I AM THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE

In our quest to understand the nature of the universe and our place in it, we direct vast amounts of attention and energy toward things outside of ourselves. NASA, a program, which focuses prodigious sums on exploration, sending probes to the far reaches of space, seeking to map the infinite, is a prime example.
 
In an attempt to comprehend the inner workings of the human body and mind, the mainstream medical community directs the vast majority of its resources toward research and development of new technologies and drugs to “cure” an ever-widening array of disease, rather than attempting to discover the source of the illness.
 
This is not to say that such work does not have its merits or is unworthy of exploration. It is to suggest, however, that the answers to these profound and perplexing questions are ultimately not to be found in the external world.
 
The “final frontier” is not space, but the inner life. When we direct the focus of our inquiries as to the nature of life and the universe inwardly, the vast complexities of the cosmos and our own bodies are revealed to us in all their simplicity.
 
The Ancients were well aware that all we perceive as our external environment, including our physical bodies, are merely mirrors, reflections of the infinite, inner landscape. So many wise ones have journeyed before and returned to tell the tale, illuminating, what may more aptly be called, the “Lightscape” of our in-most Self.  
 
Their discoveries were written in the research journals of their times, scribed in the scriptures and sacred texts of every Wisdom Tradition, by saints and sages, whose methods of exploration were as exacting as those of contemporary men and women of Science. As we forge ahead into the unfolding Age of Aquarius, we will see the great minds of the Age coming more often to consensus, understanding that there are many paths to the same destination.
 
There is an Hermetic maxim that states: As above, so below. This phrase expresses the fundamental spiritual truth that the macrocosm is the microcosm, and so its corollary. The answers we seek and see revealed in the external always have their source within.
 
There was a time when the general belief was that the Earth was the center of the universe. This was known as geocentricism, and espoused by the expansive thinkers of the earliest civilizations. The theory was later replaced by heliocentric cosmology, as our awareness broadened to encompass a different model. This theory held that the Sun was the center of the universe.
 
We have since evolved to the understanding that the Sun is merely the center of our solar system, part of a larger galaxy, one of myriad galaxies in an infinitely expanding universe. As we come to experience the limitlessness of our consciousness, we will see that reflected in our concept of the Cosmos.

This progression of awareness mirrors our own spiritual path of awakening. Whether this unfolding occurs in one lifetime, or over billions of incarnations, it is the path we all travel, consciously or not. It is only through incarnation that we can come to understand and experience our full potential as co-creative forces in the universe.
 
In what we might consider the “geocentric” phase of our spiritual evolution, we first must awaken into matter, through the development of the ego. The ego mind is limited, however, and should we not seek to rise any higher, we become bound to the 3-dimensional world, to the material plane. The ego, a tool of the mind, is fueled by our desire body, which becomes stimulated by our perceptions, causing us to believe that the impulses we receive, via the physical sense organs, projected onto the movie screen of the mind is reality.
 
Our vision becomes clouded by the mists of maya, an illusion created by ego mind that what we perceive is static, stable, real, when truly it is all vibration, all Light. Many of us are so enmeshed in the material we begin to believe it is the cause of our state of being, rather than the effect.
 
As a child, we may have been told, on occasion, when behaving in ways our parents perceived as selfish, “You know… you’re not the center of the universe.” Perhaps we have repeated this to others, our own children even, in an effort to get them to consider the needs or feelings of others.
 
In our early development, when we begin to establish our sense of autonomy and identity, it is believed that the ego limits us from seeing the bigger picture, as we are caught up in our own little world, attempting to satisfy our immediate desires.  This is considered self-centered, and therefore frowned upon.
 
Yet, ironically, we adults are the ones whose view is limited. Most of us have forgotten what we as young children instinctively knew: that we are Genius Source Creators, individualized aspects of the One Mind, sparks of the Divine Flame, perpetually incarnating to expand our Soul awareness, and balance our Karma.
 
We are taught from a very young age, if we want to get along well in the world, we need to sublimate our own needs to those of others. If we are to be rewarded and not punished, we must give up our own will, in order to please our parents, our teachers, our religious leaders, our God. We cannot give up something we have not yet established.
 
What those around us have forgotten is that our Soul comes in with a master plan. It knows what it needs to accomplish and what it needs to learn. The ego or personality, in its balanced state, is the vehicle through which the soul enacts the human drama we call life. 
 
Though we may not consciously be aware of this contract, our Higher Self has guided us to incarnate within the exact conditions that will allow us to play out this script. We, like a director for a play, select the cast of characters, our family. We, as a soul, choose the environment in which the plot line of our experience will unfold. All the given circumstances, of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, socio-economic condition, etc., are choices we authored before birth in conjunction with our guides, those beings who have progressed further in their evolutionary process.
 
We are the true architects of our destiny. Yet, those around us, who have lost sight of their own original contracts, are forever pulling us off course. They believe they “know what is best for us.” We are made to perform in ways designed to make them happy or to make their lives easier, and if we don’t, well watch out! And they call us selfish!? A dear friend of mine was wont to say when she observed someone being overly selfish, “I’m on fire! I’m on fire! No, put me out, put me out.”
 
