The Divinity Within Us

When we think of the Divine, we think of God. We imagine all that is sacred, holy, supreme, good and pure. We think of majesty, excellence, perfection and transcendence. To us mere mortals, Godliness and divinity is synonymous with something outside of ourselves, an exalted standard towards which we should all strive, but never have the presumption to dream of attaining. But what if we should?

The Bible teaches us that we are made in God's image, but what exactly does this mean? Some might think that it means his* personal appearance is similar to our own, but in truth God (or the Creator) exists far above the level of form. A more popular interpretation might be that he endowed us with some of his attributes and qualities so that we may come to better understand and know him, and this reasoning is indeed sound and very persuasive. But what if it means something else altogether? What would it mean if God created us as mini replicas of himself? Like little individual packages of God, who in the beginning contained all the power, the love, the knowledge, the purity, the perfection and the magnificence of himself? But we fell from Grace and became corrupted, losing all the potency of what we once were?

If this were true, then surely it means we have the potential to return to the state from which we once fell? The answer is yes, we can. Indeed, Jesus and the Buddha once lived on this Earth to show us the way. The error we are making is believing that because they are deities, we can never be like them. But if we are in fact mini gods (albeit much degraded versions) ourselves, then we should and we must believe that we can be just like them because we contain everything within us to make this possible.

So, just how do we achieve this? There are several steps that you can take. The first would be to embrace the divinity that lives inside each of us. You might ask what divinity looks like expressed at the human level. The answer is quite simple - it is your humanity. It is that which allows you to love, feel compassion, empathy, hope, wonder and faith. It is your wisdom and understanding. It is the aspect of you that can imagine, express, create and alter realities. It is all that God represents at the micro level. And this can happen because God is within you. God does not exist some place 'out there', separate from you, but is an integral part of your being, present in this and every level of your existence. So, start by consciously linking to God (or any of his spiritual representatives) by working through your own heart whenever you pray or meditate. By working through your heart, you are setting up a clear, safe and direct channel to communicate, and not simply sending your thoughts and wishes aimlessly 'out there' into the ether.

A second step would be to chose to consciously follow the spiritual wisdom and guidance set out by his avatars (emissaries who incarnate to spread his word, like Jesus or Buddha etc.) in your everyday living. Look for the divinity within the messaging and seek to emulate it in your own life. Be wary of any instruction that is in opposition to the principles that these spiritual masters represented - unconditional love, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness and non judgment. When in doubt ask your self if what your are questioning would be something you could honestly see the spiritual master saying or doing.

A third and less obvious step would be to embrace your destiny in life. Every single person is born with a unique plan for their life, designed by their own soul to give them the best possible opportunity to clear karma and move closer to God. Of course, it would be helpful to know what that plan is, but if you don't then do your best to keep your heart and mind open, developing a habit of detached observation and allowing your life to flow. Resist the temptation to mould yourself into someone or something that you believe would be pleasing to others or considered worthy or admirable, and stay true to yourself, following the call of your own heart. Become a non judgmental observer of your own thoughts, actions and reactions and so you can truly come to know yourself. And be honest with what you see. Remember, the challenges and obstacles that we encounter serve as opportunities to learn about ourselves, helping us to identify personal strengths and weaknesses that assist us in growing and moving forward. So try your best to overcome your fears and stop avoiding, resisting or fighting those difficult situations, especially if they persistently crop up in your life as they just may turn out to be blessings in disguise!

*Although I have used Christian terminology and pronouns in referring to the Source or the Creator, it should be noted that the Creator is beyond gender, containing both male and female attributes.