We are more
connected to the Spiritual realm than we may realize. Over the course of human history, this
connection has manifested itself in many different areas, from Psychology, to
Religion, to Philosophy, and Science. If
you look for similarities, rather than focusing on the differences in
conceptions of God, the essence is surprisingly simple and consistent.
1. The forefather of modern
psychology, Carl Jung, used the
scientific method to investigate a connection between the physical and spiritual
realms. His career culminated in the Theory of Synchronicity in which he suggests that a Spiritual
Reality (i.e. God) exists on a
continuum with the physical world because both originate and ultimately
dissolve into pure energy. Over
the course of his investigation he identified a component innate to every human
being which he termed “The Self”
that links our physical body to the spiritual dimension. According to Jung, “The Self” is a person’s
receiver and transmitter of communications with God. Some people are more in tune with “the self”
than others and it can be strengthened through meditation and prayer. He explains that this is the source of
people’s ideas about astrology, alchemy, mythology, and theology. According to Jung, every World religion as
well as all forms of psychic divination are inspired by our inborn connection
to God.
2.
In "A New Earth," EckhartTolle argues that all religions share a common insight on the human mind’s
fundamental defect. Left to our own
devices, we will self-centeredly focus on the negative, blaming others for our
problems. In Christianity, this is
termed ‘original sin’ and in Hinduism, it is ‘Maya.’ Most Religions offer a
similar solution, as well. We must reach
outside the confines of our physical reality and connect to a greater order in
the Universe. In return, we receive love
for ourselves and for one another. In Hindu
and Buddhist teachings this transformation in thinking is called
“enlightenment.” In the teachings of
Jesus it’s called “salvation” and in Buddhism “the end of suffering.”
3. The miraculous healing power ofAA and other 12 step programs in the
lives of its members stems directly from their relationship with a “higher
power.” When confronted with the total and
drastic transformation of an addict into a loving and productive member of society,
people on the outside marvel, “How is it possible?” The secret is simple: one can believe in any
version of a higher power that makes sense to him or her. With the help of the group, addicts learn to
shed the self-centeredness characteristic of their disease. Through prayer and service to others, members
enter into a more spiritual existence and let go of the ego, or the mind’s
identification with the physical world.
As the love, tolerance, and acceptance they feel towards others grows,
they in turn receive an ever increasing supply of peace and joy. Working the program of AA shows people that, ultimately,
all it takes is a small amount of willingness to reach out to the Spiritual plane and a person is immediately
admitted.
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| Matthew 7:7 |
4. The free spirited Christian mystics from medieval times have long been viewed with contempt by institutional
Christianity. The mystics simply defined
God as love: his love for us, and
our love for him and our neighbour in return.
They asserted that the Church’s idea of God is too small and that no words
or images can enclose the meaning of God.
Three important Christian mystics - Bernard
Clairvaux (1090-1153), Meister
Eckhart (1260-1327), and Teresa of
Avila (1515-1582) - all asserted that spiritual life should simply consist
of an active and a contemplative dimension.
A symbiotic relationship should exist between our prayer life, or the
contemplative dimension and our service of others, or the active dimension. This is all we really need to do in order to
know God.
5. The I Ching (Book of Changes)
is the oldest and most important book of ancient Chinese philosophy. It laid the foundation for the ideas and
teachings of both Confucius and Lao Tsu (Daoism). The view of the cosmos set forth by traditional Chinese philosophy
bears a striking resemblance to modern scientific conceptions of natural law,
in many areas, ranging from astronomical calculations to medicine. According to both the I Ching and Science, the
universe operates independently of a divine will. Through the mysterious workings of the Human
consciousness however, we can learn of these forces and harness their energies
to the advantage or disadvantage of humankind.
While modern scientists believe it is our responsibility to study the
laws of nature, the ancient Chinese philosophers claimed that it is one’s duty
to gain awareness of timing (astrology)
and orienting (feng shui) in order
to harmonize oneself with the divine that helps us to understand the workings
of the Universe.
6. The discovery of the Higgs Boson Particle in July 2012 was the last puzzle piece in Stephen Hawking’s M-theory, or unified theory of Physics. Nicknamed ‘the God particle’, an
understanding how it fits into “The
Grand Design” that Hawking describes in his book by that same name inspires
sheer awe. We now have a complete theory
of the universe, explaining phenomenon from the planetary to the subatomic
scale. One of the
important assumptions of M-Theory is that force and matter are really just two
facets of pure energy. In fact particles are
not points, but patterns of vibration, like the waves seen in the movement of
larger mass forms, or the orbits of planets.
Since the universe is expanding and the galaxies in it are moving faster
the farther away they move from one another, it follows that we can extrapolate
far enough backwards to arrive at the event known as the Big Bang. From
the subatomic origin of our universe, to the infinite rushing of outer space,
everything begins and ends in pure energy.
This brings us full circle to Jung, who theorized that the Spiritual and
the Physical are on a continuum, originating and ending in pure energy. I choose to see this as Love or God.
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