relationship with Supreme power

Having a relationship with God

"On our journey towards a better life, some of us consciously search for truth, others for love, and still others for beauty." - Brahma Kumaris.

The soul world or incorporeal world is that dimension of golden-red light, where we souls came from and will eventually return to. It is a dimension of complete silence and stillness, where nothing changes and time has no reference. That is our true home, and home indicates a spiritual family of all souls in which there is a spiritual parent: God or the highest among souls, the Supreme Soul.

Common understanding or concepts about God: Let us spend a few moments to reflect on these questions: What is your concept of God? What is His task? What is your relationship with God the Supreme Soul at present? God is considered as higher than any human soul, is powerful and almighty, is the Supreme Father of all souls, is a Giver or Bestower (never a taker or receiver), the source of everything good and pure.

Our search for God: All of us, in one way or another, are in search of God without our knowing it. On our journey towards a better life, some of us consciously search for truth, others for love, and still others for beauty. If these three aspects–love, truth and beauty–were offered as those which best summarise God’s qualities, there would be few willing to argue. Unfortunately, just as the word God has been so much used and abused out of context, love, truth and beauty have all but lost their deeper meanings. The love that exists today between two persons is often conditional, selfish, and not lasting. What I feel to be the truth today is discredited tomorrow. And beauty has come to be associated with the temporary, often bodily beauty, which is easily disfigured. If I have been searching for a love that never lets me down, a truth that is unshakeable and a beauty that goes beyond the superficial, I have indeed been searching for God–perhaps without even being aware of it.

Nature and identity of God: It is not too difficult to understand that out of all the billions of souls, there is one who could be designed as the Supreme, because of His constant perfect divine Love, total Truth and absolute Beauty.

God’s form: Anything that exists must have a form. God’s qualities are formless but He, the Source, has a form. God is not love but the Source of love; God is not truth but the Source of truth… and so on. As explained earlier, the soul is a point of light, of conscious energy, surrounded by an oval-shaped aura; similarly, the Supreme Soul, the Parent, is also that. But the difference is in the degree and intensity of purity, qualities, powers…How do I use this knowledge about God in meditation? Knowing His form, I can bring that image onto the screen of my mind, and begin immediately to experience powers and qualities by associating them with that beautiful form. There is so much importance in meditating on God’s form and attributes. In all cultures and religions, there is some special memorial or ritual in which light is always allied to what is holy or sacred. It is a reminder of the form of God as light. Candles, flames, and other light sources have always had importance in religious practices.

The ‘near-death’ experience, in which the soul (the conscious entity) leaves the body, usually due to some traumatic happening, lends meaning to this point. The individuals relate how they passed through a long tunnel at the end of which they perceived a light, which is self-luminous and conscient. The light gave them a sense of relationship and warmth, possessed of non-judgmental love and compassion. The interesting thing about all these reports on ‘near-death’ experiences is that irrespective of their background–religious or even non-religious–their experiences of this Being of Light and Love have always been identical.

When we turn our minds to God, wherever we may be and from whichever culture, the first thing we normally do is to close our eyes in order to go beyond the material world of people and objects.

God’s name: Anything that has a form has a name, so God too has a name. When the human soul takes a body, it is the body that bears the name and not the soul. There are as many names for God as there are languages, and each name highlights one of God’s specialties…whether it is Jehovah, Allah, Shiva… But there is one name that perhaps describes God best. God’s name is eternal and is based on attributes and functions. The Sanskrit word ‘shiva‘, which describes God quite accurately, has three distinct meanings that describe His role: Shiva means world benefactor, it also means the seed of creation, and the point-source of everything good and pure, and also implies that there can be no other creator superior to that One. The word shiva is the introduction to God, but in meditation another word is more applicable: Shiv Baba. The suffix baba or father (literally, the elder one), conveys the closeness and sweetness of the relationship I have with God.

God’s residence: When we turn our minds to God, wherever we may be and from whichever culture, the first thing we normally do is to close our eyes in order to go beyond the material world of people and objects. Intuitively, we know that God exists beyond matter. If we are souls and not bodies, our real and eternal existence is on another plane. It’s in that same dimension that God exists. The home of the soul is a region of subtle, golden-red light, which can be visualised during meditation. It is from there that I come to the world drama stage, and take on my bodily costume to play my part. Just as my real home is the soul world, it is also the Home of the Supreme Being. It does not mean that God is millions of light-years away from me. I can reach that One with the power of just one pure thought, like a dialed phone call connects instantly. God is only one thought-distant from me. In this region of absolute stillness, absolute silence, and absolute purity, God is able to remain perfectly stable, constant and unchanging, whilst the rest of the corporeal universe and the souls go through constant change during the span of each world drama cycle.

