The physical body is not truly ours. It belongs to planet earth. We can call it our own while we reside in it, but it does not belong to us (Pierre de Chardin)

My mother taught us that God is at the centre of our being. She was a perfect example of seeking God. At the time, the popular concept was that we had to seek God in order to relate with Him. Going to church was equated with finding God. If you did not go to church, then there was something wrong with you. The church was where God lived.

This concept gave rise to several interpretations about our spirituality. It appeared as if God was out there, and you had to go out of your way to find Him. This separation implied that we are physical human beings who had to seek the Divine and invite It to come and dwell within us. We had to keep repeating this invitation in order to ensure that the Divine stayed in us.

I remember feeling guilty when I did not feel “divine” as I was growing up. I was made to believe that being divine was an emotion that I had to feel, especially when I went to church, more so when I received holy communion. I could not tell anyone about this because I was so ashamed of it.

The world of dualism often implies that a lot of effort is needed in order to integrate the different parts. It implies dichotomy. Dichotomy often gives rise to struggle. When we experience separation, it impacts on the quality of our life and our relationships. There is so much unhealthy competition in our world, where only the fittest survive. Dualism denotes lack and limitation. We are always chasing after something more, we have insatiable desire for fulfilment, we are always struggling for the next level. We chase things, and often, the more we have, the more we feel we need. We lack time – the most precious commodity – and are always in a hurry. We feel conditioned by so many things, and we end up living either in the past or in the future.  

Today, thankfully, we have a better understanding of our spirituality. Spirituality is the here and now. In the Bible, when God called Moses out of the burning bush, and Moses asked him who He was, He answered: I am who I am – meaning, I am the present, the here and now. Time has no significance to God, because He is the Spirit.

When we believe that we are spiritual beings in a human body, we focus on the things that really matter. Every moment is precious because it carries grace. We are integrated. We embrace ourselves the way we are and work towards growth, because spirit moves, it is not static. We appreciate ourselves as we are, without comparing ourselves with other people. We take care of ourselves because we believe in our worth – which is not external but internal. Everything external only serves to intensify what is internal. We see the world through the eyes of a child – we marvel at everything we see, and take delight in the most banal things. We respect ourselves, others, and the cosmos, because everything is connected. Our wellbeing impacts on the wellbeing of others, and others` wellbeing impacts on ours. We do not allow ourselves to be confined – because the spirit is free – it has no boundaries. Love propels our very essence. We are freed from greed and unhealthy competition, which breeds hate, disease, and resentments. When we experience separation from others, when there are disputes, when we harbour anger and resentment, when we refuse to forgive, we are living against the divine in us – we do not feel well, because we have broken the channel that makes us whole. The knot in our stomach and other unpleasant sensations show us that there is some blockage, flow has been interrupted. It is only when we restore the flow, when we repair, that we can feel whole again.

We see everything with eyes of appreciation. We do not stop at external beauty, but at what lasts forever.

Our nature is cooperation, not competition. Our physical body is like a car. The spirit inhabits this body, and instructs it on what to do, where to go, and how to do everything. The spirit will not mislead us.

If we believe that we are spiritual beings with a human experience, then we shall be connected with ourselves and with each other intimately. Our incarnation is the culmination of this inner connectedness – the divine becoming human. Jesus himself was the perfect example of this – His incarnation explicitly showed this union. He was close to everything that surrounded Him. What humanity did to Him did not change who He was. His message is very clear.

When we stop to connect with our innermost being, we experience freedom – time becomes irrelevant – we receive all inspiration, and we are at home. We connect with our true nature, which is divine, and get direction on how to live our physical life. We feel one with others, with the cosmos. There is no separation, we are not afraid, because we are unmovable. Our happiness and peace become less and less dependent on the outside world. This gives us the strength to live every situation in our life with motivation and enthusiasm. We become love, peace, and happiness, because we merge with everything else, and whatever happens in our life only strengthens that conviction. We exercise unconditional love, forgiveness, compassion, peace, happiness, and harmony. Then we live forever.