The God Experience Will Transform You

You’re More Spiritual Than You Think

The world abounds with confused and unreasonable ideas about God, religion, and spirituality, so it’s not surprising that many good people throw it all in the rubbish. And those who try to make sense of it all, or try to live a spiritual life, often find themselves wanting and confused.

But it’s possible to clear our heads by acknowledging realistic notions about the nature of God and spirituality. This begins by having a good look at ourselves, our long-held beliefs, and our deep-rooted biases. It means sweeping aside the rubble of archaic religious thought and weeding out the vines of materialism.

Changing our settled ideas and lifelong stereotypes begins with fresh, innovative ideas that illuminate the true nature of spirituality, inspiring us to make real contact with the Divine Source (by any name). This is the God experience.

Your personal God experience is as real as any experience. It’s an authentic, supernatural encounter with spiritual reality freely available to anyone willing to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. It’s an extraordinary and transforming experience that begins whenever we truly desire to know the truth about spiritual forces or spirit beings.

The rewards of the God experience are many, including a real spiritual transformation, achieving true peace of mind, gaining courage and confidence, feeling love and compassion, acquiring discretion and wisdom, attaining cosmic awareness, and reaching the heights of God consciousness. All of this gives our lives real meaning.

We could begin by exploring the spiritual wonders of the universe, our spiritual potential, or the possibility of eternal life. Others prefer self-improvement books, how-to websites, spiritual writings, meditation, or even traditional religions.

All of this is good. There is no fixed or correct approach to either spirituality or God—the number of different avenues is as varied as the number of people on the planet. It is a very personal and unique experience. The only commonality is the goal—to live a life guided by spiritual ideals—to live consciously in the transforming presence of a loving and divine Spirit, a God by any name we choose.

The essential God experience is an ever-expanding comprehension of the reality of God. It is coming to know the supernal values and meanings that define a spiritual life. And it challenges us to live out those values in our everyday lives—a conscious and willing embrace of the Spirit Way.

Finding God and realizing the eternal, infinite nature of this Creator Spirit is a profound and fulfilling experience that delves into the uncharted realms of mind and soul. It is indeed the true quest of a lifetime, an exhilarating adventure that transforms our lives, our families, our careers, and our goals into exceptional and meaningful endeavors.

But as appealing as all this may sound, some feel they don’t have the time, or that it’s too difficult to begin the experience. In their hearts, they may doubt their ability to become spiritual, or they are not entirely convinced of the reality of God or the existence of helpful celestial forces.

One of the great troubles with modern life is that you think you are too busy to find time for spiritual meditation and religious devotion.

– The Urantia Book

Much of our inhibition stems from our preconceived notions about the nature of reality, especially about God and spiritual reality. We are often unaware of the unreasonable ideas and prejudiced views that adversely affect our thinking and beliefs.

Read: What You Believe Is What You See

None of the Above

Despite all the bad press about religion, most people around the world truly desire a spiritual experience, even though they may outwardly reject traditional religions. In recent polls, those who refuse to be affiliated with any organized religion are often referred to as Nones, as in “none of the above.” A similar category, as defined by Pew Research, is “nothing in particulars.”

When Nones were asked why they chose not to identify with any religion, the most common reply was that they disagreed with, or questioned the validity of, religious teachings. This is understandable, although it does not necessarily imply that Nones are nonreligious or nonspiritual. In fact, the same report points out that 74 percent of Nones believe in God to varying degrees, while only 44 percent say religion is important.

If we view these polls in isolation, we may get the impression that people who claim to have no religion are either agnostics or atheists. But broad research suggests otherwise. When people say they are not religious, we cannot assume they are not spiritual, or even that they do not believe in God.

Putting aside all religious affiliations, about 80 percent of Americans say they still believe in some form of God or a higher spiritual being.  In Canada, about 70 percent say the same. And almost half of those who say they do not believe in God still claim to believe in a higher power or spiritual force, including some who, ironically, also profess to be atheists or humanists. The same is true in Europe, which is often seen as more secular. But even here, 65 percent admit they believe in either a Biblical God or a higher spiritual force.

Overall, these polls suggest that most people in America, Canada, and Europe remain surprisingly spiritual in their outlook, even as attendance at religious institutions is declining.

This suggests that young and old alike are undeterred by the hand-wringing of religionists who fear losing their flocks to the forces of evil. But the same people also ignore the pleas of atheists and cynics who attempt to redeem them from the folly of their ways.

This persistent human proclivity for spirituality explains why so many young people who consciously reject formal religions are happy and eager to identify as “spiritual but not religious,” a term first popularized by Sven Erlandson’s (2000) book of the same name.

The problem that arises from this predicament is that many spiritually inspired people who have deserted the sinking ships of organized religion find themselves adrift in a sea of spiritual uncertainty. For all such people, I hope to offer some firm ground.

God by Any Other Name

Whatever name we give to God, or whatever gender we prefer to assign, it makes no real difference to our personal God experience. However, when it comes to any notion about the true nature of Deity, our conceptions can and do make a difference to our spiritual growth. Much depends on how closely our preconceived notions and settled ideas align with divine reality. In other words, as our thoughts approach the truth about Divinity, we become more spiritually enlightened.

It doesn’t really matter which name we choose for this Divinity. It could be God, Mother Spirit, Elohim, Allah, Brahma, Buddha, Cosmic Mind, Creative Spirit, Heavenly Father, Yahweh, or The Force.

