Chapter Ten: Unity

This Chapter is split up into two parts. First I share what the concept of unity means and how to bring a deeper sense of Unity with ourselves and God, as well as with others. In the second part I share several stories from my personal experiences with others and how we can create unity in our community.  By looking at the qualities in others that we value and finding compassion and acceptance of others, we draw the experience of unity to ourselves and our community. 

Transcript

Chapter Ten

Unity

Part 1: Finding Unity Within

Positive affirmation: The spirit in you enlivens the spirit in me. 

In this two-part chapter, we will be exploring the topic of unity. In the first part, we will explore what unity is and how we can foster a relationship with the consciousness of unity in ourselves and with others. In the second part, we will explore how to create unity within our communities. This is important because, by understanding the concepts of this topic, we benefit not only ourselves but as a community. When we are united, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. 

We unconsciously seek to find our own likeness in others, but when we see our reflection in them, it can have different effects on us. We can embrace the likeness we see when it reflects what we want to be or what we admire in other people, or reject it when it reflects what we dislike about ourselves. When we see our own wounds or dislikes about ourselves in others, we often have little tolerance for it. 

If unity is only explored within the constraints of our minds, it will remain nothing more than a concept, for the importance and value that unity holds needs to be experienced and not described, and we can only experience unity with others when we embrace the world around us and look deeply within it. We are much better together than we are apart, and unity reveals its ultimate power when it is embraced by an entire community. As our communities grow bigger and bigger, we sometimes lose the unity we once embraced. The desire to know each other and give to each other fades if we are too caught up in our own lives. By embracing the concepts shared in this chapter, we enliven the spirit of unity in our communities. 

Clearing and Fertilizing Our Soil for Unity to Grow

The very nature of the spark we carry in our souls seeks to be in unity with others. When we experience solidarity with one another, it evokes memories of our origin. It causes us to remember that we all come from the flame of God.

Knowing our true self, the part of us that rests deep in our soul, will help us understand others. In our quiet moments, we come closer to our souls. By placing our attention to the most silent part within our self, we become open to the possibility of experiencing unity. 

To grasp the gravity of this, you must have your own experience. My aim is to inspire you to search for unity in you. What is it that ties you to the world and the people you live with? 

Unity is a divine truth. There is a rapid discovery of that truth when we love one another, for love itself lives in the heart of unity.

When you look for admirable traits in another, you are more likely to accept, care for, nurture, and build tolerance toward others. This mindset helps you create a deep connection with people, because the possibility of unity is sparked by connecting with another. When you look for differences in others and pull back from people because of what you find, you diminish the chance of finding the unity that co-exists between you and another. 

The only distance between you and I is what your mind creates. By meeting the world with kind eyes and an open heart, you decrease the distance between you and others. This in turn summons the spirit of unity to come and join you. This spirit is the premise of how you can create a sacred relationship. A sacred relationship delivers you into the purpose of joining together with another. It will also lead you to a more purposeful life.

What Is Unity?

The heart of unity houses many guests. Contentment is one of them.

Unity is a truth, an absolute that lives within our consciousness. The experience of unity decreases the desire for temporary, external experiences. Unity’s formless nature begins to fill the void in us that we have been trying to fill all our life and allows us to experience a deep contentment within. The acquisition of material things loses its appeal when the consciousness of unity begins to gift us with its presence and fills us with contentment and awareness of a greater truth. 

Contentment is found on the path to peace. With contentment, you are able to deeply surrender. There is nothing grasping at you, nor are you grasping at anything. You may have experienced many enlightened moments in your life when you feel alive and at peace. The experience of unity can visit you in the same way. 

The degree and depth to which you will experience the consciousness of unity cannot be wished or willed into your life. It is truly a gift that’s given to you by the grace of God. As a spiritual seeker or someone who desires to be at peace, all one needs to do is keep surrendering and letting go. In your most fearless and desire-less state, unity dissolves your soul into the great cosmic ocean of oneness, releasing you of your karmic ties to this life. You are returned to the oneness of God.

The Layers of Unity

Unity has many layers. On the surface, unity can be the spirit that joins us when we gather together as one collective unit. Indeed, the spirit that joins us is the power of unity. By coming together, our potential is greatly amplified. If we unite and love is our purpose, there occurs an even greater amplification of power to co-create the most beautiful reality. Love invites God to be present. 

