A Universal Connection: What spirituality means to me

What is "spirituality" to you? If you answered that question, I imagine your answer would be something that covers a connectivity to a god-like, omnipresent being. Many of you would root your spirituality in religion. Some may even say you don't believe in God or a god-like presence. There will be some who say they believe in God, but not in religion. Are any of these answers "wrong?" Nope!

Spirituality, to me, represents an understanding that everything in this universe is connected. At the very basic, quantum level, atoms are composed of energy. What this means in lay terms is that atomic particles share similar characteristics in that they merge together via gravitational pull to create what we deem "matter." Niels Bohr, the notable 1922 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, theorized that atoms are comprised of electrons, protons and a positively charged nucleus.The properties of elements are differentiated by the number of electrons that orbit a nucleus. As his research continued, he also came to purport that we can either perceive an electron as a wave or as a particle. If we view the electron as a particle, then we can quantify the properties of elements by understanding the atomic "weight" that each element possesses (a numeric measurement). However, when we view the electron as energy, we may understand its "physical" composition in the form of dynamic frequency. In other words, electrons--when studied separately--bear characteristics of energetic waves. What does this mean? It means that, when we study the composition of an electron, we find that it is actually a vortex of energy which  is"spinning" or "vibrating" to a specific, energetic wave-like frequency. Indeed, plenty of research has been conducted to demonstrate that gravitational effects exist on a quantum level. Therefore, at this time, when we peer "inside" the core of an electron, all we can observe at this time is energetic radiation...and 'nothingness' in the center. Right now there is much research being conducted on "anti-matter" and "dark energy" to help explain this supposed 'lack' of substance at the center of an electron. Beyond this assertion, the consequences of this discovery also suggest that all matter exists as an expression of energy, but matter is not measured in wave frequencies. So when someone says "everything is energy," it's hard to comprehend this concept because we view energy as dynamic (movement). And we don't see a desk or a chair as an energetic entity, for example. But in their most most basic form, both of those tangible items are energetic entities.

Okay, now that I've bored you with that stuff, I can get into how all of this information relates to spirituality. If you look at the cosmos as an x-ray image, you will see this incredible "web" of light (courtesy of the Chandra telescope). This image to the left actually represents the density of dark matter in the universe (which is unseen by the naked eye). The Illustris Project, a virtual simulation project that depicts how the universe was physically formed billions of years ago, is able to illustrate the development of the cosmos in terms of gas temperatures and dark energy density, among other quantifiable measures. It is clear, from this image, that even though we do not see a connection between these stars (seen as bright dots of light in the illustration), a connection clearly exists.

This depiction of brain neuron connectivity looks a lot like the cosmic web above.

My understanding of spirituality actually follows conceptual outlines of physics. That is not to say that "hard evidence" is what I need to believe in the connectedness of the universe; I simply acknowledge that science, each day, is moving closer and closer towards an understanding that our actions as "separate" beings on this planet are more interconnected than we perceive. When we start to appreciate that humans are an expression of conscious energy, we can begin to unravel a layer of unseen phenomenology. For example, there are times when we literally feel someone elses' anger or rage. And there are times when we feel someone else's love for us from across the room. There are moments when you feel that something is not right--and you later find out that no, it wasn't. These sensations are perceptions of energy that we have the ability to sense, yet because we do not see things like love, anger or fear, then we don't accept that it's possible to observe emotions as a quantifiable substance. In other words, we don't believe in what we don't see. Yet.

No matter what you believe in, at the end of the day it's not so bad to think of yourself as a tiny part of this universal picture. We simultaneously realize how small and insignificant we are, yet we also have to love and appreciate how beautiful and unique each one of us is. Whether you believe that God created the universe and all things in it or if you believe that there is no God, and the universe was spontaneously composed of cosmic elements, there is no denying that everything around us--from the stars in the sky to the apparatus of brain neurons--is a flipping miracle of existence. Meanwhile, it is clear that humans are unique expressions of matter and consciousness, as each time we are formed by a new and inimitable DNA nucleic composition. In other words, each of us is unique, yet we are all formed of the same, basic "stuff." How freaking cool is that?!

When you start to see the world as a consciousness that is expressed through physical matter, then you start to understand that everything you experience is exactly what you are meant to be experiencing at this exact moment. Does that mean that I believe in fate? Well, yes and no. See, the thing is, there are infinite opportunities that exist out there, but trust me when I say that sometimes, you simply know that certain things are "meant to be." How many times have you met someone who you felt was your soul sister or brother? How many times has something happened to you that felt like it was ultimate "fate?" How many times have you run late for a meeting or the departure for a train only to find that the person or train service is running late that day? It's not coincidence: it is the universe working with us to co-create our reality.

