Divine Dichotomy

Loneliness and Oneness....

Two mutually exclusive states of existence. Since I experienced both, is there something that I need to learn?

Yes. Most definitely, yes.

So I asked. And I listened.

Loneliness and Oneness, although perceived as being at the opposite ends of a long spectrum, is separated by only one thought.....

“Who Am I?”

That single question, in a single moment, births the desire to create an identity so that the question can be answered. When the desire becomes strong enough, the impetus to express itself as an Individual takes root. And when the Individual is “birthed”, comes the need for “others” with which to reflect back to, or to interact with the Individual in order to create or reinforce a certain quality to the identity.

Only with another can an Individual learn with sufficient speed about itself in the early stages of establishing an identity. The loneliness can therefore be viewed as a catalyst or trigger for the Soul to embark on a Journey of Self-Expression as an Individual. It serves as a source which feeds the momentum to seek out expressions and experiences with others.

As the Soul ventures through its many expressions to amass experiences and practice its knowledge, Self-Awareness grows. Lifetime after lifetime, this Self-Awareness increasingly becomes the basis from which the physical Life expresses itself, until eventually, this sense of Self-Awareness reaches a stage where it takes over as the driving force. When this happens, the need for Self-Expression will begin to diminish, and a reversal of sorts then comes into place. The sense of Oneness tempers the Loneliness, and the Soul embarks on its journey Home.

The thought “Who Am I?” now becomes “I Am”.

One

I was in meditation. This time, I allowed myself to go as deep as I could. I held no expectations and was open to whatever needed to present.

Even then, what happened next took me by surprise. Thankfully, I held my focus and continued in the meditative state so I didn't lose the experience.

It will sound like a cliche, but there you are. I was the Universe, and the Universe was me. There was no separation, no barrier, no demarcation of what "something" ended and what the next "something" started. And again, this is a cliche but oh my goodness, it's the most apt and honest description I can think of ~ I was One with the Universe.

In that brief moment of suspended Time/No-Time, I felt the sheer profundity of the awareness of Oneness. In the Oneness, I felt no need for anything, because I was everything. I had no desire, no thought, no fear. There was only an enormous, sweeping sense of being awash and completely swathed in pure Consciousness, not even Love! There was nothing but pure Consciousness, pure Isness.

This gift from the Divine must have lasted no more than a minute before I came out of it. In that short, sweet space of existence, I knew I was forever changed on a deeper level. What that change amounted to, I guess I will never know for sure. All I'm certain of is that that experience will stay with me for the rest of this Lifetime.