When the consciousness of unity permeates you, a deep sense of completeness washes over you. It leaves you desire-less for anything other than This Moment.

The depth of unity does not end there. By going deeper, you will discover that the spirit of unity comes from within. Everything we have already spoken about still holds true, but you learn that it is not an external presence, rather an internal one. At this stage, unity is a consciousness that is embraced. By embracing this consciousness, you dissolve the separateness with the external world and all its parts, which brings about great understanding and acceptance of all things. When the consciousness of unity is embraced within you, it eradicates the “how and why” that your mind projects onto most aspects of life. The experience of unity silences the mind, leaving you with a sense of reverence for life. The need for change is not necessary but still most welcome if it comes. In this state of consciousness, the grace and perfection of life is understood in a much deeper context. 

There is no guarantee, however, that an experience of a higher state of consciousness will last or return to you again. Its presence is simply a gift to you. There can never be an unknowing of a truth once it reveals itself to you. Being vigilant in your devotion to God allows deeper states of consciousness to unfold, but it is important to remember that the mind can creep back in and take over with its commentary.

 But this is not the end to the depth that unity offers. There is still much deeper one can go. The next stage, though, is total surrender into unity, the total union that some of the enlightened masters would have experienced. It is not something you can will into your experience. It comes as a profound gift to those who have deep spiritual merit, and it can only happen if the appropriate conditions are available within a master. It would require total abandonment of one’s ego, and a very high level of consciousness. 

Link to Picture
https://umatter.ca/2021/02/03/chapter-ten-unity/

Unifying Yourself with Others

The following are a few quotes about unity. They speak to the importance and value of coming together with others and the great power that unity holds and promises us. This is the positive side of coming together. 

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”      

                               Helen Keller

“It’s not in Numbers but in Unity that our greatest strength lies.” 

                                     Thomas Paine

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”                                                                                                       

                                                          Matthew 18:20 KJV

The power of unity can have a negative effect as well. It is important to know with whom and with what you are unifying. Be aware. There will be people or groups with whom it would be unhealthy for you to align. Alignment expands beyond the people you are spending your time with. For example: Who do you work for? Does your employer have integrity? Where do you shop? Do the businesses you support treat their staff well? Do they acquire their products in a fair and ethical manner? How do the products and causes you support affect the environment or animals? 

People often say that they cannot fix the world’s problems, but we can start by looking at our practices and associations. By remaining true to our morals, we can make a difference, for we are no longer unifying with the negative forces in the world. Reserve your power to align with what is found in your heart. 

The Social Media Effect

Social media is having a massive effect on how we connect and communicate, but it has its pros and cons. It can draw people closer and remove the distance between them, and this helps create unity. One of the greatest benefits of social media is how it can reconnect you with old friends, help you make new ones, and find local events. All these aspects are helpful in creating more unity between people. 

 On the other side of the coin, it is important to have real interactions with people rather than virtual ones. Your presence and time spent with your friends and family holds great value.

Nothing ever stays the same and, for the most part, that is a good thing. But how many social media platforms are needed? When did life get so disconnected that we need to spend our time glued to our phones? Balance is the key. Social media can be a powerful tool to spread positive messages and help bring people together. The world is a wonderful place that is full of interesting people. Make time to engage with them, whether it is a stranger at the mall or the person next to you in a coffee shop. You just never know what you might experience.

Unifying with God

“He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye; he who sees Me in everything and everything in Me, him shall I never forsake, nor shall he lose Me.”

The Bhagavad Gita

Unifying with God calls you to set yourself down. When you do this, you give God the opportunity to arise in you with all Gods glory. Be alone with God, come to God empty of yourself. In your aloneness with God there is great comfort and unity with God. The many guests in your mind can be very distracting. When you give yourself over to God without distraction, God reveals itself in you. The depth to which you discover your aliveness in God is endless. Dissolve any sense of you in the presence of God. You do this with practice. The idea is to keep practicing until there is no longer a you that is trying. 

The barrier to unifying with God is your mind. When your attention is placed on thinking/thoughts, or on anything that is outside of you, you give yourself to whatever has your attention. By making God your only focus, you amplify God’s presence in you. 

Part 2: How to Create Unity in Your Community

Positive affirmation: The greatness in me is needed by others. When I share myself, the world becomes a better place.

