There is one God. Each Deity is the personification of a different aspect of God, as if God puts on a different attire to present another quality of His/Her divine nature. The Gods are the laws of nature, the mechanisms of existence. You are one with all that is, with the source of all existence, with God. Each aspect, each personification, of God is within you.
Generally, your relationship with the Gods starts with viewing God as if outside of yourself. You revere God as distant… as something beyond you. However, your relationship with God culminates in becoming one with God… in finding the Gods within you. This, of course, is not done through the superficial personality level, but instead within the depth of your being. The different Gods then are different aspects of your psyche and of your physiology. Cultivate your relationship with God with the intent of moving in that direction instead of holding God at a distance.
There will be a time when you actually have a choice of taking that final step of mergence with God, or keeping the very slightest separation so that you can revere God as other. However, that is another subject entirely and one that is not possible to really understand until that time comes.
For now, lean in the direction of finding God within you. But know it is a process. It evolves and grows over time, just as it takes time for the seed to become the tree. Patiently sit before each aspect of divinity and explore your relationship with that God or Goddess. In time you will merge. You will find that divinity in you as you… as some aspect of your being, your psyche, your physiology.
This is indeed a subtle process. For example, finding Karthikeya within you will not mean your personality transforms into what you may think a Commander and Chief of the Army of the Gods would be like. How He emerges through you will be unique to you. For example, some will remain soft-spoken and appear meek. Others may be commanding in their demeanor. To find Karthikeya within you will transform you in profound yet subtle ways.
Such discovery is attained primarily through meditation, yet proper reflection and discernment will facilitate the process… very much so.
Fundamental Principle # 1: Discernment
Fundamental Principle # 2: The Unified Field
Fundamental Principle # 3: Structure
Fundamental Principle # 4: Mapping
Fundamental Principle # 6: The Reality Continuum
Beautiful
Ramakrishna had it he didn’t want to merge so he cut his third eye and than he merged automatic.
I loved the story he enjoyed being in that state to much he wanted to stay like that.
“Generally, your relationship with the Gods starts with viewing God as if outside of yourself. You revere God as distant… as something beyond you.” This is certainly what I experienced being raised Methodist.
“However, your relationship with God culminates in becoming one with God… in finding the Gods within you.” This is such an extended process, with experiences that range from stubborn resistance to sensing the most intangible feelings inside. It’s amazing how challenging, satisfying, and all-encompassing a journey can be.
That is just beautiful.
I am trying to figure out if the Ishtadevata is similar ? I was told this is the aspect that brings you to God. But I am thinking Whom you resonate most with at a later stage is different? Does our gender effect who we can resonate best with?
I also go to fear about the merging possibility. One part is fear of the unknown, but I know that is silly, because from one moment to the next is an unknown. The other fear is the fear of power. Fear is a very physiological state for me, I have the kidneys to prove it. I have found when I feel mantras, I cannot block them, I don’t go to fear, that overrides the fear. It is not even a conscious surrender, it is some kind of flow thing.
Patience is a challenge. But I know it is in God’s time, not my time.
Thank you. Jai Guru Dev.
Thank you Michaelji for this beautiful teaching.
As I was listening to it and reading it a picture from inside came to me – of sitting in the Temple, day after day, while the yagyas are performed, and gradually having the full extent of their meaning and the full knowledge of the personification of the devatas revealed.
I understand now from your teaching that making the offerings in puja the flowers, rice, fruit, and camphor are small symbolic actions that map onto something much bigger and more profound and ultimately Transcendental.
We were in the Temple last week for multiple hours while a series of pujas were performed. The experiences of the ancient sounds of the vibrations of the chanting, along with the repetition of the offerings – flowers, fruit, incense, etc. were reverberating through my whole being. I started to feel expansion of awareness. And I began to understand experientially the potential power that the Temple has to transform the consciousness of the community and the world – just from the innocent repetition of the all the different actions that map to the Wholeness of life again and again.
I feel very grateful for the Temple, and for having found it and for understanding the possibility of an even more profound relationship with the energies and impulses of Natural Law as expressed through the personification of the deities.
And even though I had that experience in the Temple last week, it was only after the teaching in this blog that I was able to understand it and put words to it.
Thank you, Michaelji.
I love how I feel as I read this blog..so I will read it often today. As I drove in to work this morning my attention was on ways to verbalize the difference between the deepest sense of “knowing” compared to the strongest intellectual (conditioned) influence of “knowing” I did not come up with anything:) After all..what do I know..who am I? Well..I do know the good news and the good news is that I do not have to verbalize it! I am not the teacher..(sweet) I feel the difference and that is what I am sure of.
Thank you for your amazing stamina Brahmarshi!
Donna,
Ishta, fear of merging and fear of power. These are all very good and big topics. Just be easy the the idea of your Ishta. Allow Ishta to have different meanings on different levels. For now, enjoy the form of God you enjoy. If that changes over time, no problem. Allow your ‘Ishtadevata’ to be the form of God that feels good in the moment.
Regarding ‘merging’, you have already merged… Everyone has… we are all one with God. The way I used merging in this blog would more accurately be said to awaken to your Oneness with God. This happens quite seamlessly and naturally over time. Nothing to fear.
Also, ‘power’ is a very misunderstood word in our culture. People think of it as forceful, controlling, abusive, domineering, etc. But true power can be so sweet, gentle, loving, and kind… No worries.
Larry,
Very beautiful. And when arranged as per a Vedic Enlightened City, the power of the Temples embody the square root of 1% principle. Five temples being 2500 (5x5x100) times more powerful than five distributed randomly. Knowing this, and having to wait patiently for them to emerge is quite challenging at times.
Michael,
The stomach is a second brain… thusly the phrase ‘gut feeling’… knowing it in your ‘gut’. Extrapolate that out to the transcendental mind and there you have it… True Knowing…
Thank you Brahmarshi for the beautiful reply.
I keep sitting with this. My question involves “choice”.
I thought of people , like Peter, who at the end shut himself off from God. But I don’t think God shut Himself off from him. I feel God as persistent, patient, forgiving…
If there is the slightest element of surrender, I don’t see the option of a choice. At that moment, it seems like in the merging the choice is not there. It’s like a tsunami of Divinity, and in that situation, there isn’t anything to cling to. You may see a log float by, and hang on, but you’re now in the ocean.
I know I can run. I can’t hide. It is not about my puny self. The Universe has a bigger plan. I can go kicking and screaming. But I have to go.
I feel like once we all found You, and if we are here with You, well… Choice is self evident , almost non existent. And we supported by the Uni and nature.
Jai Guru Dev.
Thanks Brahmarshi.