What is the Divine?

This is an age-old question and can be interpreted in infinite ways. That is the nature of the Divine. It is beyond thought and beyond comprehension. So, making a comprehensive guide is a challenge, and will not be the true way, regardless of the author or intent. So as always, this will be taken from my own limited understanding of Divine concepts and how to approach them.

There are some constants that I would like to mention first. The Divine is a primordial force. It is an energy that has existed since before anything else was able to exist. The Divine is immaterial, but an aspect of every material thing, because it is Creation itself. There are many ways to interpret this. It can be seen as universal energy, or light, or water, or substance, or air - it is a fundamental force that can be felt anywhere in existence.

This being said, existence and Creation is a reflection of the Divine and the Divine Mind. The heat of a flame is a reflection of this. The hardness of a rock. The pain of a wound. The feeling of a hug. Anything that can be experienced as a byproduct of physical existence is an expression of the Divine. Existence is the endless emanations of this. This means that majesty can be found it every single thing, and there are endless ways to experience the Divine. With this in mind, my guide can serve as a reflection of my own experiences with the Divine, although the possibilities for this are endless and is most effective when developed personally.

It is important to keep in mind that these are contemplations outside of dogma. This is because unlike religion would have you believe, the nature of the Divine is formless and cannot be characterized. It has no tangible appearance, doctrine, or order that can be defined. The Divine exists because It must exist and will always exist. It is above form, above gods, and above anything that does exist, because existence is just an emanation from the Divine. It is like the author of a story. As characters in this story, we can see the emanations of our creator in every aspect of our world, but we ourselves will never find the author or know who they are. All we can do is embody the qualities of this Creation and contemplate the Divine Mind inside of It’s inner workings as a part of the Divine.

Practices

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Creation

One effective way to focus on Divine qualities is that of creation and creative expression. By creating something unique, you are focusing on an internal quality of yourself and bringing it forth, into the physical plane. All forms of creation are nurturing the same qualities and any practice can yield results. Contemplating them can help increase awareness of the effects they are bringing forth. These are just a few examples, of which are endless. Notice the things that you do to create change and contemplate them personally.

Art

Through art, everything down to placing a dot on paper is a form of this. Each line placed and color picked is similar to an emanation of your own soul. You can focus on any aspect and see the reflection of a part of yourself. Everything from the theme to the form of a single line can represent this.

Music

Through music, each action you take with your instrument or voice is a form of this. Each note is a reverberation of your soul. Your style is present in each act of music, even if it is hidden well with replication. This is another way to bring forth your inner self into the physical through energy. Even if no one hears it, and it is never recorded, it is recorded in the vibration of the universe and is a Divine expression.

Dance

Through dance, each movement of your body is a Divine expression as well. As you control your body and navigate through the physical plane, you are taking control of it and sending your expression outward. Your body comes into harmony with your soul and this helps you align yourself with the Divinity through motion. This may be a less considered aspect of creating, but is definitely one of the most powerful. Dance energy is very effective in all ways, even if it is just tapping your feet.

Writing

Through writing, each choice of word or phrase is a reflection of your soul, and you are bringing it outward by choosing to express it in written form. You should also write for yourself, not just others. Placing pieces of yourself into the physical is something that your soul craves because it is a Divine quality.  Each piece of writing serves as a window into your Self at the time and is helpful to reflect on and compare to future or past writings.

Cooking

Through cooking, the purposeful combining of physical elements to create something new out of them is also a Divine expression. The product is not as important as the process. As you experiment, choose and craft your meal, you are creating an offering to your personal temple and filling it with intent. Using what the Divine has provided and then making something out of it is key to personal development.

Cleaning

Through cleaning, each act is an improvement in your environment. It can be said that the state of your living space can represent you internally as well. Notice how and why you clean, and notice how you organize your space. This is reflective of your mind’s organization as well. By making purposeful adjustments, you are creating a more suitable space for yourself. By applying your aesthetic as well, you are also expressing your own soul’s intent and creating a space that is suitable for you.

