The Sanctuary Is Always Open

Oneness lies at the mystical heart of all major religions. The notion that we are not isolated creatures but inseparable souls at one with a universal spirit is at the core of many faiths. How ironic that a belief in oneness is a common denominator and presumably shared by all followers within the contentiousness of bitterly embedded camps of righteousness, which war over perceived differences. While Oneness reigns as a supreme ideal, separation is the common perception and practice.

Across the faith traditions of most of the world's population is the idea that ultimate reality is a union of opposites. Even in the Garden of Eden story, the problem of Adam and Eve (the fall) is sparked by a decision to ignore the all-pervading reality of Life and partake of the dualistic appearance of good and evil - a perceptual choice that seemingly fragments the soul from its Source, creates a world bereft of well-being that leads to endless seeking in vain for a worldly solution that would bring about the perfect Oneness and Goodness from which it departed.

On a personal level, you and I make this choice in every moment; choices that separate us from Supreme Reality. Such choices do not cause an actual separation of course, since it is impossible to be apart from our essence, yet these choices create the experience of separation. That's quite enough for us to create a world of opposites, of lack, limitation, right and wrong, you and me, them and us, have and have not; all the ingredients that have us clamoring and dueling over our share of the good. It could be said that a dualist must become a duelist, as one clamors and competes with an “other”. While this illusion is being played out through a separate sense of self, in truth we at “home in God, (merely) dreaming of exile.”

So how do we find our way back to this Unity consciousness, which is the cherished destination of all spiritual paths? One way is to deconstruct the false self that we've created; a self that we define and identify through bits and pieces of our personal reality.

When we answer the question, who am I? our initial instinctive responses reflect our beliefs about who we think we are. We identify with our bodies, our careers, our desires, our emotions, and our thoughts. We mistakenly attach our "I am" to superficial descriptors, such as Caucasian man, Asian woman, plumber, teacher, sad, glad, curious, anxious, wealthy, or wounded. These become our identities, and so define and confine us. Such limited identity obscures the true Self that has no boundaries, no defining edges, no separate sense of itself. Once aware of this mistaken identity we can begin a process to disentangle the untruth that has robbed us of our essential happiness. We can begin to release these labels, dissolve the distinctions that wall off our connection with the Allness of life. Here's a simple process: Recite these phrases in a contemplative fashion, realizing the significance of these insights as you say them:

I have a body, but I am not my body

I have desires, but I am not my desires

I have emotions, but I am not my emotions

I have thoughts, but I am not my thoughts. The very act of noticing these aspects of ourselves pulls us out of the spell that conflates what I observe with what I am. Freed from this illusion, we enlarge the aperture of perception and enter the vast theater of awareness that can observe characteristics that we have formerly believed comprised our whole identity. What can be seen and felt cannot be the true seer. As we witness these aspects of ourselves, we are less likely to identify and define ourselves by them. This awareness moves us closer to unity consciousness, which as St. Paul noted, is living, moving, and having our very being in Divine Presence.

While many of us may yearn to return to our places of worship and faith communities and must wait for the conditions to allow this resumption of spiritual practice, there is nothing at this moment that can keep us from returning to the Source of Life, Love, Happiness, and Peace. Let us unmask our True Self and feel the immediate welcome and loving embrace in the heavenly sanctuary that remains open to us just as we are in this precious holy moment.

Namaste dear friends, Larry