When I was a young man I met a woman who definitely had a spiritual connection. She had organized a small gathering to meet on Sundays. I would not call it a church, but it included worship.
At one such gathering she sang “He Walks With Me,” a song made popular by Merle Haggard. The song made a strong impression on me, especially the lyrics:
“And he walks with me and he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.”
After the service I asked her if she had the experience, as described by the lyrics, of walking, feeling the presence of God and hearing him. She said yes, she did. She said that she did not hear words, but she felt a presence and a “knowing.” Put differently, instead of hearing words she felt the message.
At this stage in my life I can say that the experience of which she speaks is “normal” for me. However, I also know that it is accessible for everyone. It is only the overactive mind and the “unskillful emotions” that cloud the experience.
We have never been separate from God. It is only our belief in separation and our unsettled mind that impairs the experience. Further we need to understand that God is an energy, a presence and a consciousness, not a personality as we normally think (not to rule out experiences of God manifesting in a form).
Try going to a natural setting, and after finding a comfortable seat, settle your mind in the sounds and sights that surround you. Feel gratitude for your precious life and the gifts you have received. Then open your heart to the divine presence which surrounds you. Speak to the divine in the language of your heart. Feel the love and the joyfulness that surrounds you.
As you settle into this experience you realize that it is accessible at any time during your day. God is just a thought away.
