Who or What is God….

…and why am I willing to devote my life to their service?

‘God?’…Triggering??

The word ‘God’ likely conjures thoughts, feelings and images both conscious and unconscious.

In many, it may even trigger deep rooted programs of trauma, resulting from the influences of Patriarchal religions.

Religions and belief structures that have been largely responsible for disconnecting the masses from Divine energy as a means of control, through oppression, separation, judgment, shame, fear and hatred; all of which place us in opposition, vibrationally, to Divine connection.

The negative connotations attached to the word ‘God’ are presently triggering a new wave of spiritual devotees, who are seeking alternative phrasings, concepts and belief systems to carry them closer to the Divine, the Universe, the Creator, the Source, the Supreme Being, Oneness, the Most High; these, for some, carry less trauma.

Healing and love.

For me, God is not a word nor is it attached to any theoretical explanation of existence but purely a feeling of connection to something greater than myself. Something of pure love. A healing energy. A feeling of being home; of finding the right path; of finding myself.

The closer I journey towards this loving energy and align myself with it, the more confident I feel in my belief that there is no one truth; no definitive right or wrong.

Through the many perspectives and lenses that exist collectively; channeled information received by any one person directly from Source will, undeniably, be interpreted differently and vary from the next account.

Although it is possible to connect to Divine energy through religious practices and belief systems, it is by no means a free pass nor is it a given.

Connection to Divine energy usually comes about through conscious spiritual work and practice with some degree of self discipline and dedication. It may be achieved through the countless methods, paths, teachings and techniques amassed through collective experience. These will likely vary culturally, generationally, traditionally, geographically or depending upon religious influences.

The Feminine Aspect of God,

The Goddess is the energy of love and creation. She carries wisdom and deep knowledge. She represents freedom, fluidity and flexibility. She is guided by her intuition, which she trusts fully and she acts only from a place of love. She is sensual because of her connection to the physical world and to nature. She is present in all. Through her freedom of expression and creativity, she makes the beauty in this world that we are able to experience through the five senses. Beauty that can be enjoyed by all who are willing to see it as such; that is present in every living being who channels it, no matter how fleetingly.

To love the feminine is to truly love ourselves, all beings and the planet.

Part of my spiritual practice is to embrace the feminine and to channel this energy into my life and expression of creation. Connection to Divine Energy through the feminine aspect is a magical experience, one that has been denied to many people resulting from their conditioning of self hatred through misogynistic programming and the demonisation of femininity.

The rejection of The Divine Feminine from human spirituality has made it possible for us as a species to be guided further away from love and acceptance and closer towards destruction and hatred; of ourselves, our planet and all who share it with us.

Yoga…more than busting moves?

A spiritual philosophy I have recently begun studying in more depth are The 8 Limbs of Yoga; part of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

In many ways, they resonate with my current spiritual practices and beliefs, allowing me something more tangible and coherent; energetically more masculine in their application to anchor my more intuitive, conceptual and energetically more feminine knowing to, thus, creating a more balanced and holistic methodology, possibly further reaching and more accessible to my students.

The 8 Limbs of Yoga:

1. Yama – Personal restraints, commitments, moral discipline.
2. Niyama – The personal observances or positive duties.
3. Asana – The physical postures (The aspect of Yoga that comes to most people’s minds)
4. Pranayama – Control of life force (Prana) through the body using breathing techniques.
5. Pratyahara – The withdrawal from the 5 senses
6. Dharana – Single pointed focus and concentration
7. Dhyana – Meditation
8. Samadhi – Self Actualisation or Enlightenment; a state of pure bliss.

Spiritual Balance.

I will never fully surrender to every aspect of this system as I feel that some parts are more suited and energetically geared towards masculine spirituality and therefore connection to the masculine aspect of Creation only.

There are times when I find this energy helpful and grounding to me when channelled consciously, with the knowledge that there are choices and alternatives and with the freedom of fluidity, together with the intuition to know how and when to adapt for my highest spiritual purpose.

