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Living Arts
Experiencing the Divine
by Norman Paulsen
Where have we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going when we leave? Are there any real answers to these questions?
We have our scriptures of the past to turn to: the words of men and women who have attained enlightened states of consciousness. We can read, hear, and try to believe, but we are the ones here today—right now at this moment. We are faced with ourselves, why we are here, and what we are doing with our lives up to that time when we most assuredly will leave.
We want to believe that God is alive, hears our prayers, and is somehow going to attend to us at the moment we take our last breath. What really is going to happen to each one of us when we are leaving to face eternity, that great beyond of which we know so little?
We spend our lives pursuing our desires, growing up, raising our families, and meeting the demands of life. But is it possible to nurture one’s eternal quest, to personally see and experience the Divine Being, the intelligence who has fashioned the world we are riding on today, and the very body we sit within? Records state that some men and women have seen and known God, but for each one of us, records aren’t enough, and statements aren’t sufficient to convince us. We need it to happen to us personally.
We have listened to the words of priests and scholars. We have heard the statements of those who were expounding upon wisdom thousands of years ago. But today in our world, with the circumstances we face, there is a growing desire in people to personally experience the light and consciousness of the divine within and around them. Is there a way other than dreams, accidents and illnesses that seem to pass on revelations?
There are statements now from thousands of people who have had near-death experiences. They have described seeing a pure being of light at the end of a tunnel, brilliant like the sun. This presence communicated to them unconditional love, compassion, un-derstanding and the sense of immortality: the knowing that for them, life had not ended.
Everyone who has had this experience has returned to their lives a changed person. They had an experience of immortality; they touched the hem of the divine garment. They now know that beyond this life, there is a continuum of con-sciousness. There is a future. They see that the attainment of physical objects—wealth, power, fame—means nothing in terms of the state of immortality. They come back with the feeling that it is better to give than to receive. They return with the energy of the divine, which is, in every microsecond of time, giving life force to the images that exist in this creation, including our bodies.
But you don’t need a near-death experience to discover the divine within your soul. The correct method of meditation will reveal this to you. We all have the ability to see and experience this being of light within ourselves, and to receive that knowledge and guidance, that wisdom, that peace, and that love. We are entering an age on this planet where effective meditation tools are being given to people, not simply statements and promises that may or may not happen. These tools will give each individual, according to his/her own will and desire, the ability to go within and meet the divine face to face. This has been my experience, and it is available for each one of us who cares to pursue it.
Are you interested in uncovering the great treasure hidden within you? Would you like to experience living, working and learning to meditate with others who seek the same goal? Sunburst Community and Retreat Center, founded by Norman Paulsen, direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, offers such a place. Visit www.SunburstOnline.org to view a summer service exchange program that will include meditation and yoga classes, along with group projects such as permaculture landscaping and organic gardening.