by Matthew Martin

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Introduction

 

Throughout the ages, mankind has sought for something greater then himself.  This is because the spiritual quest is an innate soul endeavor, based on his sincere inner yearning, which drives him to continue the search. We always seek something to satisfy ourselves, to become fulfilled, whether it is money, relationships, possessions, prestige, etc., but the only reality which is truly fulfilling is that which is Divine.  This is what we all  truly seek, whether we realize it or not.  Any other avenues of satisfaction represent mankind’s indirect yearning for God on an unconscious level in his unawakened state. Once we realizes this, we will learn to find true fulfillment in seeking God more directly, without substitutes.

 

The seeker often asks, who is God? What is God? Where is God?  We will say God is that which is, and there is no place where God is not. You may have heard that God is the true source of all life and all things in existence, hence God is found everywhere. But you need to go beyond pat answers, beyond the realm of the intellect, to enter the realm of the heart, where you can intuit who, what, and where God is. Then you begin to experience, realize, understand these things. 

 

This is the process of the Science of Divinity. You can always study and learn about God through spiritual literature, practical lessons, or other  insightful sources, which may stimulate your mind and heart on this quest, but the real science of Divinity is revealed through experience and realization of God. Our essential scientific tools that we apply are prayer, retrospection, meditation,  and contemplation.  We must go within to find God. Yes, you can explore or observe Nature and the Universe, which are beautiful reflections of God’s Being in manifest form in this physical existence.  However, the real journey is within. 

 

God is divine essence, which not only exists in all things but resides within our very souls. Here, within, is where the true quest begins. 

 

You must break the old patterns and ideas about God in your quest. You must leave behind the old man in the clouds, and the idea of God being a male patriarchal ruler, hence being dubbed the parental title of Father. God is not human, but manifests through human beings. God is essentially Spirit, which is genderless. Although many may use the phrase “Mother-Father God,” forming a balance of He and She, in reality God is “It.” God is THAT which Is. God IS.

 

In these chapters of the Science of Divinity, we endeavor to reveal some insights which will indeed motive and stimulate you on your journey into God’s deeper Reality. For once your yearning and desire for the Divine is awakened, by God’s Grace, this will carry you through the wondrous adventure of God in all His Eternal and Infinite Reality!

 

May your continuing journey be an enlightening awakening into the Divine!

 

 

 

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Chapter 1

Entering the Creator

 

To understand God, you must first  develop a  relationship with the Creator.  For humankind is a vehicle through which the Creator experiences the manifest universe, the Creation. As you learn to enter harmony with other people, and especially with yourself,  that is, realizing the Divine Being you truly are, you will develop a definite intimacy with your Creator.

 

 When you come to understand the Creator, then you will also learn to understand the Creation.  It is true that you can discover God’s reality through the Creation, by tuning into Nature, for instance.  However, turning within, and entering the silence at the source of your own Being, is a more direct route, through which you will eventually realize Oneness with the Creator.  In the Gospels Jesus said, “I and my Father are One.” (St. John 10:30, King James Version)  He meant this not only about himself, but also as the path for all Humanity.

 

Creator, Humanity, Creation.  There is an integral tie between these three aspects, yet many people, in their divergent thinking tend to separate them: the Creator from Creation, Humanity from the Creator, or Humanity from Creation.  This occurs because people tend to separate themselves from Nature, hence they are not in harmony with it.  Since people do not see themselves connected with Nature, they are likewise disconnected from their own essential Being. When they are separate from Nature, or this Creation, this reflects their disconnection from the nature of your own Divine Being.   For as long as they continue to misunderstand the way in which these realities are connected,  their ignorant and limited thinking will hinder their spiritual unfoldment.  However, if they learn to perceive the oneness in all things, they too will experience  oneness with all things, and  realize the unity which has always existed.

 

Another problem is separation within humanity.  People separate themselves from themselves. There are so many separate societies, cultures, clans, clubs, ethnic circles, gangs, religions, and other created perceptions of disunity that we are not a harmonious, united mankind. Now, on one hand there is nothing wrong with this diversity, for these are people’s free expression of creativity and uniqueness. But when these modes of expression become negative and inharmonious, initiating further separation, then this can become detrimental to mankind’s spiritual growth. We grow as individuals, or even as small isolated pockets of spiritual seekers, but mankind as a whole advances much slower as a whole.

 

 

The human species and all other life forms were born from the womb of Creation.  This Creation  is a series of unfolding emanations of manifestation from the Creator and  is still evolving.  All living forms, including Humanity, are extensions of the Creator, just as the countless sun rays  are immediate extensions from the Sun.  For God’s Consciousness, by the fact that all such living extensions are conscious, is in all living things.  It is the living spark of God within each soul that binds it to the Creator.  As the human being progresses through life, he eventually learns to remember that he is originally a divine being, one with the Creator. 

 

Many people believe they are separate from their Creator, which prevents them from experiencing the underlying unity of all things.  Therefore, the proof of God’s existence continues to evade them, when in reality, the realization of God is closer than hands and feet.  If people learn to be more observant, to take a deeper look at everything around them, they will begin seeing the evidence of God in plain sight.  To illustrate this point, we refer to this passage:

 

 “God was revealed through nature so that simply by using

 the reason, to examine nature, one could discover truth about God.

