The Abode of the Supreme Being

In this blog I will use the gender neutral term God. But by God I mean however you perceive God.

“I tried to find him on the Christian cross, but he was not there; I went to the Temple of the Hindus and to the old pagodas, but I could not find a trace of Him anywhere.

I searched on the mountains and in the valleys but neither in the heights nor in the depths was I able to find Him. I went to the Caaba in Mecca, but He was not there either.

I questioned the scholars and the philosophers, but He was beyond their understanding.

I then looked into my heart and it was there where He dwelled that I saw Him; He was nowhere else to be found”

-Jalaluddin Rumi-

Jalaluddin Rumi

It was in 1993 that I learned this universal truth. Here I am 20 years later and I am teaching this truth to my students. To me this is such a profound wisdom that I decided to share this with all of you as well.

Rumi taught this in the 13^th Century. He said that God (by which ever name you wish to call him) lives within you. We all know this. The churches preach this as well. But the most important thing here is to know that you do not need a church or any religious organization to teach you this. You do not need to be a follower of any path to realize this truth.

You think Rumi had it right about 900 years ago. Check this out.

“--Rama embraces him warmly, declaring that he could never adequately honour or repay Hanuman for the help and services he received from the noble Vanara. Sita, however, insists that Hanuman deserved honour more than anyone else, and Sita gives him a necklace of precious stones adorning her neck.

When he receives it, Hanuman immediately takes it apart, and peers into each stone. Taken aback, many of those present demand to know why he is destroying the precious gift. Hanuman answers that he was looking into the stones to make sure that Rama and Sita are in them, because if they are not, the necklace is of no value to him. At this, a few mock Hanuman, saying his reverence and love for Rama and Sita could not possibly be as deep as he implies. In response, Hanuman tears his chest open, and everyone is stunned to see Rama and Sita literally in his heart.”

The Hinu faith has taught this same truth for thousands of years. This is not a new idea or concept. This older than time almost. But what does this have to with us in our practices of neo-Paganism or for some neo-Wicca?

In Wicca there is a piece of literature that is used by most neo-Pagans as well (at least the ones that I know). It is of course the beautiful ‘Charge of the Goddess’ written by the amazing Doreen Valiente. In the Charge, Doreen writes:

“And thou who thinkest to seek Me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou wilt never find it without thee.”

Doreen Valiente

Again we are shown that God lives within us. But this can be elaborated even more.

A good couple of years ago, during my search on more Hindu teachings, I came across a teaching that I thought was extremely profound. One that elaborates the topic I have been talking about here. Then as time passed on, I did what we humans tend to do and I forgot all about it. About two years go I picked up a book that was written by a woman who was tired in her life and needed to rediscover God amongst many other things. She took a year off of life and the second place she went to was India. Yes I am talking about Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. At the end of her stay in India she too learned this thruth. I read it and was reminded of it. But again as time passed and life happens I completely forgot again.

Last Sunday, Paul and I watched EPL (as it is now called throughout the world) and I was reminded once more of this teaching. I have been telling everyone about it again. Everyone. It is just too profound not to share it.

So far we have looked at the theory of ‘God lives within me’. But this teaching elaborates that and it teaches us the following.

“God lives within me, as me”

Isn’t that just one of the most wonderful things that you can know. When you have accepted your path to find Spiritual enlightenment, you will change along the way. Small changes will happen in you and you might not even be aware of it. But this teaching says that you do not need to actively change who you are to seek out God. Cuz when you seek him/her/it out, you will find God inside of you, as a mirror of you. When I studied my Correllian degrees I got taught a sentence that eventually really sunk in and I have never been able to forget it.

“I am a perfect manifestation of the Divine”

I am not saying that that bad people reflect God. Bad people do not seek to find God on their own personal path. They either do not seek him out or when they do, they rely on institutions and organizations to do it for them. Again I am not saying that people who do not seek out God or who do go to institutions or organizations are bad people. I am simply saying bad people.

Lord Hanuman

Many years ago I spoke to a woman, who on her quest to becoming a leader of a group in Wicca decided that she has to stop smoking, drinking and eating meat. So she gave it all up. I asked her why and she said that her community will look down on her if she doesn’t and then they won't follow her word. I told her that she is talking crap and that she should not have to change who she is to be a good leader and to be faithful to God and that it was her Ego talking. To me it sounded like she just wanted to appear ethereal in an attempt to get people to do what she wants them to do. God does not need for you to change so drastically.

“God dwells within you, as you”

I know that we all know this and that this is nothing new, but to see it like this right in front of you or to hear it from someone that you can relate to…..wow, that is truly profound.

But now let me tell you the negative thing about this teaching, or any teaching for that matter. You can read it a thousand times. You can print it out and stick it on your notice board. You can paste it all over Facebook. But until you truly come to believe and accept it, it will remain empty words. Hollow and meaningless, it will leave you in want. It is when you truly accept it that it, that you can “experience the profound nature of it”, if you will. Let me explain.

One of my students, one day (many years ago) being tired of life said that she no longer thinks that God is anywhere and that she would like to meet God, so she can believe again. I said to her that I can introduce her to God. She was very skeptical of course, who wouldn’t be? So I blindfolded her and led her down the passage. We stopped and when I took the blindfold off, she was looking at her own reflection in a mirror. I said to her that she is God, because God lives within her, through her being. She naturally was not too impressed by me. This student has left the Tradition. We have contact once every six months or so and last I spoke to her she was still looking for answers, still blaming God and still unhappy, waiting for some external force or God to sweep in and fix it.

“God lives within me, as me”

Go think about it!

Mwah!!