A question regarding the meaning of this quote from the Bible was raised recently in a discussion forum and the responses were an indication of how spiritual messages can cut across all religions and philosophies. I am sure a multitude of religions would have no problem explaining the possible meaning, even though this message is from a Christian text. The forum was spiritual but not religious and my perspective that follows is from never having been able to get past the first page in any attempt to read the Bible!

Given my impression that all religions ultimately deliver the same spiritual message, my personal response is wondering whether this Kingdom of Heaven could be the “world betwixt the worlds”¹, “the gap”², the place we can sometimes go by practicing presence in a deep meditation, where there is peace and bliss for no earthly (logical or rational) reason. I also wonder whether this experience is a connection to our Higher Self and/or a Universal energy (God) that is impossible to access when the mind is in control.

The first time I had this experience, it showed up out of the blue during a guided meditation at the end of a yoga class and it felt like being in another dimension. I felt so relaxed and happy that I had to stop myself from literally laughing out loud because I knew it would disturb the rest of the class. I had never experienced this state before even though I had been to other yoga and meditation classes (including one in a Buddhist nunnery in India) and had no idea that it was even possible. Later I saw a talk given by Jill Bolte Taylor on Ted Talks, describing her experience of a stroke that left her operating predominantly from the right side of her brain and realised that the euphoria I felt sounded very similar to that part of her experience. This is because, for me, it also felt as though all of my “baggage” had been lifted from my shoulders and at the time, I thought to myself, “So this is what it is like to be completely stress-free!”

Knowing what was possible, I enthusiastically turned up for the same class, full of excitement and expectation the following week, hoping for a “repeat performance”, only to be disappointed. I joked to my friends that there must have been something in the incense in the previous week’s class. 

I have since realised that having the aim of accessing this state just for the sake of feeling good is a bit like using “Kingdom of Heaven” as a holiday resort or at worst, a recreational drug! If we have the privilege of being given a key to this divine “space”, even though it is beneficial to our psyche, I feel our task is to use the opportunity to further our personal and spiritual growth and ultimately, raise the collective consciousness of the planet. 

It was only after I began studying and reading books on spiritual growth that I discovered I had experienced an altered state of consciousness and those same books indicated how to consciously recreate the experience by meditating or becoming “present” while functioning in the world. Since then, I have found the space in mediations and experienced milder (less intense but still peaceful, happy) versions of it while going about everyday life, sometimes accidentally (i.e. while focused on mundane chores) and at other times, when I was intentionally attempting to practice presence.

This is possibly a good time to introduce another key aspect to entering the Kingdom of Heaven, which is our ability to practice unconditional love – of ourselves (including our shadows) and others (especially our so called enemies, who are a reflection of our shadow) because love is so fundamental to all things spiritual. While being confronted with shadow (the parts of us we can’t see and so deny exist) can be challenging, it is only when we learn to let go of judgement and love all aspects of ourselves unconditionally that we can hope to remain in the Kingdom for any period of time.

In terms of “all else shall be added onto you”, one interpretation is that this refers to the high frequency energy we generate and radiate out to everyone (and the planet) while in this state. This in turn, attracts higher frequency events, circumstances and people (“all else”) to our lives. It is also when we begin to benefit from amazing life-enhancing synchronicities and experience intuitive insights.

It could also be argued that this phrase is referring to the concept that while we are in this state of “presence”, the decisions and actions we take will be more conscious (rather than unconscious) and therefore are more likely to have a positive impact on us, all that we do and everyone we meet.

Either way, I think it’s encouraging for the future of our planet if we can find common ground in spiritual messages.

With Unconditional Love!

Sally

1.  I love this term, which I think I came across in Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ book, Women Who Run with the Wolves.
2. Wayne Dyer’s term?

Julie M*

*Not real name

If you have visited our visited site previously, you may have noticed that some changes have occurred, in order to improve the user experience of http://www.holistic-counselling.com.au.

As a part of the new ‘Holistic Healing Carlton’ experience, we will be providing a regular blog with useful tips and news regarding Holistic health.

We hope to hear from you,

Peace and Love,

Sally Balfort.