There is, within you, an infinite silence. You might call it the divine, or God, or Allah, or The Tao or anything else. It is the divine presence within you. Every religion and philosophy (except maybe humanism) includes a concept that the divine is in our hearts, or that we should welcome the divine into ourselves. The reality is that it is already there. Within your finite physical being is what can only be described as an infinite space of sentient silence or divine light.
Sitting in meditation or prayer, scan your body from the top down. Just explore what it feels like inside. Maybe there are some tight muscles, or pain here and there or maybe you can feel your recent meal digesting or your heart beating. Focus consciously on what is happening inside your body. Take your attention from the top of your head slowly down all the way to your toes. This kind of somatic mindfulness is a great meditation by itself. But today, let’s take it further. Today, when you reach a point in your lower abdomen, notice if you find one particular spot where, when you place your attention on it with curious openness, opens into a seemingly infinite space of silence and compassion and acceptance. This spot is sometimes referred to as the lower dantian (or dantien). There is a lot of interesting writing out there to explore about the upper, middle and lower dantians. Connecting with the lower dantian can have some fascinating effects.
If you can connect with and open this infinite space within you, you can imagine sinking into it like you are sinking into a hot tub or hot spring. But here is the thing… To really connect with the infinite silence, you must come with nothing. After all, it is hard to connect with the nothing, if you show up laden with somethings. Imagine, as you scan down your body, that all the worries of the day are like backpacks and bags draped around you. Take them off and put them down. All the worries, all the roles we play, all the responsibilities and fears and expectations. Put them all down. Put down this person living this life. Put down this human existence. Approach the infinite silence as nothing more than your inner true self – the silent observer.
Meet this infinite divine space with only your divine soul. It is such a place of peace. There are no expectations here; no attachments, no roles, no responsibilities, no identity, no physical being. Nothing but pure consciousness in the moment. This is the perfect space to drop in a wish for anything you might want to bring into your life. Think of what you would like to happen in your life. Take the need for it, the desire or want for it, and give over that desire to the infinite divine knowing that if it is in line with your purpose, of course it will be.
Many religions encourage their followers to, “Let go and let God.” – that is, to give over what they want to the divine and let the divine bring it to you, knowing that if you ask, you shall receive. Connecting to the infinite silence / divine is about understanding that the divine is quite literally within you and you can access it, make requests, and feel its infinite acceptance anytime you like. It is not out there in some nebulous place. The divine is right here, inside you, right now.
For the more scientific mind, it helps to think back to the big bang. At first, there was nothing, and out of that infinite silence came the universe. The universe is full of dichotomies. So it is only natural that all the something that we see around us came out of the nothing. And that within the something that is ourselves, is the nothing that created it all. Us in the universe and the universe within us. Sit quietly, contemplate that for a while and see where it takes you.
