It was the first time Theophile the Younger meditated since his latest experience. On that day, the Elder had guided him until he could attain the state of surrendering to the Lord’s heart through the Master’s heart.
Theo’s practice has helped him develop his inner observer and become a witness to his arising thoughts and images. So, he didn’t judge them, and he didn’t reject them either. Being totally absorbed into his inner being, he could perceive and really appreciate the profound change occurring within him.
At first, he noticed that the divine light in his heart was getting more and more intense, and that it completely filled his inner space. That energy then began to unfold and radiate all around him. His heart became the infinite Ocean within which he could be totally immersed. He perceived a warm-hearted stream of love emitting a sort of indescribable joy (ananda) that spread over all the beings, over everything. He knew he could ask God for His help. His heart had become a sacred space within which his soul could interiorize.
For the first time ever, he felt he was totally free when in contact with the Lord, with His light and the heavenly vibration emerging from it. He felt he was blessed with the divine Presence, which would never leave him now, he knew it, and which would accompany him all along his life and his spiritual evolution. Theo had realized the sacred union with the Lord in his heart. He sensed that it was the very first step before the divine merging. Plunging deeper and deeper into the depths of his heart, he perceived all the beauty of the creation, and he perceived Love, which was at once so infinite and so singular. Kindness and sympathy emerged from it continually.
At the same time, his mind resonated with the divine Spirit: it was perfectly clear and could access all he needed to know. He only had to open himself to the Word by orienting his mind in a particular direction or to focus on a specific topic to see knowledge be immediately revealed to him. He could also understand that any wish could be granted there, but his only wish was to be in the blessed Presence of the Lord. His soul had become all devotion and pure love.
The points of the heart.
In communion with atma-chakra (point 2), he perceived the intense love of the Fire chakra (point 3) along with the ocean depths of the Water chakra (point 4). His clear mind could discern reality as it really is. He felt he was fully in tune with it. The whole creation was at home in his heart, and the slightest cell, the slightest blade of grass or the slightest star had become an integral part of his being. The divine Presence loved totally every single particle in the universe and every creature that was part of it. Theo experienced Omnipresence; he became both the whole and part of everything, and he existed both in and out of time.
But the Elder’s voice suddenly came from far away to indicate that the meditation was over:
– AUM, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti…
In the silence that followed meditation, the divine Presence endured. From the inner Word emanated a very subtle sankalpa. It was non-mental, and was supported by Love and by the blessings the Lord poured out towards all the sisters and brothers around the world.
Emerging from these depths, Theo perceived the formless form of the Lord. Nourished by such a sublime silence, his heart opened to the Infinite.
He slowly recovered, regaining the consciousness of all that surrounded him.
He addressed the Elder, trying to express how he felt:
– I just realized that my heart always belonged to the Lord, to the Ultimate. I thought it was mine, as every part of me can be, but everything has changed during this meditation. Henceforth, there will be a before and an after. My life won’t be the same anymore, because the space in my heart is now totally inhabited by the Lord. The joy I feel is profound and boundless. Could you explain to me what has happened, please?
The Elder – The process we evoked last time has been engaged. The dark and bright parts of your soul have intertwined harmoniously at the centre of your heart. The Lord has aspired them into Him. He has erased all the tendencies that prevented your heart from uniting with Him. He has integrated the adverse forces that were present in you by transcending them. In an instant, you have passed from the world of duality to the world of unity, and then to the world of oneness with the Divine. That is what we call the Divine Presence, God, the Ultimate or the Lord.
The next step will be your initiation by God Himself.
Theo whispered:
– Now I can understand why Babuji said that there is where the journey begins…. Seeing life, existence, with God’s eye view makes all the difference!
As usual, the Elder just smiled.
Theophile the Elder
An excerpt from Dialogs with Theophile the Elder
Theophile the Younger’s Initiation