JOURNEY INTO THE LIGHT

Dr. Stephen Wolinsky, in his book, “Quantum Consciousness” has said - “The observer is the creator of the particle/mass aspect of the universe. This means that how we subjectively experience events, interactions, and our inner self is observer-created….created by us.” So, if we are all playing a part in creation are we a part of that (spiritual) energy that we might call God? It has been suggested that we are co-creators with God, of everything in our lives. In terms of evolution by natural selection there needs to be some survival value to continue with any particular benefit. You would have to wonder if our inner moral compass has any survival value in terms of evolution, yet it exists. Having this inner moral guidance would likely encourage us to help others, but not necessarily assist our own survival. The origin of life and consciousness cannot be explained by evolution. Once life and consciousness have come into being then natural selection can operate on them, but it cannot bring them into being in the first place. For me, it seems likely that both creation and evolution play a part in the Universe and in our lives. As I continued to research the existence or otherwise of God, I began to reflect on some of the extraordinary abilities we as humans have, such as love, compassion, empathy, intuition and self-healing. These abilities seem to lift us above and beyond the purely physical body and our physical world. It seemed to me that if we try to live our lives as much as possible with love and all the positive emotions that flow from it, our consciousness is raised to a point where we can more easily and regularly access our inner moral compass – our inner guidance. This inner guidance appeared to have the attributes that I thought God would have. Of course, this inner guidance has been called many things: - Our own Wise Guide, God, Holy Spirit, Soul, Spirit, Great Spirit, Buddha Nature, Higher Self, Inner Light, The Source, Cosmic Consciousness and many other names. Whilst I am comfortable with most of these names, the ones that resonate most for me are God, Soul and Spirit. However, I would encourage you to choose and honour whatever name/s you feel most comfortable with. I am sure that whatever the nature of this guidance, it does not stoop to petty arguments over what it is called. So perhaps we need a new definition of God, not one that is fettered by out-dated religious instruction which often seemed to teach us to fear God, to take up the sword (sometimes literally) and destroy others not of the same belief and to constantly berate ourselves as sinners based on the actions of two people (Adam and Eve) several thousand years ago. From my own experience (which I refer to elsewhere in this book), I am aware that there is this “other” side to ourselves, our own wise and inner guide to which we all may turn at any time. Beautifully described by Sogyal Rinpoche in his book “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying” as: - “Two people have been living in you all your life. One is the ego, garrulous, demanding, hysterical, calculating; the other is the hidden spiritual being, whose still voice of wisdom you have only rarely heard or attended to. The memory of your real nature, with all it’s splendour and confidence, begins to return to you. You will find, in fact, that you have uncovered in yourself your own wise guide. Because he or she knows you through and through, since he or she is you, your guide can help you, and with increasing clarity and humour, negotiate all the difficulties of your thoughts and emotions.” My personal experience of this inner guidance has shown it always to be loving, non-judgmental, supportive, inclusive of all and having a knowledge and energy way beyond the normal understanding of my (ego) self. Perhaps the combination of our inner moral compass, our inner guidance and the spiritual consciousness that goes with that represents the God within each and every one of us. Also referred to as the Soul or the Divine Spark, the analogy I like best when trying to describe God and our Soul is: - “If God were an ocean, then our Souls are the waves on that ocean.” For me then, I would now define God as “A loving spiritual energy present in everyone and everything that guides us on our life journey and that animates all of life.” So having searched externally I now had to access my inner guidance, the God within perhaps, to of all things confirm or deny God’s existence and to try and answer my related questions. Setting aside one week to meditate daily on these questions I soon came up with some fascinating insights. GUIDANCE FROM MEDITATION To provide a snapshot of this guidance I will repeat it here, exactly as I received it: - “Whether or not God exists, depends on what your understanding of God is.” “God” as a label means different things to different people.” “Depending on the beliefs of the person using the word “God” so the characteristics of God will vary greatly.” “For some, God is to be feared and obeyed, for others God is a great comforter and someone who provides answers to prayer.” “Depending on whether we are living out of our ego or spiritual consciousness our concept of God will also vary. If we are living predominantly out of our ego consciousness then our understanding of God is likely to be more fundamentalist and dogmatic in nature. If we are living out of our spiritual consciousness then our understanding of God is more attuned to love and acceptance of others, no matter their beliefs.” “If you believe that there is a loving spiritual energy that underpins the Universe and which is in us all, and are happy to call that God, then God exists.” “Humans have used the word “God” for good and ill - To bring love and compassion to their fellow humans and as an excuse to wage war against each other.” “There would be few three letter words that have attached to them so much positive energy on the one hand and so much negative energy on the other, as does the word “God”.” “God as a life force is within and without you.” “If you were to imbue this life force with love, this would be how you might perceive God to be.” “For those seeking God, he is close by.” “Never was a child born that did not sleep in the arms of God.” “The spirit of God is what gives life to the Universe.” “God’s spirit is both indwelling and a part of all that we see as separate from ourselves.” “God’s holy spirit is there in our joy and our sadness, our laughter and our tears.” “God is the light of the Universe.” “Some people claim God as their own. God does not belong to any one group – we are all, every person on the planet and beyond, a part of God.” “There will come a time when all of humanity will find its way home to its source. That source has been called, God.” “When you see yourself and othe