“A human being is part of the whole called by us the universe; a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” – Albert Einstein

It is our last day at the ashram.  Our last satsang with Swamiji. Our last morning meditation.  Our last night in this stillness.

Tomorrow at 6 am, the driver will be here to collect us and deliver us in to the mayhem of Delhi in preparation for our next two weeks in Rajasthan.

When we first got here, it seemed like this time would take forever to pass. It stretched long and endlessly in front of us all. But something started to shift and though I’m excited to see what’s going to happen next, I’m already missing the time to just sit.

Much of what I’ve learned here feels like re-learning in many ways. It seems I need to hear these messages from as many different angles and voices as possible.  When I hear them talk of karma yoga (doing selfless good works for the benefit of all), it sounds suspiciously like my mother telling me to leave things better than I found them and to do good for the glory of God.

When the Swami talks about going direct to connect with the Divine, it reminds me of those early Protestants fighting the Catholic church with their various proclamations that said they didn’t need priests as intercessors; that they could pray to God directly.

When I hear about silence as a necessary spiritual tool for going deep within yourself, I think of silent nuns in their convents, Buddhist monks in their robes, Catholic priests with their clouds of incense…

One thing that has concerned me here has been the photos and altars to Sri Aurobindo and The Mother; the founders of this Aurovalley ashram concept.  This ashram promotes itself as non-denominational and as a place for you to pursue your own unique spirituality. Yet there are altars and large garlanded photos of these two.  Today I asked the Swami if this wasn’t just another religion, as they seem to be worshiping them. His answer was clear, “We honour them, but they themselves said, do not make us into gods.”

Alrighty then. Glad we got that straight. I don’t think we need another religion in this world. We already suffer from too many entrenched views that proclaim their way as the only way.

The message here at the ashram has been largely the same as what I’ve believed for a while; that we are all one; we are all manifestations of one supreme consciousness. Call that God. Call it Divine. Call it Intelligence. Call it Inspiration. Call it whatever you like.

And that once we recognize what the Hindus call So Hum – I am That: (I am that which is all of creation) we will have more love and empathy for our fellow beings because we will understand that they are us and we are them. I’m also thinking that perhaps this view of the world might make it a tad more difficult to wage a war or torture someone…just a thought.

In other words, there is no real separation between any beings. When the raindrops, streams and rivers arrive in the ocean, there is nothing that differentiates their identities. Soon they will be in the clouds, back in the stream and one day, part of another wave.

I remember so clearly when my mother died. The love in the room was palpable. Everyone in that room felt it. Pastor Janzen arrived, and commenting on the energy in the room, he said, “Mary has left on a river of love and she will be met by an ocean of love.”

That might have been the first time I ever said Amen to myself and actually meant it.

I grew up learning that God IS love. It follows that Love is God.

They say you need faith to believe in what you can’t see. Do you need to have faith to believe in love?