Illuminate Life with Divine Reflection and Meditation

Scripture

Psalm 16:1, 5-11

Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.
Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Illuminate Life with Divine Reflection and Meditation

by Rev. Cory Bradford-Watts

Read the message below. Video premieres today at 8 pm EDT, click here to watch on YouTube with live text chat

It often feels impossible to step away from fear, distraction, and anxiety - the pull of ego, bad habits, and on. Especially in these days of isolation, loss, and the many impacts of the pandemic, it's understandable and seemingly natural to cycle through tough feelings and thoughts. It's funny though, because the world's scriptures are of a similar note on this; if we hold the fearless and compassionate Divinity in our hearts and awareness, then ego, fear, and our cobwebs start to be dispelled from our thinking and living.

It's a personal conviction I've only come to recently, but major veins of Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and others repeat (and repeat) the enabling factor of active contemplation on God(dess) through chant, mantra, reflection, meditation, prayer, and awareness of that Divine Personality that is at the center of our Self and others' as well.

In the highly recommended Sikh holy book, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, it's an oft repeated encouragement that we hold the name of God in our hearts, and it explores what that means - much like in the Judeo-Christian scriptures. The name of God is expressed as no specific utterance, but a transcendent connection and awareness of Divinity's Truth: the Primal Guru, Peace, Love, and all the Divine aspects of the Personhood of God.

Indeed, the Sikh scriptures say that the only way to dispel ego and selfishness, and the pain that comes with that, is to take on an active God-centeredness with love, awe, and humility, throughout every moment. Much like the Bible's call to enter prayer unceasingly, but similarly, sometimes seemingly impossible to achieve! And yet, we might be surprised, and perhaps our plight of being racked by fear, pain, grief, anger, and ego might be much more unbearable. So, let's explore this further!

What does this look like in practice? Well, like all spiritual walks - it depends on you. Throughout the major world traditions, like our reading from Psalm 16, we hear reflections on our connection with God's majesty, protection, mercy and joy. Taking these as a cue, we can internally or externally recite, chant, or reflect on these ideas or similar ones. These texts and the voices of our sages and inner-awareness point to how we can see the Divine interconnectedness of all things, and see Christ, Allah, Goddess in everything - all goodness, life, form, and love. They also describe how these practices empower our transforming toward greater health, justice, and truth.

Turning to God as the Self, recognizing the Divine connection at the core of our consciousness and life, as well as recognizing this truth in all things is a powerful perspective that many religions uplift can be used to open our minds and center us on Divine awareness. Becoming aware that Divinity is at the root of our hearts and wisdom, and then starting to become comfortable meditating within that Self-awareness, enables us to start to fully accept that we lack nothing, have nothing to fear, and Divine peace, light, and joy at our fingertips.

With these types of understandings underpinning our thinking about God and others, internal or vocal chant and mantra can also become a powerful way to keep our minds centered on our transcendent source and more open to how the name of God is manifesting for us and around us. These and other worship practices and disciplines keep us from wandering into materiality and hurtful or hurting distractedness, and in this case, remind us of the Eternal Life - a reflection that's said to encourage internal peace, lasting joy, and all the benefits we've mentioned.

In the Sikh holy text and the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, returning to awareness and devotion to our source is highlighted as the key to giving up internal "hellishness" (egotism, delusion, hate, lust, etc.) and finding "heaven" in both this life and the next. Yes, interestingly, both of these traditions' holy texts describe heaven and hell, much like in other traditions, but often depict a long reincarnation journey mired in a lack of God-consciousness as "hell," and the heavenly abode of God as "heaven" - the latter being very similar to other major traditions' ideas!

Indeed, even this idea of hell being of our own making and a place of continued "life" (so-to-speak) is similar to the 18th century mystic Emanuel Swedenborg's ideas about hell in his interfaith-Christian writings and visions. His understanding of the afterlife departs from many popular Christian ideas of it in that heaven receives all that truly accept God's heavenliness in their hearts and minds (no matter their tradition), and hell continues to envelop all that decide at their core to be enveloped by hellish motives and loves. There is no unnecessary torture, and in fact, hell is viewed as pleasurable to those that believe they love its selfish mode of being (despite the deep anxiety and other natural, unfortunate ramifications) and are ignorant of the true bliss and peace of heaven.

Personally, my efforts toward an active, sustained devotional perspective often started as a grasping for straws. Even now, trying to hold Divinity in my mind can seem to fall apart quite often, although it has become much easier and available, and has had quite the positive impact on my life. Similar to others, as I've learned more and discovered how broad and enabling this type of sustained Divine reflection can be, I've also come to deeply appreciate the stark difference in my sense of peace, my affections, and my thinking compared to before or even when I drop that God-centered lens and mode of being. As the Sikh's scripture, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib says, "Meditating in remembrance on Him, singing His glorious praises, the noose is cut away... peace and tranquility has come... with encouragement and comfort."

We might not relate it as such, but I've found that that noose of spiritual death is grounded in shallowness, judgment, and an attachment to sense gratification. It is fear and anxiety rooted in false ego and a lack of awareness and appreciation for the deep truths of our universe.

Our reading from Psalm 16:1, 5-11 starts: "Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge." Take refuge in Divinity and notice the true security and stability of mind you find! Rejoice at God's love, guidance, and care in all moments - which God has for us like a "mother hen for her children," the Bible reiterates. As our next verses say, coming to a deep awareness that the Lord is our "portion and [our] cup" makes our "lot secure." The "boundary lines fall for [us] in pleasant places" and we see the Divinity in all people and all things. Receiving our "delightful inheritance, we will praise the Lord, who counsels us. Praising the Lord, who counsels us, even at night our hearts instruct us. We keep our eyes always on the Lord, with him at our right hand, we will not be shaken."

Allow Divine reflection to illuminate your heart, mind, and actions, even in the midst of such pain and isolation as many are facing today. Accepting Divine awareness and compassion, may we join together to further peace and communal joy in this world, transforming our societies away from the selfish, hurtful economies and social norms from the past. May we start to further and more deeply embody the heavenly kingdom encouraged in most traditions, one of shared goods and resources, of shared awareness, worship, health, and reception of the One who illuminates us all.

Amen.

Blessings,

Rev. Cory