I've spent the better part of the year acknowledging the interconnectedness of all things. What does this do for me? It allows me to appreciate the synecdoche of existence and the miraculous nature of happenstance. Instead of trying to always reason with myself as to why it "makes sense" to do things one way when it feels right to do something else, I try to listen to my inner guidance, my intuition. And when I do, I'm right. You see, our intuitive self is part of the logical, whole self. Therefore, the synecdoche in which I speak to hearkens to the fact that our "human" selfhood depends not only upon our "logical" and physical existence, it also includes the dynamism of our intuitive and emotional navigational sensations. What we feel to be right is just as important as what we think to be right. Thus, my spiritual inclinations allow me to navigate this lifetime with less fear (of being 'wrong' based on lack of material 'evidence'--which is fear of being wrong at its most basic level) and, thus, I can approach my daily life with more faith in myself and my ability to make intelligible decisions by using all of my 'senses.'

From that basic (ha!) explanation of my interpretation of spirituality and interconnectedness,
here are a few important lessons that I have learned and will take with me: 

1) Everything is connected.
2) We are all one.
3) Everything really does happen for a reason.
4) Karma is not a bitch. She is whatever she needs to be to teach you the lessons you were always meant to learn.
5) Our fears and anxieties are mostly rooted in the fear of being rejected or the fear of abandonment. Both of these fears are illusions, for we are never alone and we are made of (infinite) love. Therefore, we cannot ever be abandoned or rejected if we understand that we are born to love ourselves, behave in love and act in love towards one another.
6) Fears are not real; they are negative thought forms. Fears are things that we project onto our future, yet the only moment we ever, truly have is the present. We have to live in the present as much as possible because we cannot control the future. We have to trust that our present is leading us towards future success.
7) When you follow your intuition, you are not acting like a loony tune. When something doesn't 'feel' quite right, then it isn't right for you. This is what we call "discernment." Each of us is righted to practice discernment, which means that spiritual folk are not all 'hippy-dippy' and believe that nothing can harm us. Instead, we believe that everything we experience is what we are meant to experience (however painful or uncomfortable), yet we have the ability to choose how we learn certain life lessons. So no, mother: I'm not going to get rides from strangers because they give me candy and tell me they like my outfit--unless it totally feels right (ha!).
8) The universe will always provide for you when you 'vibrate' in the frequency of abundance, gratefulness and surrender. This just means that when you think positive thoughts, good things happen. If you're always out there looking for someone to swindle you or hurt you or take advantage of you, guess what? That's exactly what the universe will show you. You know those people on your Facebook feed who always seem to be complaining about something? Imagine the difference it would make to them and their relationships if, instead, they focused more on the positive things in life or that which we can be grateful for. It turns people off to always be that "Negative Nancy" in your friend group or social network. Remember: you always have the choice to look at the world as benevolent or as malignant (or a balance of both energies). The choice is yours. And you will get what you put out there.
9) There are infinite layers to "surrender." Surrender refers to the understanding that there are many things in life that we cannot control. We cannot keep our worst fears from coming true when we suffer the loss of a loved one or find that we have an incurable disease. We can, however, decide how we want to live our lives despite the circumstances we are faced with. Humans have an infinite capacity to love, be loved and to be resilient. If you think about how much love and joy we can have for others and for life, itself, even when faced with the ultimate tragedy, that--my friends--is a true miracle of the divine.
10) There is no such thing as "lost" love. And love has many, many forms. Love comes in the form of friendship, mere appreciation, gratefulness, acknowledgement, romance and passion--to name a few forms. Our human capacity to understand the concept of love is limited by our vocabular lexis as well as our physical form. If you imagine that love is what we are made of (as in: love is the thing that joins us together rather the force that separates or thanatos), then you can see how important it is to choose love, to choose coming together. Differentiation and otherness is what spawns things like hatred, caste systems or social class. No one is better than anyone, plain and simple. We are all souls on a human journey, composed of atomic particles and the dynamic force of love (or eros, which is the force that brings us together).

Finally, while I have much, much more to say regarding my personal (spiritual) belief systems, I'll end on one, lasting concept. You see, when we realize that we are all here not just to bump into one another, call each other names and tell each other how to live, we can begin to appreciate that we each have a divine life purpose. No one is brought here on this physical plane of existence merely to "be." Instead, we have a purpose. We have a plan. We have things in this lifetime we are meant to learn and accomplish. The question is: when will you open your ears to your calling? When will you stop resisting that which you know you are meant to do? When will you allow yourself the opportunity to choose the greatest of achievements? When will you choose happiness over fear?

Each day I struggle with these questions, so please don't think for a moment I ask them like an enlightened dilettante. Each day, I challenge myself to believe in love, to believe in service to others and to believe in my ability to live as an expression of love and service. I'm SO not Jesus. Or Gandhi. Or the Dalai Lama. But I guarantee you that neither Jesus nor Gandhi nor the Dalai Lama ever got anywhere, wondering: "what's in it for me?" And I bet you any money that they, too, never felt/feel like they are superior or more enlightened than their fellow man. We listen to their teachings because they are human and because they identify as having human struggles. Our (human) imperfection is precisely what makes us perfect expressions of the divine. So go out there. Be fearless. And live as your soul tells you to live. I promise I'll feel the love you send and send that shit right back atcha.