The Embrace of the Infinite

The Embrace of the Infinite

To know the self as the universe. To know the universe as self. To be everything, everywhere and everywhen – that is the gateway. To embrace all that is, that’s where this becomes fundamentally and visibly transformative.

There are two types of awakening that deserve some conversation – an awakening of perception and awakening of expression. Most of the Eastern meditative paths are 80/20 balanced between perception and expression. The Sufi path and some of the charismatic churches lean more into the expressive. It’s the reason the Sufi tradition is sometimes called the “love-drenched” path.

To have an awakening of perception we must see the Oneness in ourselves, in all beings and in all reality. We must know that we are not separate from anything. This knowing isn’t just cognitive, it’s true gnosis – a Knowing beyond knowing. Over 70% of people report having some passing experience of Oneness in their life. This is commonly the aim of sacred medicine ceremonies, meditation and spiritual cultivation work.

Of these, spiritual traditions, especially those that center meditation tend to have the capacity to create the most enduring, sustainable and integrateable awakening of perception.

But even the perception of Oneness is not the end. To hold Oneness and to love all that is including self and other and to feel yourself loved by the universe, by others and by yourself simply as a function of your existing – that is the path that will change your life. To be fair, both are massive achievements. Both require deep dedication, devotion and perhaps a little bit of spiritual grace to put ourselves in front of the right teacher or circumstance.

If we can see perception as receiving and expressing as giving, we will understand why it is the more advanced step. To perceive all things is simple, neutral observation. To love all things is engaged and active. It will get underneath any last little holdouts that perception has not yet obliterated.

It may be common to be able to perceive another person as an awakened being, as a child of God or as a citizen of nature. To be able to, in a spiritual sense see them as yourself. But it (for many) becomes much more confronting and creates a completely different relationship to actively love another as yourself, or conversely to love yourself as another.

The effect this has is to generate the transcendent heart. The heart of the soul, that true heartspark of the divine that animates everything you experience and express. Most people think they want the perception what they really want is the feeling.

To awaken the heart of the divine the best place to start is any little holdout of absolute and abiding self-love we might be experiencing. To be saturated in the divine’s love for us and to love the divine through our own love. This is the path.

So, here’s the practice….

Set a timer for fifteen minutes. Lay down on your back and start loving. Choose to feel a sensation of love in your heart. If you need to think about people, situations or even cute little puppies you can do that. You are stretching your capacity to love-at-will. Keeping feeling that love until the timer goes off. Then gently get up and go about your day but pay attention to how good you feel.

Ultimately the goal here is to “love for no reason. ”Once you do that you will see there is “no reason not to love". This is the key. Why wouldn’t you be loving? It feels great, it’s good for you and no one can stop you.