God’s attributes: On the basis of our similarities of form and abode, I learn from God of my own original attributes of peace, purity, love, truth, power, happiness and balance. By tuning my thoughts to that One, this influence or communion begins to activate and re-charge His powers and qualities in me. God has often been described as the Ocean of all Qualities–limitless and constantly available. God’s superiority lies in the depth, sharpness and continuity of His attributes. While human souls fluctuate between qualities such as peace and stress, love and conflict, knowledge and ignorance, agony and ecstasy, purity and impurity… God is ever constant and remains beyond the fields of change and relativity.

Similarities & differences between the souls & God: There are so many differences between the souls and the Supreme Soul that it is not logical to consider the self as being equal to God, neither in terms of function nor in terms of power. Yet, the union, link or yoga with God is based on similarities and not differences. Souls and God have the same form and size. Human souls lose their original attributes, owing to identification with the body, but God never comes into the cycle of birth and rebirth, and therefore constantly maintains the same eternal metaphysical powers. Human souls oscillate in terms of their nature/personality, while God remains eternally positive. Same original state: pure, full of virtues and spiritual powers. We forget who we are and where we are from, but God the Ocean of Knowledge constantly retains knowledge of Himself.

Relationships with God: It is important not just to think of this Almighty Being of Light as the Source of all positive attributes, but also in terms of different relationships. To the extent that I am able to make my own personal link with God, I develop in my personality aspects which are missing. Through relationships with other human beings, I have been trying to fill the empty gaps in my emotional make-up. Now, I can complete what is missing through the loving contact with the Supreme Source of all attributes…

In the perfect personality of the Supreme, there is the feminine principle of loving, giving and accepting. This is perfectly balanced with the masculine principle of power, authority and strength.

God as mother and father: In an over-whelming proportion of traditions, God is generally considered a male figure. Just as the soul is neither masculine nor feminine, God has no gender. Therefore, as a soul, I can come close to Him without any awe or difficulty–irrespective of the gender of the body I am now occupying. In absolute terms, God is the Supreme Mother whose love and mercy is totally accommodating. No matter what has happened, how I am–good or bad–I experience unconditional acceptance. It is a love that empowers and cleanses. He is also the Supreme Father who offers protection and provides His inheritance of divine qualities.

It is a question of just being an innocent child and claiming that inheritance–letting go of all the sorrow and pain which have been burdening the soul. These are the first relationships that have to be experimented with: God as the Supreme Mother and Father. In the perfect personality of the Supreme, there is the feminine principle of loving, giving and accepting. This is perfectly balanced with the masculine principle of power, authority and strength. He is She and She is He. These parental relationships with God as Mother and Father are the foundation of my spiritual development. The concept of taking new spiritual birth–of letting go of the past and developing a new consciousness–is a familiar one. It refers to becoming an innocent child again in the sense of purity, openness and wonderment. The awareness of the self as a soul (soul-consciousness) has already changed my perspective enormously, but the consciousness of being a child of God (God-consciousness), and seeing others with that vision brings self-esteem, dignity, love and respect. Then all these things spill out in my connections with others. If I respect and value my true self, I will do the same for others. Because God is a Soul, neither old or young, male nor female, and has the most perfect personality, there are so many different ways I can spiritually intoxicate myself in this highest and purest of all relationships.

Benefits of other relationships with God: Supreme Teacher–Discovery of Divine wisdom and truth. Supreme Guide and Preceptor–Directions for each step on the spiritual path. Supreme Friend and Companion–Conversation, support at any moment. Supreme Beloved–Sharing intimacies, long-term support. Supreme Child–Giving of all I have. Supreme Healer–Correct diagnosis and cure of weaknesses and vices.

Raja Yoga means the Supreme Link, or having a relationship with God. It is the only relationship that can transcend the span of a lifetime, which is the limit of human relationships. Being beyond time and distance, it is the only relationship, which is continual/everlasting. Even though the soul forgets, this relationship does not finish. The essence of yoga or union or link or communion is embodied in an idea that occurs in both Eastern and Western traditions–that God creates human beings in His own image. Being ‘re-created’ in God’s image is a process, which does not have anything to do with the creation of the body, but with the re-energising, re-charging, restoring the innate original qualities of the soul through yoga with God. It is the unique transformation from humanity to divinity.

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