Most spiritual or religious persons have heard that the Kingdom of Heaven is within. Different groups may say it in different ways, but the point is clear: Heaven, peace, and happiness all source from within.
I considered this the other day. It's easy enough to say to myself, "Oh, yes, that's true," and then hurry to the next thought. This time, though, I went deeper. I asked myself, "What does Heaven look like? Better yet, how does it feel? Even better, how do I get there?" Meditation, contemplation, or prayer was the way to find the answer of course. I believed that it would take a long time to find out, but I dove in anyway. "How does Heaven feel?" I asked. Within moments I intuitively heard, "Heaven is." Then, "Peace is." Then "Happiness is."
As many mystics have pointed out, trying to explain inner revelations can be counterproductive: the more you say, the farther from the truth you get. But keeping quiet about it doesn't help much either. So, I'll talk about it. The accent of all this was on the word "is." "Is" in this sense means isness or beingness. It's a state of existence that remains constant, unlike the ever-changing scene of everyday life. It's a reality that just is.
While many belief systems stress the idea of becoming — moving from one state of being to another — the idea of isness focuses on a deep-level reality that does not become or seek to become anything. It is a given and simply is. You do not have to become anything or go anywhere to reach this state: it was, is, and always will be. Right here, right now, and forever. And this state is not something you have to "imagine": it represents the real, eternal you. In the highest sense, you are a state of being.
I started using this idea as a meditation by saying, "Peace is within me." Peace is part of my true reality, my identity. In contrast to this dynamic yet fixed state, everyday events belong to the ever-changing surface reality, sometimes pleasant, sometimes not. Regardless of surface reality conditions, though, peace always is. Existential conditions cannot disturb that deep level, regardless of how turbulent those conditions are. The earth rotates: sometimes it's day, sometimes it's night, but the sun is always there, shining.
The point of the meditation is to open the pathways of consciousness so the "isness reality" shines through more easily into the material "real-world reality." Ironically, the material real-world reality is a subset of the isness-plane reality.
You focus on whatever traits you want. Here's a partial list of what I use.
"Peace is within me."
"Love is within me."
"Consciousness is within me."
"Happiness is within me."
"Wisdom is within me."
"Eternity is within me."
"Infinity is within me."
"Knowing is within me."
"Contentment is within me."
"Security is within me."
"Life is within me."
"Abundance is within me."
"Light is within me."
And so on.
These traits or energies are innate in spiritual nature, and they are good for us. Through science, we have learned how our physical senses guide us to survive and prosper. When we experience something pleasurable, like biting into a ripe, juicy apple, the enjoyment we feel is nature's way of saying, "Yes, you are doing the right thing." The same holds true for our sixth senses, which include the feelings of peace, love, and happiness. We experience them and we feel remarkable: They are good for us. They are pointing us in the right direction.
These traits are part of the fabric of the universe, woven in its DNA at the time of its birth. The more of them you embody, the more integrated you are spiritually. If you experienced even one of these traits constantly, then you would be "enlightened." If you experienced one of them much of the time, you would be a master.
With civilization on the brink of disaster — or at the dawn of an evolutionary leap — we need to be spiritually mature to participate most effectively in the transition. Civilization is at a crucial juncture and needs all the divine support — radiating through us — as it can get. We do this by embodying these traits (by whatever means) so we can project them into the world. On the other hand, the Force of Evolution can make evolution happen despite our behavior. Material reality is porous; divinity can seep through whenever it chooses.
By opening channels within ourselves to the deepest levels of reality, we create changes in our behavior and in the outer world. For instance, when you bring forth peace, your driving habits change. Instead of driving competitively, you drive cooperatively. You are more relaxed, loving, and accepting. You create less friction and ill will. Other drivers notice it at some level, and this makes the world a more peaceful place.
You can even use this technique to serve others directly. Say for example you are with someone who appears depressed. You could help by evoking optimism. You could say, "Optimism is within me and without me." Let it flow through you. If you are successful, you can see the person shift. That energy from deep within you can connect to the same energy deep within him or her. It completes the circuit, and they could feel it.
During these meditations, visions can spring into your mind. When I was focusing on "Abundance is within me," I saw vines growing out of my body. It's not something I was trying to do. My eyes were closed and the vision appeared. There were only a few vines though; something was blocking others from growing. I looked closer. Psychically, I saw a plastic-like skin covering me. I removed it, and then "abundance vines" started sprouting out all over my body.
It's easy to be creative with these meditations. When I'm feeling fearful, I say this: "OK, I feel fearful. Beyond that, though, confidence is a given element within me. Confidence is within me." It counters fear. In principle then, you take whatever negative thought or emotion you are experiencing, search for its "divine counterpart," and then evoke that higher trait.
In any event, happiness — that which we all seek — exists within everyone. You can find it and feel it by practicing. Being happy is an evolutionary act. While riches, fame, and force cannot sustain happiness, happiness is available to everybody by going within. Perhaps best of all, these divine aspects are not random elements of some higher plane. Rather, they have been part of us since the moment the universe was created.
