As we move into Easter weekend I am once again reminded of how people either tend to see God everywhere or nowhere. In fact when we get to know each other socially, one of the first questions we ask each other is about our spiritual beliefs, so that we can understand what we are in for in relationship together a little better. It is the very nature of the dichotomous, black and white, either-or mind, that we have at our disposal to navigate a life that is almost as equally paradoxical in nature. The God we cannot see has however been seen by the mystics and in the wisdom traditions, as nature itself, as creation itself. Perhaps nature was the first bible, pre-printing press, pre-cathedrals and churches, and it made our seeing and the consequent understanding possible. St. Francis would refer to things as brother sun and sister moon. We need to reflect against something in order to see it’s inherent qualities and beauty. We need mirrors and nature is a big one that allows us to recognise the beauty, truth and goodness that we see in the flower within ourselves!

Many people spend their lives adamant, resistant almost, to the idea of God as a Creator of everything they see around them. They only see happenstance and fluke. They cannot see the feint light of His image reflected in any animal, plant, planet or rock pool. Perhaps if they do see the reflection it will bring them too close to the reality of their own reflection on the world. Yet why does the conscious notion of The God we cannot see persist through the ages more than any other notion about anything else we don’t see or recognise or feel with the 5 senses?

God although assumably invisible and silent is undoubtedly the most pervasive, persistent and pertinent concept we wrestle with throughout our life times. Having had the opportunity to research so much psychological and emotional human suffering over the years it is clear to me that almost all suffering, which manifests in so many forms, persists because of a deep inner yearning that we cannot sooth. Not without God at least. The subconscious mind, although confused and oftentimes running scared is still always looking for God in my opinion. I see this because every time people find God, they are transformed somehow. Thoroughly so.

When our inner indwelling, our knowing of God, which I am now empirically convinced every single one of us has, touches, communes or connects with God we heal and transform. This is in fact the core journey we take in life. We move from bitterness to forgiveness, from sadness to joy and from doubt and emptiness to hope and fulfilment much like the tides of the sea. We are here to experience daily, in material and physical form, the reality of everything. We need to experience the ebb and flow of light and darkness and the known and unknown so that somehow we get to know without a doubt what reality is all about. Maybe it is so that we can be sure that we put to rest any and all notions, theories, conspiracies or even grey areas to rest before we become our ‘true’ or spiritual selves one day. Versions of ourselves that don’t ebb or change or loose their glow or understanding of reality (truth).

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, You’d find me in a minute— you’re already there waiting! Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

Psalm 137

The Unseen Chain of Being

The scala naturae, also known as the great chain of being links God, angels, humans, animals, plants, and minerals together. For centuries the ‘great chain of being’ held a central place in Western thought. This view saw the Universe as ordered in a linear sequence starting from the inanimate world of rocks. Plants came next, then animals, men, angels and, finally, God. This chain unveils the God we cannot see in that if you cannot contemplatively and mindfully see and consciously be aware of any particular level of this chain of creation then you would be aware of none of it! This is how we either see God in everything or nothing. Einstein reminds us that either everything is a miracle or nothing is in one of his most famous lines. So if you cannot see God in a fish, or thousands of fish even, you may not see God anywhere.

Mary Oliver is a favourite poet of mine and says it so, so well. I find that the artists and poets say it far better than most of us ever could with the less bounded right brain.

Mindful
Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for –
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world –
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant –
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help
but grow wise
with such teachings
as these –
the untrimmable light
of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass? – Mary Oliver

Conscious Contact with God

Contemplative practice as we teach it here is all about the conscious looking, listening, and seeing that Mary Oliver speaks about in this beautiful poem. All that we do to heal is become more conscious. In fact, all that we ever do to change is become more conscious. What do you think happens in a therapy session? How do you think a person overcomes anxiety, depression, or perhaps other kinds of suffering like an existential crisis or a dark night of the soul period in their lives? They simply learn something new; they become more conscious, and they heal, renew, and transform their lives. They move from lost to found and blind to seeing through conscious awareness. It is the same with the great chain of being, the blade of grass, the oceans, and with The God we cannot see. Reality does not change. Only we change. Consciously, as we move through life until we lose our fear, inhibitions, and even resistance to what is. When this happens, even a sardine can convert you, as Saint Teresa reminds us.

The great Hope of Easter

Easter reminds us of Christs deeper meaning of life and the God we cannot see, or assume with such conviction that we cannot see, with these words that always seem to instantly get me into a contemplative frame of mind. In the book of John Jesus says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” When I see a blade of grass in the right light I see God as clearly as Blake saw a ‘Heaven in a wildflower’.

The death of the material and the resurrection of the Spiritual is a central message of Easter. Jesus Christ, at least 14 billion years old and not just 2000 years old as many think, offers us a clearer understanding of The God we cannot see. If this is true The God we cannot see is seen in everything and the nature of what we saw on the cross 2000 years ago is still happening today, as I am sure it always has. God is still ceaselessly healing suffering, opening the eyes of the blind and feeding the masses with life giving nourishment. Whether you consciously see this through fish and loaves, birds, bees or blades of grass makes little difference. Conscious contact with God is not an option, however the level of resistance we put into staying unconscious is. Everyone is invited to the party, you and your neighbour and even your enemy included – no holds barred!

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” So, we see God by seeing Jesus Christ who said that He is the Light of the world. The light which allows us to see all the things we once could not see. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me can mean that no one can see or become conscious of God and Reality and Truth without treading the way along the light. The light allows us to see and comprehend the deeper reflection. People call this enlightenment and spiritual awakening. A simple sardine, deeply contemplated will be revealed as God, God who said I Am that (sardine) I Am. In other words I am absolutely everything to such a degree that it will take a courageous and long journey for you to understand ‘that’. Blasphemy or egoic blunder? People have been psychotically murdered for saying less.

In the final Analysis

One God, one reality, one Universe. That’s the deal. The God we cannot see is in your neighbour and your enemy, in the Muslim and the Monk and in the cynic and the saint. Reality or the Light is where you may least expect to find it and that is why we play this egoic game of cat and mouse for far, far too long. Contemplative practice will allow us to see the light reflected off the world, the eyes and the people around us. It is from this state of grace that we will be still and know.

Happy Easter to one and all across the Universe and may the God we cannot see bless us all richly with deep wisdom and understanding today and always. Namaskaram.