual aspiration to be one with God’s Love and Divine Will. This aspiration is really a higher kind of desire, or it could be regarded as a transmutation of ordinary desire. And it is felt to be different than ordinary desire. The quality of experience is distinctly different. The ordinary ego state is focused on personal desires and reaching out in the world to acquire fulfillment. But the higher state of being is focused on the Whole Self (of God or Life) and is reaching out in the world to give (rather than acquire). One is also aspiring to divine union, rather than remaining in the world of separation. One is aspiring for transformation of self into being God’s reflection, rather than merely desiring for personal fulfillments.

----------------

It is important to distinguish personality desire from soul desire. Spiritual aspiration is the higher desire of our soul. The soul is aspiring towards spiritual union with God, and also aspiring to be of service in the world – or to express the divine qualities ever more finely. Thus, from one perspective there is a possible transmutation of ordinary personal desire into higher desire or aspiration. This is like a replacement of ordinary desire with spiritual aspiration. Though from another perspective the personality desires are transcended, or they are like veils being lifted, and the soul aspiration then becomes revealed or real to oneself. For the soul’s aspiration is already a fact; it has merely been shrouded by the veils of personality desires. So if the ordinary veils can be lifted, the soul is discovered. And what is first discovered is this deeper desire of the soul, this spiritual aspiration to be one with God, or one with the Whole of Divine Being. The soul is seeking union with the rest of its Being. It is seeking union with the Whole Being of Love. Or as the poets of mysticism proclaim, the soul is seeking union with its Beloved.

Souls are individualized fragments of the One Being. The One Being must exist in all possible dimensions, and thus God must exist in the dimension of plurality and diversity. So individual souls are how God exists in the dimension of plurality. Its not a fall from Grace, but rather a divine necessity. The Whole fragmentizes into individual souls, or individual centres of consciousness and process. Yet although a soul is a fragmentation of the Whole Being, it is nonetheless a reflection of the One Being. This reflection is the soul’s knowing of its Divine Self. Yet each reflection is limited to some degree; and so the soul must journey in a process of greater and greater consciousness of its Divine Self. This journey is called the mystical return to God, or the journey to divine Union. It is our spiritual aspiration, the soul’s yearning for its return to mystical divine Union.

----

The soul’s yearning for conscious union in God is really caused by God’s yearning for the soul’s conscious return. Or, it could be understood that the soul’s yearning is God within the soul yearning to know Oneself through the soul. The soul’s yearning for union is God’s passion for Self-knowing in each individual fragment of Himself. Our love for God is God’s Love for us. This is the secret mystery behind spiritual aspiration and love. Our desire and attraction to God is God’s desire and attraction for us.

----

Along with aspiration for union, the soul aspires to be a divine radiance in manifestation, a shining light. The soul aspires to be a radiant expression of divine love and goodness. So the soul has these two fundamental aspirations, to return back into union and to radiantly express divine qualities. The aspiration to union can be symbolized as an upward ascension, returning to God, while the aspiration for divine radiance can be symbolized as a descension of Light into matter. Though the former can also be understood as an inward journey into God, while the latter can be understood as an outward journey to manifest divine radiance. The journey to union is self-transcending, towards a disappearance of oneself into the One Being. While the expression of divine radiance requires an individual self for the Divine to radiate through. So in the first movement the individual self is disappearing, while in the second movement the self is expressing. But these are complementing movements, rather than contradicting. For as the self is disappearing in union with God, it is being transmuted into a purer radiance of divine qualities. As one comes closer to divine union, one is becoming a finer divine radiance in the world. And this divine radiance is the divine purpose.

-----

Veils

There are veils to God, and these veils keep us from ultimate union with God. There are a few different meanings in regards to the veils. In one meaning the veils are veils of spiritual ignorance. This meaning of ignorance is not suggesting a stupidity; it is merely the fact of our limitation as to the knowledge of God. In other words, we do not see all of God, or the absolute of God. So it is said that there are veils between us and God. These are the veils of ignorance, or veils representing our limitation of God-knowing. It is not something to feel stupid about; we are all limited in our knowledge to some degree. And so, veils are just a fact of our existence. Yet these veils, these limitations, can be penetrated and disolved, as we come ever closer to seeing God. Of course, this is not about seeing some God out there, beyond us. For what is meant by 'seeing God' is that one is more clearly seeing oneself, the truth and fullness of who we really are. It is seeing the One Universal Being of all existence, the only Real Being, and thus one is seeing the Real Being of oneself. So in speaking about the veils between ourself and God, we are also speaking about the veils which hide the deepest Truth of ourself. These veils are also like an onion layers, so as we one veil there is usually another veil behind it, but if we keep uncovering the layers of veils we will eventually perceive the ultimate Truth.