Hygiene

Through practicing hygiene, you are physically cleansing your body from contamination. Your hygiene can reflect your mental status as well. As you bathe, feel the water as it es over you. When you’re done brushing your hair, feel the smoothness of the result. By tending to your body, you are expressing intent to keep your temple pure. Notice when and why you do so.

Fashion

Through fashion, you can apply your aesthetic to how you present yourself. Notice the choices you make based on the form of your body. Notice the materials and colors that you choose, as well as who the choice is for. How you decorate and present your temple can explain a lot about your character, your soul, and your ego. Taking care to dress to your preference is also a way to embody Divine qualities.

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Contemplations

As you go through this existence, it is important to contemplate it’s parts. Through observing the subtle world, we can find aspects of the Divine Mind in anything that we experience. Anything that does exist exists through the Divinity, and each unit of matter embodies Divine qualities in some way. That’s why this is perhaps the most accessible way to contemplate the Divine Itself.

Objects

Feel or examine an object. Any object can be contemplated, from rocks, grass, keyboards, towels, to anything else in existence. Think about its individual parts. If it is something you are familiar with, find an aspect of it that you have not previously thought about. Examine texture and color. Think about how the object makes you feel. Think about the intent behind it’s creation. The longer you observe something, the more you will learn from it.

Vibrations

Tune into the vibrations around you. The world is filled with endless movement and energy. Wherever you are, you feel that the world is endlessly alive in this way. Focus on the vibrations of your body, your voice, the ground beneath you, the air around you. Think about what is causing them, and how it makes you feel. When doing this, feel it manifest inside of you and resonate with it.

Sound

Sound is an aspect of vibration. Focus on the sounds that are occurring at the present moment. Without looking, can you identify them? Notice how the sound moves through the space around you, and the effects that they have on you. Alternatively, focus on music, Listen to a song several times, focusing on an individual instrument each time you listen. Think about the flow and composition of the song, as well as the creator’s intent behind it’s parts.

Light

Light composes all that can be seen. Focus on the colors in front of you, how do they make you feel? How does artificial light make you feel, compared to natural? Focus on the energy inside of the light, and hone in on the emotions that it generates inside of you. Think about the compositions of colors in the world around you and why they are that way.

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Meditations

Meditation is a way to explore the subtle world that exists inside of your own consciousness. Consciousness is your gift from the Divine, and it is your way of understanding the physical world and controlling your perceptions. It may be better understood as a side effect of existence, rather than a gift. By understanding yourself, you can come to a higher understanding of the things that you experience here.

Sound Focus

Choose any sound, preferably a word or phrase to start with. Focus the part of your mind responsible for your internal speech on that sound. Start with the main line of thought. Notice how thoughts arise in the background. Take these lines of thought and make them match your original sound. Eventually, you will notice the layers of this internal speech, and be able to synchronise them. Afterward, think about the differences in volume and tone between them.

Image Focus

Choose any image, preferably a simple shape to start with. Focus the part of your mind where images arise on this shape and hold it there for as long as you can. This takes immense focus, so do not feel discouraged for lack of result. A few seconds can take a lot of practice. Try to not let your mind wander. Experiment with different shapes and colors. Record your results and take note on which are more difficult than others, as well as your improvement.

Not-Thinking

Not-thinking can be difficult to achieve, but it’s benefits are well worth the effort. Control your breathing and quiet any thoughts that arise. This can be done by using sound focus as well, but it is best to attempt to leave any sounds or images out of your mind. You can do this by focusing on your emotions without thinking about them. Focus on feeling emotions rise and fall like waves. Focus on their impressions, not on what they are. Try to maintain this for as long as possible. Eventually, you will be able to do this on command, as with the others.

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Channeling

Methods of channeling energies are diverse, and many are controversial. Personally, I try to attempt to channel the internal. This way, you can gain insight from your own Higher Self, who is your greatest and most personal teacher. This version of yourself is not all knowing, but it is a higher perspective, gained from the accumulation of all of your experiences and perhaps past lives. There are rules for this communication that I do not know, that cannot be known. These are ways to channel information from the higher dimensions through your Higher Self, but also how to examine your subconscious, which is a product of this dimension. For this reason, do not assume the origin of the information that you receive. As you continue to do these things, the nature of their origin will become more clear.

