Quips and Tips for Spiritual Seekers

Knowing God and understanding who God is has been a quest for people since the beginning of civilization. Various religions and spiritual traditions have evolved over the centuries as a way to define and worship the sacred.

Reading and hearing about religion and spirituality provides an intellectual understanding, but to truly know God, one has look past societal and cultural conditioning. As Saint Augustine said, “God is not what you imagine or what you think you understand.”

To explore a theologian’s perspective, you might enjoy reading Knowing God by J.I. Packer. For an inquisitive spiritual journey, keep reading.

Who is God?

Religions and spiritual traditions around the world have various words and definitions for God, Supreme Being or Higher Power. For some, God is referred to as a “He” as though God is a being in human form. Others are more comfortable using the term Goddess. For many there is no one person or spiritual being, but a universal intelligence or spiritual energy that is the source of everything in existence.

How were you raised to view God? Has your definition and understanding changed over the years? Reflect on your current description and understanding of God.

Where Does God Come From?

People tend to view the divine in the way they were raised; from the texts, scriptures or teachings of their culture. Spiritual lessons were translated through the teachings of Jesus, Mohammed, Jewish prophets and such.

Some view God as loving and benign while others offer human frailties of judgment and vengeance to their image. Spiritual philosophies such as Buddhism don’t focus on an external deity, but describe enlightenment as an awakening to one’s true nature and the nature of reality. This state transcends human dualities such as right/wrong, good/bad, success/failure to rise into a spiritual awareness of wholeness and oneness.

Reflecting back on your description of God – where did it come from? I wasn’t raised with formal religion, although my parents were raised as Christians so I’m sure that had some influence on me. During my teens, I felt an urge to connect to God so began exploring by attending friend’s churches. As an adult I broadened my exploration by reading, listening to, and participating in a variety of spiritual traditions. One of my favorites was learning about First Nations and Native American tribes and their appreciation of nature. Being part of a sacred circle and sharing a prayer pipe was truly transformational.

Through all of my studies and experiences including various meditation techniques, I have come to know God as a Source of love, truth and many other things that I just can’t put into words. Within the God of my heart is an aspect of many other spiritual traditions ranging from Christ consciousness to pure awareness or Buddha nature.

Knowing God on Many Levels

If you are a spiritual seeker and have been indoctrinated by a single religion or spiritual tradition, it might be time to expand your viewpoint as a way to gain a broader understanding of what God is to you. This doesn’t mean you have to drudge through the Bible or the Talmud, as there are many synopsis, translations and stories available. I thoroughly enjoyed savoring Lao-Tzu’s 81 verses of the Tao in Wayne Dyer’s book, Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life. I found Deepak Chopra’s narrative novel, Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment of how Siddhartha became the Buddha to be informative and entertaining. And I often listen to a reciting of the Bhagavad Gita by Ram Dass as a way to wind down and connect to the divine at the end of the night.

Make your spiritual explorations fun and interesting as well as informative. But whatever spiritual or religious studies you undertake, I encourage you to open up to your own experience of the divine. To do this, you might enjoy the spiritual exercises in the article, Deepening Your Relationship to the God of Your Heart.

Do you have any questions or comments on how to know God and understand  God? Please share below.