In another meaning, which is cosmological, the veils between us and God are none other than our own self. Our own self is the veil. Our very self-knowing is the veil, for this self-knowing is a limitation of Full Knowledge. All that we know about our self, or even about the world, is the veil. This is because any content of knowledge, or any selfness, is always a limitation and a veil. So our knowledge keeps us back from complete union. Yet, a veil can also be beautiful. The veils may also express the beauty of God, the Divine Beauty in particular and in separate individual forms. Thus, there is a great potential value in these veils; for they can reveal the qualities of beauty and truth in various particular ways. We each are a veil, and our knowledge a veil, and yet this has a positive side. For a veil can be beauiful, even though it is a limitation. Still, God calls us to see through the veil (of ourself), to not get caught up in focussing just on the veil itself, and eventually see through all veils to the Reality of God-Being. We can see through to the God-Self, and eventually experience union.

The third meaning of veils is referring to what keeps us from divine union. The Beloved is always here and always receptive to our union. Yet what holds us back from this union are the veils between us and God. God is not the creator of these veils; rather, the veils are simply part of the path involving each person's gradual awakening. If there were no veils, there would be no life involving an interaction between individuals. Everything and everyone would be just One single expression, and there would be no descreet individuals to interact. So the veils are part of the divine purpose. If all the veils were to suddenly collapse, everything and everyone would disolve, and there would be no individual things or persons. So the veils maintain the various degrees of inviduality, and the veils maintain the creative process of beauty.

And yet, the spiritual path and the spiritual longing of each soul is to penetrate and disolve the veils, in order to reach union or oneness with God. Our path is to come into union. So we want to disolve the veils and disolve ourself. But we need not disolve ourself completely from existence. Instead, we can become God in individual form. We can remain as a veil, as it were, but a veil that is beautified by all the qualities of God. We can break through and disolve the veils of ignorance, while retaining a veil of divine beauty and knowledge. We can allow the veils of beauty to remain, yet see through all veils to God. That is, the veils become transluscent, such that we can see the veil and simultaneously see through the veil to God, the One Being behind all veils. This is also a key to experiencing union.

-----------------------------------------

On the topic of veils of Light, containers of Light, and levels of Light.

The universe of Divine Consciousness is a universe of Subjective Light. This Universal Light-Consciousness is divided into levels of Light, though these levels are not strictly divided but rather are interpenetrating spheres, a hierarchy of spheres within spheres, or levels within levels, ranging from quite small all the way to the Infinite. Our own subjective light of self-knowing consciousness, or being-consciousness, is somewhere in this great hierarchy of Light. Each sphere is a container of the Light. And each container of Light has a temporary boundary, which both contains the Light and veils this self-sphere of consciousness from the greater Light-Consciousness around it. The veil protects the sphere from annihilation into the One Infinite Light. If this were to happen to all the spheres, then diversity and individuality would ceases to exist and the very process of creative unfoldment would end. So the veils and limited containments are part of the greater Purpose, and so there are veils within veils, or the levels of veils. Yet the veils are also obstacles to further expansions of individual consciousness, so in this sense we want to break through the veils, though we can only break through them one by one, or step by step. Each sphere has its own veil, and the spiritual evolutionary process is to break through the present veil and come into the next level of Light-Consciousness (which then again will have its own veil).

The veils are broken through by two complimentary means. One is the self effort and decisive-will to break through, which is to burst the veil from within as it were. The complimentary work is to allow the veil to disolve. So there is this need for self-effort and also allowing. A third force is at work as well, though, which is that the greater Field of Light surrounding a sphere is continually working to disolve the veil. This third force is at work no matter what we do, so what really matters is what we ourselves do. We need not merely wait for the veil to be lifted by God, or think that God will decide when to lift the veil according to his whim. There is always a divine work at play to lift the veils; so the veil-lifting really depends on us (since the divine is already doing its role).

