Image credit: Neil Piddock
The divine means many things to different people. For some, it is formless, expansive light. Others see the sacred in nature, such as in a tree, a mountain, an animal or a river. Many traditions relate to God as a male figurehead, while others worship the divine mother. However we see the divine, what is essential is that we touch the reality of unity behind the appearance of diversity.
The divine is ultimately pure, unconditional love, and as such, it will express itself to us in the best way for us to evolve. A window frame may be Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or any other world tradition. Some only look at the window dressing and see only their religion. For those who look deeper, the structure of each tradition can help spiritual aspirants find one universal divine truth. They know that what is essential is what shines through the window frame: the clear, unattached, compassionate natural-love-light of the divine that is within all.
Let us not get stuck on the window dressing. Let us look through the window and welcome the love-light that we all are. When we focus on the unity that joins us, we create a beautiful human rainbow of light, varied in colour, all part of the one substratum of pure white light.
As we grow spiritually, we see that we are all expressions of the divine. Our body, our mind, every breath – everything – happens and is because of divine grace. The idea that we are separate from the divine is an illusion that our spiritual practice remedies.
We are reflections of the supreme, primordial force of creation. At some place within each human soul, we know, consciously or not, this spiritual truth to a greater or a lesser degree. Our precious and unique life is about becoming more aware of this underlying unity, temporarily masked by our limited perceptions and ego.
While we move through our busy lives, we often forget that the very force of life that sustains us is divine. It is divine grace that we can walk, that we can breathe, and that we exist – at all! By consciously choosing to notice these seemingly small miracles that we habitually take for granted, we begin to loosen our attachment to being separate, struggling beings. When we let go of the illusion that our ego is in control, we see that we are all a part of an exquisite divine play. We begin to see the divine everywhere and always.
MEDITATION PRACTICE: HELLO LUMINOUS WORLD!
With an open mind, and a bit of time, walk over to a private mirror. Look into it and see yourself reflected back to you. Rather than seeing all the things that you find wrong with yourself, look at the luminosity behind your skin, no matter what colour it may be. Look at how it shines. Look at it well. Open to it. Receive it. Allow it to come forward. Allow your body/being to expand and express that light. It is the divine, your true nature, shining back at you! Hello!
Now walk out into the street. Be open to that same radiance coming through all things. The tree is not just bark and branches and leaves, but part of the body of the divine. See the luminosity within the tree. The same light exists within all things, even cars and buildings. Open to it and welcome it into your field of experience.
Look at the people on the street. Even in those who are closed, in pain, and look like they are having a bad day, there is light there, behind their sorry story. That light is carrying them in every moment. They likely do not know it, but you can! In your touching it, you can boost its signal and mirror it back to them as a gift.
That light is love. That light is the divine. That light is their true nature, your true nature, our true nature that sustains and shines through all matter. The more you focus on that eternal luminosity, the more healing and love you bring to yourself and to all beings. You literally are one with the divine, lighting up the world. Yes!
Parvati Devi is the editor-in-chief of Parvati Magazine. In addition to being an internationally acclaimed Canadian singer, songwriter, producer and performer, she is a yoga teacher and holistic educator. Having studied yoga and meditation since 1987, Parvati developed her own yoga teaching style called YEMTM Yoga as Energy Medicine. Her music, including upcoming singles “I Am Light” and “Yoga in the Nightclub”, brings forward a conscious energy into the pop mainstream. Her book “Confessions of a Former Yoga Junkie” is a road map to a revolutionary life makeover for sincere spiritual seekers.
For more information on Parvati, please visit www.parvati.tv.