Deeper Dive: The Meaning of Life

This is part two of the Deeper Dive series. I’m not sure how many of these there will be. Perhaps this is the last one but when I woke up this morning I felt led to write about this particular mystery.

I can only imagine many of you are like what in the world? I subscribed to this blog to find out about new releases and to get free books and she’s talking about some really out there things!

True.

But I hope you’ll stay with me for a while. And it is my sincerest prayer that you will find something, even if it’s just a tiny bit, that will help you live your life better.

Let’s dive deep, but this is really not so deep.

People who know me well, know that I am a truth seeker. My most comfortable place is in the realm of the unknown, the cosmos, the depths of the universe. I’m always seeking the deeper truth regarding the bigger mysteries of life. One of the biggest questions I wanted the answer to is why are we here? What is the reason for all of this…the joy, pain, ecstasy, good luck, misfortune? Why do we come here and seem to struggle endlessly only to die?

Well Tonya…what is the answer!

Ha! I don’t have the answer to all of it. If I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this blog or trying to write and sell books in the rest of my free time. I’d be perched high on a mountain top, draped in a white robe with throngs of people coming to see me from all over the world so I can answer their questions on life’s deepest mysteries. I’d be a guest of the world’s highest ranking dignitaries…in palaces, dining with queens. But alas, I’m here, in Ohio, eating a bowl of oatmeal so I’m going to give it my best shot.

For the past 20 years or so, maybe longer, I’ve been on this quest of discovery. Discovering the truth about myself and about the world around me. I’ve read what the sages of old have stated as well as more modern day gurus. I’ve read other religious texts and studied a myriad of other disciplines looking for the answer or at least a pattern and I’ve come away with this:

The meaning of life is…Surprise!…Life. It is conceptual. Not meaning to just be alive. The meaning of life is to LIVE. As in a verb and in the superlative. To assume human form, to explore all the potentiality available to you. To live at the highest degree possible. To co-create your own life and participate in the expansion of the universe. It‘s not a passive thing at all. It requires deliberateness and intentionality. The majority of us aren’t doing that. We’ve slotted ourselves into the reticent idea of being acceptors of our fate. We feel we have no control over what happens to us. But that was never how it was supposed to be. I’ll reference the Bible since that’s the discipline I know. We’ll take a portion from Genesis:

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky

27 So God created mankind in his own image,

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.

Not exactly a passive stance is it? Not only is it a very active way of showing up in the world but the scripture says we were made in the image of God…meaning we are in total or at least in part a reflection of who God is. We have been commanded to fill the earth and subdue it meaning he wanted us to have at least some control over our circumstances.

And then there’s that part. Scripture goes on to talk about Adam and Eve in the garden. Here we’re introduced to the concept of duality or the concept that opposites exist. It’s how the universe works. There can only be up if there’s a down. There can only be dark if there’s light and evil only exists if we know the concept of good. So there we were, frolicking in the garden with all of our needs being met and then entered “wisdom” or “knowledge” which is represented in the text as a serpent. You could also insert self knowledge and identity; even the ego. One of the prices paid in exchange for that knowledge, which is what we depend on to navigate the world, is that our connection to God (or universal intelligence) more easily slips into the background. As I’m counting money in the Starbucks drive through, or putting together a presentation to wow my boss and colleagues, knowledge is needed…consciousness of oneness with God not so much, or at least we think that’s the case.

Back to the point. If he’s created us in his likeness and image, he gave us the characteristics that he has; love, creativity, prosperity, charity. And if he told us to subdue the earth, we have the capacity to do it. So why aren’t we?

Because of the concepts introduced in the story of Adam and Eve. We are dualistic in nature. We are both God and man. The human part is obvious…the dread of having to brush my teeth every morning lest I clear out a room, the argument I had with my husband over who’s turn it is to load the dishwasher, glee over the election results, pizza. Human-ness is everywhere. But where is God? Our knowledge of ourselves as part of creation, still connected to, with the same forces as, slips quietly into the background and we become like the cursed Adam who when he ate from the tree of knowledge, as punishment, God said will toil the earth until the grave. Geesh.

Both ideas presented are true. We are created in the image of God. And our human-ness is a very real part of our existence. We have to work, obey laws, take care of our children and it would seem that this is all there is to it. But that was the trick of the serpent or the pitfall of ‘knowledge.’ If you think you know everything, you don’t need to rely so much on your connection with the larger part of you (God, Consciousness, Higher Intelligence, All That Is) and that is the trap. We know things, but we only have access to a limited, grainy source of knowledge. We’d have much more if we remained connected to the Source of All things. In recognizing our connection we realize and have access to greater wisdom, knowledge and consequently power. And if each of us showed up to life everyday from that standpoint our lives would be completely different.

Pro tip: Meditation, mantras, affirmations, religious services, reading religious texts or other material on consciousness, devotion, yoga, awareness, practicing presence and gratitude are all tools that can be used to remind and reveal to you the fullness of who and what you are.

The challenge is to bring our conscious awareness of our God Self to the forefront daily and allow our human idea to take a step back. Every day, remind yourself that you are the extension of God in human form and understand that the purpose of your life is to LIVE it. To expand, become more, uncover what possibilities exist for you, taste, love, create. Wake up with the intention of being, enjoying and sharing your life. Tap into the life force within. As the scripture showed us, we’ve been commanded to rule over our circumstances. We just have to stay in remembrance of that. Get up every day with peace, joy and reverence for who you are and all that you do.

To your journey,