This truly isn’t far off the mark. When we forget our master plan, it’s because the fire of our desires has gotten out of control. We become caught up in the trappings of our material existence, lured by the siren call of the senses. So we reach for the tantalizing temptation before us, believing that if we get our hands on the focus of our desire, the fire will be quenched. Too late, we discover it was all an illusion, a fantasy; the mermaid is really a monster. We are pulled under by the weight of disillusionment. Caught in the murky depths of our emotions, we get disoriented and cannot tell which way is up. We struggle and we drown.
 
We are an acquisitive race of beings. We like our “gear”. We started out as hunter-gatherers, and have progressed over the millennia into a race of hoarders. We Americans are particularly pathological when it comes to acquisition. We like to regard ourselves as “collectors” and “connoisseurs”, but really we are just packrats, no better than crows and ferrets, intrigued and delighted by bright, shiny baubles.
 
When we become overrun with stuff, mired down by our excess baggage, whether material, emotional or mental, there is no possibility for higher aspiration. Why would we want to seek something more elevated? We’ve got everything we need right here! If it’s not in the house, it’s in the garage, if not in the garage, then the shed out back, if not there, then the self-storage unit on the other side of town.
 
What do we do with all this stuff? What purpose does it serve? Our material possessions, our thoughts and concepts merely serve as the brick and mortar we use to erect the walls of our self-made prisons. Locked within the walls of our homes, or in the cages of our minds and bodies, we separate ourselves from our brothers and sisters, and ultimately from God, our Source and Sustainer, the essence of all we truly are.
 
When we begin to let go of our attachments to what we perceive as our outer reality, taking control of the ego mind and the emotions, we can begin to direct our focus inwardly. When we relinquish our grasp on the material, we open our hands and hearts to receive the outpouring of Divine Love that is flowing to us in all ways, surrounding us in its nurturing embrace.
 
This Divine Grace, like the sun’s rays, is continually flowing to us. Love is Energy, Vibration, Light. It moves out in waves from the Heart of the Divine, unconditionally, to all its creation. Yet we cannot sense it, we cannot know the enormity of this Infinite Blessing, while hunkered down in our mental and physical fortresses, braced for the onslaught of our lives.
 
Energy must move in a circuit, between two poles, the positive and the negative, the outgo and the inflow, the inhalation and the exhalation. In order to feel God’s Love, we must be willing to accept it, and then return it with the same force.
 
The Master, Jesus, taught us to Love God with all our heart, mind and soul.  In order to practice this teaching, the heart must be free of hate, the mind of fear, and the soul of doubt…and the garage? Well… let’s not go there. It’s time to do some spring-cleaning!
 
If an honored guest were coming over for a meal, wouldn’t we spend some time and energy tiding up a bit? Let’s just say President Obama wanted to stop by to discuss how we could reshape the consciousness of the nation toward greater human rights, or the Dalai Lama wanted to hear our thoughts on the nature of silence. Would we make an effort to clear the dining room table of the 4 loads of laundry and the unpaid bills? I rather think so.
 
When we begin to make space for God to enter our lives, an interesting thing happens. We begin to realize that the Divine has been there all along. The Supreme Self has been waiting patiently, beneath all the clutter, secure in the knowledge that we will eventually come to this realization ourselves. This is Self-Consciousness, that moment when we awaken to the Presence of God within us. When we are fully conscious of the limitlessness of our being, we might say we have progressed into our heliocentric phase.
 
The Self is the Christ Light, which dwells within our hearts. This is the Son/Sun of God. We are all a part of this Sonship, each with the seed of the Christ Light sown in our hearts, forever striving toward the surface, making it’s way back to its Source. This upward trajectory we make may not be conscious, but; never the less, it is the path we all are on.
 
Just as not every bud blossoms at the same time on the dogwood tree, each of us opens to the fullness of our potential at a different time. This is why we must not judge others, for we were once at that very same stage of unfoldment. We are asked to help our brothers and sisters along with encouragement, offering compassionate support and guidance. When we point our fingers and criticize another’s behavior, we only bring all of humanity down.  When we lift up our brother or sister, we all are lifted. We must see the good in all; give our energy and focus to the positive aspects of ourselves, and others.
 
Each of us is making the upward climb in search of truth. When we stop trying to beat the other guy to the top, when we let go of the illusion that our limited view of the truth is right and the other’s must be eradicated, we begin to see beyond the illusion, to grasp the bigger picture: that we all emanate from the same Source. We are all cells in the body of the One.
 
When we can rise above the illusion, we begin to see that the entire universe is merely a projection, a reflection of our fears and desires, our beliefs and our concepts, and it changes and evolves in direct proportion to our expanding consciousness. Just as we are all thoughts in the One Mind, all that we perceive and experience emanates from our consciousness.  
 
We are the One manifesting as the many. Each of us is an individualized center of expression of the Cosmic Consciousness. As such, we are all centers of the Universe. That Vortex of Creation, the Supreme Self, is the I AM Presence. God is the Cosmic Center. The All is present in that singularity. There is no separation. No me, no you, no us, no them. No here, no there. All that ever was, is, or will be, is here now. Regardless of where I am on the face of the Earth, the center remains the same. So when we say, “ I AM the center of the Universe,” we speak truth.

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