We Are One

Many years ago, I travelled by train to my high school in Port of Spain, Trinidad. I boarded at Champ Fleurs, in the foothills of the Northern Range. My train chugged east along the Caroni Swamp edge until meeting the ocean near the Central Station. As I travelled, the sedimented swamp had the water's overpowering smell and the oncoming salty ocean breezes that herald my stop. I remember staring at the swamp, encountering the clear, briny ocean, and wondering about the underwater life among the thick mangrove roots. 

The mixture of the opposite waters created the rich ground for crabs, fish, and Cascadura, the famous Trinidad delicacy when in season. It was much like the clash of the warm Gulf Stream and the cold Arctic waters that made famous the great codfish industry in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. It was remarkable to understand during the churning of waters, how so many marine parts dynamically mixed and worked together to produce this food source.

Today, sixty years later, our postmodern civilization faces a similar confrontation. On one side, global crises and chaos, and on the other side, escalating marches for truth, peace, and justice. Come with me and look closer to this reality. As the Cascadura and Cod emerged from the tumult of two different waters, you will see that a beautiful birth of something new is ready to take place in our history. Between the two current situations, there is an opportunity for revelation and insights to begin. Each of you reading this blog is not only a witness but also a participant in this extraordinary event on this planet.

We are standing on the cusp of transformation. Available to us are words of wisdom from the great ones who have gone on before and obtained direct insight, or one can deny what is currently happening and remain stressed and insecure. The dynamic meeting of current global turbulence with tranquil hearts is the catalyst pushing us to work together in harmony.  Failure to heed this opportunity is to remain within the existing conditions of separateness and lauding of differences. 

My last Blog #5 on "Our Human Self" provides a background of how we can actualize our transformation. I wrote that within each of us and every living and non-living thing on earth and the universe is an Energy. Humanity refers to it as our Life, Soul, Self, Spirit, Source, Power, Consciousness, and other similar names. This “Energy” or "Self" is our true nature. We have a light that illuminates and unites us with the bigger Universal Self that is the Supreme Being we customarily call "God." 

This Energy or Consciousness is the common ground of all that is known and unknown. It is, for us an Internal Power or Divinity. Like the great ones who have experienced this reality, it has always been possible to connect and identify ourselves with this eternal Being. But we have forgotten how to do so or plainly, ignored its impulses. More than ever, we can now remind ourselves how to take action, if only, for our very survival.

Imagine during our pandemic that you sit above the earth, scanning all the continents and oceans. You can see a panoramic view of both tumult and orderly actions. Perhaps you wish for more first responders to act faster or for people to have peaceful solutions to quiet the disheartened discord. Inherently, you may feel moved to find answers. What an opportunity we have at this moment. Our combined positive thoughts and actions can transform ourselves and those around us. Have you noticed how there are some children acting as leaders? It is not the time to quietly sit back and let others do all the work. Answers are within us all; right now and it is not a giant step as one may think. It is as easy as breathing if you give yourself time to go within. 

I stated earlier that within each one of us is our Divine Energy. You and I may feel we exist apart, especially when we see the great diversity of matter in which everything and every one seems different. However, we are inexplicably held together by the sacred One. Not one of us is better or more important than the other. We are all the same spiritually. Each of us is a part of the whole, and we are not separate. The mystery of existing in the One is very much like a hologram. A hologram consists of many parts and within each holographic piece, there is the image of the whole hologram. Similarly, every human being has a part of the whole Divine Energy within that is the same as the omnipresent, Divine design. Therefore, we can never be truly separated, segregated, belittled, or devalued in any way because we are all one part of this wonderful, Universal One. It is the Divine in each of us that makes us the same and truly makes us one. By simply connecting and expanding our awareness, we do not get caught up in divisive thoughts. 

Our thoughts connect us. Our thoughts are energy, which affects every single person and our environment. From our thoughts, words and actions arise. Examine today's  turmoil and living in these strange times. They are the products of our combined thoughts and actions.

We can emerge from the chaos with collective thoughts and actions for a better world. Not everyone is willing to go this route because they have only felt they are separate, nor do some wish to believe in unity. At first, it may take only a few of us to illuminate others, for even the smallest amount of light can show us the way.

It is straightforward to access solutions to aid us during these exceptionally turbulent times. Take a quiet step within yourself and make a mind-body connection with the Divine Self. Because we are already part of the One Self, we can become creative and empowered to become a collective force and act for good. By just making this effort freely, the Force in you will ultimately begin to ‘shine,’ small at first, then as others embrace the good, the light shall become larger. 

Imagine that you are holding an electric string of lights with its individualized bulbs. Notice that the line is connected to a source of energy. By turning on a switch, the filament in each bulb allows the power to flow through. The bulbs glow and produce light. Similarly, each of us has the life-giving spirit or Self within us at the point of our heart. Our heart is much like a spiritual filament through which Divine Energy flows. This Power lies quietly waiting for each individual to connect to it, but we must do the work to turn the switch on. It takes an individual's conscious determination to flip the switch by focusing on this Universal Power.  

Unlike electric energy, Divine Energy is an Intelligent Consciousness with noble qualities. By focusing on this Source, we can acquire the same attributes suitable to our ability and nature. Through determined effort, we can discover answers to all our problems. The awakening force of Consciousness is the only way to find fulfillment, peace, and solutions. With creatively inspired abilities, we can establish a new and harmonious Earth. 

Sit in a quiet spot. Relax and close your eyes. Concentrate on your breathing for just five minutes and be at peace. Allow your mind to focus on your heart or forehead. Success lies in your dedication.

We are not alone in these clashing times. Just as the Cascadura and Codfish grow from the mixing of fresh and salty waters, and warm and cold currents, we can produce positive outcomes when we understand that Divine Energy is the food for our minds. Each one of us cannot afford to ignore the call during this urgent time of critical global circumstances. No matter who you are, young or old, you can connect to the Power within and empowering yourself. Everyone can spread the light of peace and harmony around the earth. Allow your mind to freely take on the qualities of the Source. In this way, we can contribute together and genuinely say— we are One.