The self effort is like a fire within oneself working to explode the veil from inside it, a force of expansion. The allowing is in relation to the thrid force of the divine working to disolve this veil, in that we need to allow this present veil to disolve. Even though we are part of this great scheme of levels and veils, and even though we are not fully responsible for all these veils; we are responsible for our own veil, in the sense that it cannot disolve unless we allow it to. For the fact is, the self is holding up its own veil, or might at least say that it is complicit in the maintenance of this veil. This is because the self is resisting its own annihilation into the next level of consciousness-being, which is like a self-death - of which the present self is afraid. Thus, because the veil-lifting is a self-death (a death to its usual boundaries and identity), the self tends to be resistant to the veil-lifting. This is why the self needs to transcend its normal resistance and allow the veil to lift (or allow the Divine to up-lift the self - to the next level of Light-containment). May this esoteric knowledge be understood by those on the path to Gnosis!

--------

Contact

Contact is how we learn, progress, evolve. The most common kind of contact is with other people. Some of these are contacts with people wiser or more loving than we, and so we learn and evolve by such contacts. Sometimes our contact is with lesser mature people, where upon we can help them mature and evolve. Another kind of contact is with nature, such as beautiful places, or with animals or plants, or with nature spirits, or with natural energies. But always, there is an opportunity in any contact to either receive inspiration or give inspiration. Even with friends, we give and receive.

One very important contact to make is with our soul, which is our true self. Eventually, one is the soul in full knowingness. But until our true identity is known and lived from, the personality needs to practice making contact with the soul that is within, because the personality-mind can often be fixated on desires and concerns that do not actually emerge from our soul inner truth. Our personality consists of the thinking mind, desires and moods, and this physical body. The soul is our inner consciousness, which is independent and unidentified with the personality. Contact with soul brings one into resonance with inner truth and brings liberation from the personality vehicles. Being as soul, our consciousness is free from bondage in the thinking mind, free from bondage to desires and moods, and freedom from the bondage of this physical body. Then, from this soul freedom, new insights can unfold and new decisions made. In other words, the soul can now direct the personality mind, emotions and physical; rather than these vehicles merely being conditioned by external suggestions or by accumulated habits. Finally, the goal is to live as the soul and from the soul.

Another contact to make is with one’s inner master or teacher. This is a very inner contact with a source of teaching, encouragement, and healing. One may not be able to contact the inner teacher in a way of knowing their exact name or look. The name or the appearance is not important. Every soul has a particular chord-vibration, and this soul chord is the soul’s family or soul-group, and each has its higher soul or master teacher. In other words, each soul, our true self, his part of a soul group and has a master-teacher (who is beyond male/female distinction, but nonetheless might be envisioned with gender). To make contact with one’s master teacher simply begin listening for an inner helper or teacher, or become sensitive to a feeling of being helped and encouraged from an inner comforting voice. This helpful encouragement is always here, always available. In addition, there is always an angelic presence, or possibly many, always present and available. But these inner helpers mostly make no effect in our life, unless we are aware of them and making contact.

The third kind of contact is directly with God. Soul contact and teacher contact are still important, as intermediate levels are important on the ascending journey, and as rungs in a ladder are important in reaching the roof, but nonetheless is it possible to go straight to the Divine Source, because God the Source is always present as the very Essence and Centre of our being. God is always closer to us than we ever realize. Imagine that every cell in the body is conscious and every thought and emotion has a conscious substance and all space in us and around is conscious; then know this consciousness is God, not as separate and different consciousness’s, but as only one essential consciousness. But the most centered place of God is right in our heart. This is where one can find God smiling. God is the essence of love inside us.

So we find God in our own heart, which is also where we find our own soul. Yet let us not become confused about this distinction of God and soul. Think of God as the Essence of our soul, and soul as a partial realization of God. God is the whole Divine Being and one’s soul is microcosmic replica of this. So for practical meditation purposes, it is best not to worry about whether one is contacting God or soul, for it is always both anyway. The general suggestion is that if you are not sure about yet contacting the soul, then do this first, but if you are already in soul realization then go for God.

Contact with God is a refreshing of oneself in the waters of Love. It is like drinking the water of life, after thirsting in the dry lands. For God is the Source of Love and Life. The Sufi mystics have a name for God contact, which is remembrance, zikr. Remembrance is the practice of connecting with God and being refreshed by the Divine Source. On a deeper level, one is returning to God by immersing oneself in God, returning to the Great Ocean of Absolute Being. The way to reach this immersion is by surrender, in meditation or prayer, of one’s whole ego-self. That is, surrender the pride, the self-importance, and all self-concepts. Give up one’s whole self to God, mentally, emotionally, and physically, and do this with full sincerity and heart. This is called fana, the annihilation of the self, and what remains is God-knowing, baqa.

----------