Adopt a name that is meaningful to you, one that conveys an awe-inspiring, devotional, and divine meaning. Once again, it is not so much the name or gender you assign to God, but rather how you imagine the spiritual nature and divine attributes of such a Deity.

There are many different ideas about God, but no matter how you define or describe this greater Power, or what meaning it has to you, we are all thinking about the same eternal and infinite entity.

Upgrade Your Vision of God

The God experience is one of spiritual power, breathless exhilaration, cosmic insight, and compassionate love—all of which are freely available to anyone who truly desires a spiritual transformation.

But despite the supernal reality of this supreme adventure, there appears to be a growing aversion to the concept of God, especially the doctrine-bound notion of God as depicted in Judeo-Christian writings. This is an understandable response to the primitive portrayal of God as an overbearing, judgmental, and vindictive monarch. Nonetheless, we have to ask: to what degree do these archaic ideas reflect the true nature of a Universal Creator?

Our preconceived notions and negative stereotypes affect our ability to understand any subject, whether scientific or religious. Our established ideas and misplaced prejudices about God and religion can not only limit the extent of our spiritual experiences, but also the range of our spiritual insight.

This is why it is so important to upgrade our vision of God so that it more accurately portrays the divine nature. And we begin by exploring divine meanings and spiritual values.

For more on meanings and values, see Four Divine Values of a Spiritual Life

God as Spirit Reality

As we mature and grow wiser, we move beyond antiquated notions of a vengeful, jealous, and angry God, as so often portrayed in religious texts. Clearly, these are human traits that ancient peoples attributed to a superhuman but primitive god.

When God is portrayed as an angry man, it’s no wonder that some feel inclined to throw out religion altogether. But the alternative view is that God is an all-wise, kind, and compassionate Spirit, one who is far above the childish emotions and violent behavior of human beings. Any depiction of a heartless and spiteful God is sadly naive, but regrettably, it is a view still flaunted by gloomy religionists.

Thankfully, throughout history, a steady stream of prophets, seers, teachers, and mystics has reached a far more virtuous and genuine realization—that God is a loving spiritual entity and the eternal origin of spiritual goodness, wisdom, and compassion. God is indeed the very Source of all reality—the Supreme Creator at the very center of all things.

Our spiritual quest begins by getting to know this God. It is not necessarily a difficult task because the Inner Spirit that patiently guides each of us is a living spark, a divine gift, of that Greater Spirit.

No mere mortal can profess to know the full nature of an infinite and eternal God, but we can still formulate concepts that approximate this nature. In other words, it is possible to achieve a relative understanding of God. There are many sources we can draw on, including Jesus, Buddha, Zoroaster, Lao Tzu, Guru Nanak, and many others, all of whom view God as a real spiritual entity.

Even in recent times, devout spiritual minds continue to elaborate a more progressive religious philosophy. A few examples include Joseph Benner, Emmanuel Swedenborg, Paramahansa Yogananda, Mother Teresa, Baha’u’llah, Leo Tolstoy, Wayne Dyer, and Alan Cohen. Through their own spiritual experiences, these individuals have come to know God as a Force of positive love and action.

For more on the nature of God, see God Consciousness.

Knowing God and Yourself

While it is impossible for any of us to truly comprehend the full magnitude of an Infinite Creator, it is difficult to proceed much further on the path of spiritual enlightenment until we can at least accept the reality of God in some form or essence.

The fact that human minds cannot hope to grasp the true infinity and eternity of this reality is no reason to dismiss it. If a child cannot understand the differential equations of mathematics, we cannot say such equations do not exist.

We don’t need to understand all of God to know God. As a loose analogy, we may not know everything about our fathers or mothers, but we still love them. As children, we may not fully appreciate all their personal qualities, skills, or intellect, but we can still adore those we do understand. Our lack of knowledge, experience, or moral insight does not diminish either our personal relationship with them or the sincerity of our love. And so it is with God.

The God experience is getting to know God as well as ourselves. A great part of our spiritual journey is being mindful of how we perceive the people, events, and relationships in the world around us, how our beliefs shape what we see and what we can achieve, and how our thoughts and habits affect our comprehension of God and reality.

Daniel Siegel (2015) suggests that none of us can escape the formative influences of our childhood and the extent to which we have been shaped by our parents, families, friends, communities, societies, cultures, and social histories. And a significant part of any spiritual journey is having the honesty and courage to accept the truth about what we believe and who we are—our strengths and weaknesses.

I’m not advocating long sessions of psychotherapy or excessive introspection as a solution, but simply for us to take an honest look at the kinds of ideas and perspectives we accept as true. Think of it as a critical examination of fixed views, prejudices, and stereotypes. Without exception, we all have a belief system or worldview that shapes how we perceive and interpret the world around us. Taking a closer look at these beliefs, spiritual or not, is an effective way to understand ourselves.

Getting to know God and actually feeling the presence of God are the main goals of the God experience. And while I cannot claim to fully portray the true nature of an infinite, eternal, and divine Creator, I try to do so anyway, hoping to illuminate the magnificence and majesty of the First Creative Source and Divine Center of All Reality.

When we come to know God, we become God-conscious. And this consciousness is the necessary prelude to the ultimate experience of feeling the divine love and vibrant presence of God in our daily lives. Whenever we consciously share our innermost thoughts with our Spirit Guide, we actively take part in our very personal and unique God experience.

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Suggested next read — Spirit Life Is Your Destiny