Automatic writing

There are two methods that are easily used for automatic writing. The first is the most simple. Write or type and words that come to mind, and make no attempt to influence the words or structure the text in any way. As you go, you may just have word sequences and sentence fragments. These will require contemplation and interpretation later. A level of not-thinking is extremely helpful in this practice, to avoid influences in the text.

The second is more complicated and thus more difficult to explain. As preparation, it is good to meditate, raise your internal vibration, and tune into yourself. Then, with that connection open, let your mind wander deeper into your subconscious. When you feel the impression of a thought, start typing what you interpret that thought to mean in complete sentences. Maintain a level of control to be able to type full sentences, yet let the spiral of your mind control the message. Eventually, you can type out what your subconscious or Higher Self is trying to communicate at the time. In my experience, this completes thoughts that are not able to be completed before doing so. It is similar to a trance state. Let yourself deliver outward what was held back before.

Dream Drawing

The title “dream drawing” is misleading for this practice, because you are not drawing dreams. This method can be used to analyze your mind’s individual symbology. Also, it can reveal images from the Higher Self that can aid in your development and study. This can also be done in two ways. First of all, this is best done with pen and paper. Not-thinking is helpful for this as well. If nothing else, just do not think about drawing or subjects to draw. Let your muscle memory take control and let your hand draw whatever lines it wants to on impulse alone. Do not stop until you feel your hand stop and you draw no more. When you feel this completion, move to a new page and feel your hand start to draw automatically again. When you feel the impulse to, close your eyes for a few, and let it happen without your sight. These will inevitably not have many forms, but they can also provide insight on what is forming naturally without your eyes influencing how to fill the space subconsciously.

The second method is not as accurate of a way to channel the Higher Self, but rather the subconscious will come through more. With this method, decide to draw one subject towards the center, to begin with. Then, allow your mind to choose what to add to this based on impulse alone. This is similar to automatic writing, but you control the lines of your subjects. Let it develop with many subjects, seemingly at random. When you are finished, look at the overall piece and try to see what is trying to be expressed subconsciously. You can create many interesting pieces this way.

Dreaming

Dreams are a gateway to the deepest aspects of yourself. Also, when you dream, you are more easily influenced by energies. These energies can be from your Higher Self, entities, other people, or even other dimensions. This is also one of the reasons why they are difficult to at times. Another reason memory is difficult is because your brain sees the information as interfering with your conscious understanding of the real world. For this reason, it is important to take your dreams seriously. There is meaning behind the seemingly meaningless, even if it is merely a reflection of your subconscious itself. Rewiring your brain is no light task, and you are likely going to feel periods of time of no progress. Have tenacity and work at it though, because you will constantly improve.

The first tip is one you have most likely heard a thousand times over. Keep a journal at your bedside for recording dreams. This can be paper or use your phone if you need to. Do not procrastinate with this. With each ing moment, you are forgetting more and more, even if you don’t realize it. Let the memories come naturally but try to be fast. When you something, even just an image, write it down quickly. Usually, this will look like sentence fragments and lone words completely out of order. When you are done and cannot think of any more, read what fragments you wrote to jog your memory. Make quick sketches of any imagery listed if you can. Try to place the events in order now. Then, write it all out in story form. Reread this several times, putting in any further details that you while doing this, and keep this on hand throughout the day in case any resurface.

You can also influence your dreams with practice. Do this by focusing on and meditating on the subject of your choosing before you fall asleep until you fall asleep. It’s easiest to choose the desire to see something simple at first. With practice, scenarios can be created this way as well. When interpreting dreams from this, always keep in mind the aspects that you had forced into it, because this was a conscious effort to influence the dream. Recognizing these influences within the dream, however, can allow you to the entire dream more easily. It is more helpful in that way.