Our Winter 2021/22 issue has just gone to print. The theme for this issue is Unity. Sandy Newbigging discusses how letting go of our own illusions of being an isolated individual, can quickly reveal the ever-present living experience of oneness within.
Sovereignty Within Unity
3 Questions to Find Oneness in A Divided World.
by Sandy Newbigging
When my friends at Positive Life magazine asked me to write about ‘Unity’, I was both excited and daunted; it is such a big topic. With the dictionary defining unity as ‘the state of being unified or joined as a whole’, and with so much division in the world, it can appear an impossible task to ever ‘re-join’ humanity as a whole. The good news is, you don’t have to spend years trying to convince everyone that ‘we are all one’. Instead, the beating heart of humanity resides within every one of ‘us’, and by letting go of our own illusions of being an isolated individual, we can quickly reveal and return to the ever-present living experience of oneness within.
I’ve seen how the more we believe we are separate, the more stressed, scared and alone we become. On the other hand, as we learn how to exist as a sovereign being, while also knowing and experiencing our unity with everyone and everything, the more peaceful, fearless and connected we are. Here are three questions and spiritual insights for anyone wanting to make the shift from feeling separate, to finding the wonderful oneness that permeates every part of our Self and existence.
Question 1. What if who you think you are doesn’t exist? Spiritual Insight Summary: You are the permanently present universal Self that exists beyond the temporary individual identities conjured up by the thinking mind. Most people are having an identity crisis because they believe they are someone or something that, in reality, they are not. They think they are the voice in their head and, as a result, rely on what it says to an unhealthy degree for defining who they are and what they’re capable of. They think they are what they emotionally feel. They think they are their body, having identified with it from an early age. Or they think they are their relationship status, job title, religious affiliation… or the other labels they’ve found to help define who they are. The more we believe in these labels, the more we tend to slip into separation and start living under the illusion of individualism. However, as we wake up to recognition that these mind-made labels don’t really exist in reality, we naturally experience the oneness- infused consciousness within that always exists.
Question 2. What if you need to be willing to be nobody? Spiritual Insight Summary: The ego needs to be a separate somebody – to be important and gain possessions, praise and prestige. Your real Self has no-body and is one with everything. The ego is a collection of thoughts from which we gain our identity and, therefore, our sense of a separate self. The ego can be very convincing at telling us who we are. When on a spiritual path, it is vital that we are willing to let go of any and all mental constructs that create the impression of being a separate somebody. The ego is petrified of not existing and will go to great lengths to try to convince us that if we let go of the ideas of who we think we are, then our demise will soon follow. In the simplest of terms, to awaken to oneness, be willing to be nobody. There’s no need to worry – when you let go of the ego-based ideas of the separate, mind-made self, you experience the love and wholeness of the unified-real Self.
Question 3. What if you are not an individual you? Spiritual Insight Summary: You are one with source, life, nature, ‘God’. When you know and experience oneness, all of your ego-fueled fears, identities, and conflicts can finally fall away. Separation is a mind-made illusion that stems from believing you are the voice in your head that sounds like you. If there is a separate ‘me’ then there’s a separate ‘you’, and a separate external ‘life’. But here’s what you need to know about that voice in your head and your mind-made version of being a separate self; it is just a bunch of thoughts. By letting go of our thoughts, and rediscovering inner stillness and silence – the natural by-product of not identifying in your mind – what naturally remains is an effortless experience of unity.
There has never been a time or will be a time when you are not one with everything. As you let go of who you think you are, the one consciousness that connects and lives with all of ‘us’ is revealed. By withdrawing your attention from your ego-mind, to instead be fully attentive to the presence of the present moment, your attention becomes aligned with source, life, nature, God. You discover that separation was just an idea and the reality at the heart of life is oneness. Experiencing unity leads to gentleness, compassion, peace and freedom. You never fear being alone and never need to prove yourself as better, wiser or more special. You see the world with clarity through compassionate eyes – full of love and wisdom. You discover that the ultimate love affair in life is oneness with the still silent infinite presence of the unified Self.
Sandy is the creator of the popular Mind Detox and Mind Calm methods.
Learn more about Sandy and his work at https://sandynewbigging.com