It is unlikely even to serve the highest spiritual purposes of men; to stay rigidly and constantly seated within any energetically masculine practice. Because, as humans beings we all carry both masculine and feminine energies and therefore must nurture them physically, mentally and spiritually for true and complete connection to both aspects of God.

So how do the 8 Limbs of Yoga help me here?

For this article, I will be focusing on the second limb of Yoga; the personal observances or the Niyamas, of which there are five.

Isvara Pranidhana – Is one of the five Niyamas and it can be translated as surrender to God, or to a higher power; also as Devotion to God.

It is believed that this is the most difficult Niyama to achieve but equally the most beneficial to any individual’s personal growth and spiritual enlightenment.

For me, it is a state of being; something that extends to every part of my life, to my every action and motivation. I set my intention to live fully as a vessel for Divine Consciousness and to completely surrender any false sense of self whilst embracing the path that opens up for me, thus, surrendering any selfish desires. In short: – Ego Death.

Sounds like a drag?

For many years, the motivation for my spiritual journey was ego driven and that factor forced it’s direction. This meant that I was able to make Divine Connection and to heal myself and others. I was also able to receive and channel Universal information from Source and to translate that information with some degree of accuracy. However, the whole experience was being filtered through the lense of my ego, making me susceptible to triggering and ill intent, subsequently opening me up to receive false connection channeled via my ego from non Divine Energies and entities.

I was obsessed with attaining Self Actualisation or Enlightenment as the end result for the work I was putting in.

Bearing in mind, I had been dedicated to this goal for many years, starting at quite a young age and already having been opened up to the more complicated ideas of spirituality during childhood. I had also designed my life to facilitate the full time pursuit of my Spiritual Enlightenment; meaning, I had long stepped away from The Matrix/ The System and the financial dependency of a job.

With plenty of time and little stress, I was able to exist for prolonged periods of time in states of Samadhi (pure bliss or enlightenment) but only by removing all external triggers and usually, but not always, attained through the practice of solitary spiritual retreat; something that I have access to and am very comfortable with practicing.

These moments of Samadhi, together with the powers and the information channeled from Source Energy, further inflated my ego to something less discerning and harder to separate from myself; that which I call ‘The Spiritual Ego’ 

This Spiritual Ego is present in most people who claim to exist in Samadhi; Gurus, Teachers and Spiritual Leaders who have, undoubtedly made Divine Connections and worked hard with focused dedication but in most cases, their egos have merely transformed into something they can no longer identify and something that further drives their life direction away from true surrender to Divine. Because a being who has gained Samadhi is undeniable to those in close proximity, they are filled with love and they will glimpse the Infinite and be witness to magic and miracles. Their entire being will be shaken by the knowing that they are in the presence of Divine Consciousness, channeled through the being before them. It cannot be mistaken nor can it be imitated.

Back to me…

All in all; it got messy and pretty dark. I also manifested external situations to highlight the toxicity within my life and to kick start the process of my shadow work…this is certainly another article to write for another day!

Once I was able to unpick the mesh of ego and true self that had managed to weave together, instant peace washed over me and I let go of my desire to gain Enlightenment.

I had surrendered and was now ready to make this the focus of my life.

New Year Resolution?

How this will manifest in my day to day… I’m not sure. This revelation is new to me and coincides with the dawning of the new calendar year; 2019. Possibly a helpful energy to ride with, one of transformations and new beginnings.

I am uncertain how my life will unfold now, without my ego driving it but I am confident in my surrender and I am ready to serve love with my whole heart and with conscious awareness and discipline.

I also recognise that this is a journey, not a destination. A journey on a path I choose to walk with every atom of my being; knowing that as long as I do so, I am exactly where I need to be. Home.

To stay up to date with my spiritual journey and teachings, check out my blog

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By Gee Francois

©Gee Francois 2019

Photo credit Robin Benad