Heaven Now!

I continue to be thrilled and amazed when a single truth is repeatedly reinforced from various perspectives by different teachers whose books or messages I “happen to” be reading concurrently. I enjoyed one of those experiences today.

I subscribe to the daily emails from the Center for Action and Contemplation, the organization founded by Franciscan priest, author and teacher, Fr. Richard Rohr. You may subscribe here. Today’s (April 30, 2019) message was entitled Heaven Now. Fr. Rohr says,

“Jesus’ primary metaphors for the Eternal Now are “the kingdom of God” and “the kingdom of heaven.” He is not talking about a far-off celestial heaven.”

Jesus speaks of the “kingdom of God” in the following from Luke 17.

“Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”

Likewise, in the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus is quoted as saying,

“His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?" Jesus said, "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is'. Rather, the kingdom of the father is spread out upon the earth, and people do not see it."

As Fr. Rohr says in today’s email, also in alignment with what Unity has been teaching for over 125 years, heaven is not a place that we go after death: Heaven is a state of consciousness that we may attain now. Further, that we attain heaven consciousness by being present in and for everything that happens in the moment. He says,

“Nondual knowing is learning how to live satisfied in the naked now, which some called “the sacrament of the present moment.”

This is also the message that I heard this morning as I listened to the audiobook of Michael A. Singer’s The Untethered Soul, the Journey beyond Yourself which we are currently using for our small group book study groups.

Like Rohr, Singer encourages us to be fully present for everything that happens in the moment. He asserts that by experiencing the now and all that it brings, we allow our minds and hearts to remain open and free from the energy that can build up and block us from enjoying life fully. Further, Singer says that when we resist our current experience, we create what is referred to in the yogic tradition as a Samskara, or unfinished energy pattern that keep us in bondage to our past. When we live with an accumulation of unprocessed energy, we create hell for ourselves and sometimes contribute to it for those around us.

Even though they were created in the past, our Samskaras exist in the present and can be stimulated by current experiences. When they are stimulated, the energy of the past experience arises. In that moment, we have the opportunity to be present with all of the mental and emotional energy stored there and allow it to move through us. If we are willing to be present with it, the energy clears and we are freed from it.

Although Singer does not use ‘kingdom of heaven’ or ‘kingdom of God’  to describe the resulting freedom, he does say that it is possible for us to live in a constant state of joyous present moment awareness, allowing all events to be as they are without clinging or resisting. As Rohr might say, to enjoy the “sacrament of the present moment” or, to live in the consciousness of heaven.

WOW, what a concept! As I ponder the significance of this in my life, I am aware of the subtle and not-so-subtle ways I keep myself from living in the consciousness of heaven, even when I know, as Jesus said, that it is right here, right now.

For example, I was sitting here at my desk writing this as a blog post when I noticed my discomfort. I was struggled to find the right words, short of writing a dissertation, to capture what I wished to convey. So, I stopped. I took a deep breath, turned my back to my computer screen and stared at the plant across the room. I allowed myself to observe the thoughts I was thinking about this post and about my struggle, and I allowed myself to feel the feelings of worry, frustration, and impatience. As soon as I processed through the energy of my feelings, I experienced more clarity and freedom. Aha! Heaven! Releasing resistance and meeting what is with present awareness. I returned to my keyboard and began typing.

Once again, I proved to myself that I can read and comprehend the words of great teachers; I can wholeheartedly believe that what they are saying is true, but until I experience it, it is not mine. It remains a mental construct until I embody it.

“The kingdom of heaven is within you” has been one of those concepts. I thought I understood it. I thought I knew what Jesus was saying. Now, I realize that I have grasped the idea, and I have actually experienced it many times before, yet the gift is that now I can merge the two. I now know what ‘heaven’ is, at least for me. I now know that heaven, as I have often heard, is just a breath away. The breath can bring me into the present moment awareness where I can observe my thoughts, feel my feelings and be with “what is.”

The kingdom of heaven truly is all around us when we open our minds and hearts to it. I am committing to myself to practice “the sacrament of the present moment” as frequently and consistently as I am willing and able. I invite you to join me. Heaven Now! Let us live it.