 By observing the world, one could discover certain truths about

 the Creator in creation.”1

 

 The Creator may be transcendent, yet Its essential nature can be found within this physical universe, and also within each human being.  Hence, the Creator is definitely within Its Creation.  In fact, the Creator experiences through all aspects of the whole Creation: every rock, every tree, every creature, every planet, every star, every galaxy, and the universe in its entirety.   And, indeed, God experiences through humanity, for it is humanity and its unfoldment within the Creator with which we are concerned.

 

As we stated earlier, by your reasoning mind, through observation of this world, you can discover God’s imprint throughout the Creation.  Nevertheless, reason alone is very limited, as it is dependent upon the outer world.  It is your faith in God and the unseen which leads you to the interior world and eventually connects you to your divine source.  Once you learn to go within, to find God, you will intuitively perceive the Divine Presence herein.  As you do this, you learn what it is to truly worship the Holy One, the Creator of all.

 

Worship is an important aspect of your relationship with your Creator.   Worship is your soul’s devotional state of being through which you are unified to your Divine Source, as you open your  heart with reverent love and adoration to the Almighty Holy One.  The basic tools for truly worshiping God are prayer, meditation, and contemplation.  You can also worship by acknowledging God’s Presence  in your normal, daily routine and in all of your thoughts and deeds. You  must learn to worship and acknowledge God as much as possible, throughout the day.  You mustn’t forget the Most Holy One even after you leave your private place of prayer.  Always learn to keep your heart ever open to the Holy Presence within.

 

 

It is a sacred action to practice continual awareness of the Presence of God within yourself.  As Manly P. Hall states, “It is evident that mysticism leads to the most intimate spiritual experience possible to the human being. The practice of the Presence is fulfilled in the fact of the Presence.”2  Therefore,  the discipline of turning inward becomes a genuine, heartfelt devotion as you begin to seek, sense, and experience the Holy Presence of God in your own soul.

 

 

This is where your relationship with the Creator becomes truly sublime, a soul-expanding, sacred experience to be cherished, for it is  literally a deep connection felt in the heart.  Manly P. Hall continues by saying,

 

“When we wish to share that which is most real or most sacred with another

person, we have a heart-to-heart talk with him.   The very term implies that

we choose a meeting place remote from superficial or artificial concerns.  In

the practice of our religion, especially under great stress, we seek a

relationship with God which is heart-to-heart . . . We long for the simple

assurance of God’s love, which, even more than God’s wisdom,

surpasses understanding.”3  

 

This heart-to-heart relationship is the essence of true worship, for it is directing your love and devotion to the Most Holy One, who graciously returns love to you.  Once you focus on that which is Sacred, by Grace you are lifted into a higher state of consciousness or awareness of the unity of all things.  An internal merging is created here, and the apparent bond of two is transcended into Oneness.  This is the state of Divine Union that the mystics seek, which is usually accomplished through genuine surrender to the Creator, as you give over your own mind, will and ego that you may learn to hear and humbly obey the Divine Will that begins to manifests in your life, which only has the manifestation of Good as its purpose.

 

Let us site three injunctions here, which constitute a spiritual formula that acts as basic guidelines along the path of unfoldment: Worship to God, Service to Humanity, and Attainment of Self.  Your worship of the Creator and service to humanity places you on the right track in your spiritual attainment. However, those who selfishly concentrate only on their own personal unfoldment without the aspects of service and worship will not achieve anything worthwhile.  Inner growth comes from the attitude and discipline of self-forgetfulness, which leads to genuine surrender.  In applying certain spiritual principles in your life, you are putting your best foot forward; however, it is God’s Grace which truly enables soul growth. Your own efforts are a springboard, the first steps for the real transformation which the Creator  initiates.  As you reach upward to the Most Holy One, in true devotion, God in turn reaches down to lift you up even higher.  This is, of course, figuratively implying the activity of your inner unfoldment and transformation which is motivated by Divine Grace.

 

Certain initiatory schools outline a definite path of the soul’s return to its Divine Source, recognized as Awakening, Illumination, and Self-Realization, God-Realization, and Self -Mastery.  If you, as the seeker, have the help of a  true Teacher, he will guide and train you on this sublime path of esoteric Initiations.  Although your best efforts are noble, it is when you truly surrender  to the Most Holy One, that Divine Grace  brings  you into deeper inner growth, and closer to Divine Union. 

 

Let us look at the beginning of your quest toward the Creator.  First you have a basic belief in God, usually through some religious framework.  As the ways of the world become less appealing, you come to yearn for something deeper in life, and for God to be more real to you.  Your growing faith impels you to turn inward in your search for truth, and for God to be more real to you.  Faith in something greater then yourself becomes a genuine motivating factor, and stretches beyond mere belief.  For it opens the door of your intuition, which enables you to sense God within and all around. We turn again to Manly P. Hall as he explains faith,  “. . . it is the mystical conviction that God is present as a power within man . . . Faith opens the heart to God by the discipline of quietism.  Those who seek the truth are admonished to be still and know.  In a wonderful way, faith bestows stillness.”4           

     

Therefore, your relationship with God is a journey of entering the silence within the heart through faith, and finally finding truth.