Man is veritably a microcosm of the macrocosmic universe. His finite consciousness is potentially infinite. While his physical sensory organs confine him to the world of matter, his soul is endowed with all-powerful instruments of perception by which God Himself may be known….– Yogananda *

It’s easy for many people to talk about spiritual matters, but the day to day living of life puts up road blocks and challenges that test to see if we really get it. I have to confess that for me when things get tough it’s hard not to get caught up in the emotions and get swept away. Even with years of practicing meditation and studying spiritual precepts, it’s in the everyday world where I see my weaknesses and forget my Self, that part of me that is eternal, constant, and Divine.

Yoganada, one of the sages who brought Hindu practices  and yoga to the West, said that we are a microcosm of the macrocosm. But others mystics and spiritual teachers reveal the same message. What they’re saying, I believe is that means that everything that I perceive to be “out there” is also “in here” in my very heart and soul. That the one who caused me pain and who I cause pain is also my self in some mystical way.

If it’s indeed true that we’re a smaller version of the universe, can you imagine the power that we contain? What expansiveness and all-pervasive qualities we must hold. To touch these even for an instant blows away the little-mindedness that keeps us tied to the petty desires and hurts.

But sometimes I get lost and forget. There’s a spiritual practice of Self remembering. It means becoming aware more and more often that you and I are Divine, infinite and peaceful.  With little steps the momentary glimpses of that deeper Reality come to permeate the fabric of our lives.

Quote by Yogananda from:  The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You by Paramahansa Yogananda, Copyright  2004, Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles.  Reprinted with permission. www.yogananda-srf.org.

Bio: Debra Moffitt is the award winning author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life and “Garden of Bliss: Cultivating the Inner Landscape for Self-Discovery” (Llewellyn Worldwide, February 2013). A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices, writing and creativity in the U.S. and Europe. More at http://www.awakeintheworld.com and on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/DebraMoffittAwakeintheWorld

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