In the second part of this chapter, I hope to inspire you through some of my personal stories. My experience with unity consciousness has been liberating. 

One of the things I feel we are losing today is our sense of community. In all our efforts to claim our separateness and individuality, we might be taking it too far. We need each other and are better together. There are many ways to create and inspire unity in our communities. By bridging the gap between people, we inspire and create connectedness. We build community. It may take time to see a difference, but no act is too small when it comes to loving the world and other people. Our contributions add more than we may realize. 

I encourage you to find your own ways to help create a deeper sense of connectedness in your community. By embracing this concept, we can inspire our community to come together and to love and care for one another.

Give to Your Community

The first act we do to create unity is to give. One of the hardest parts about giving can be knowing what and when to give. Just give whatever you can from the place you’re in. You have more to work with than you may realize. All that is required for you to give is to keep your eyes open and be willing to respond to what is right next to you. When you see someone in need, give. Hold the door for a stranger; pay it forward at the coffee shop; pick something up when someone drops it; hold a fundraiser and donate the money to a worthy cause. The list goes on and on.

This very simple concept will add value to your interactions with your community. A quick and effective way to give is by asking how you can help. This simple question removes the mystery. There are a million ways to give from one moment to the next. If you have skills in any area, use your talents to help others. 

Some of my greatest experiences have come from volunteering in my community. I have been a Big Brother and volunteered for those with special needs and in palliative care. Each one of these placements helped me grow as a person and helped support and build my community. The rewards you receive from giving to your community far outweigh what is takes from you. 

My Time as a Big Brother

In my early thirties, I volunteered as a Big Brother for several years. It was a wonderful experience for me. I tried to use my time to help my little brothers learn how to connect with their community and to communicate better. When I was invited to a pow-wow by a friend on a reserve in Northern Ontario, I decided to ask my little brother if he wanted to join me. He did, and it was an enjoyable day. We met lots of people and learned a few things. We ate some great food and had a small road trip to boot. On our way back to the main highway from the pow-wow, I had a feeling that we should turn right, even though I knew this wouldn’t lead us home. I decided I would leave this decision in the hands of my little brother. I pulled the car over and told him we had a dilemma. I explained to him what my intuition had told me and the problem that it would cause. “We have a choice here,” I said. “We can go on an adventure or, if you have had enough adventures, then we could continue home.” 

He promptly said he was up for the adventure. I did not know how far we would have to go or what we would find in the process, but I too was up for the adventure. I told my little brother that we both needed to keep our eyes open for any signs that might lead us in the right direction. We stopped at an antique mall. Neither of us had any hits there. Next, we stopped at a store and, again, nothing special happened. Then we both spotted a sign for an art gallery. “We need to check this place out!” I told him. As we were pulling into the laneway, the owner, an older gentleman whose paintings were on display in the gallery, was just locking the door. As he starting to walk away, we both stepped out of the car and he informed us that he was closed for the day. I told him it was not a problem and we would drop by another time. But just as we were about to get into the car, the man turned around and said, “Why don’t you come in … I’m not doing anything right now anyway.” 

The gallery had a musty smell that hit us soon as we walked in. When I looked at the dates on the paintings, I found out why. He had painted most of them before I was born. He then led us into another room where there were better paintings, and the smell was better as well. Both rooms contained many nature and wildlife paintings. As we made our way to the back of his gallery, the paintings got much better. The last room we entered, which was bright and sunny, contained his most current works. The room smelled great and the paintings caught my attention. The first thing I noticed was that there was an addition here to the nature scenes he was painting. These works were spiritual and included messages from the Bible, like Jacob’s ladder, the burning bush, Jesus, and more. I asked him a few questions, since he was such an accomplished artist, and let him know that I too was an artist. I asked if he had any advice for me. An hour and forty-five minutes later, he stopped talking and I picked my jaw off the floor.  

Over the course of our lengthy conversation, his advice was simple, humble, and direct. He taught me about my duty as an artist and how I was to serve people with the gifts that come through me. His instructions taught me how to respect others and to build community with my art. Here are his instructions.

1. Give yourself over to your canvas. I was to surrender to the process of allowing my work to use me as a vessel. 
2. Always remain humble in your endeavours, even when a crowd assembles around to watch you work. Don’t boast or brag. Always remember that we are just artists and not saving the world. 
3. Treat your customers well and make them feel as if they are the most important persons in the interaction.
4. Love being an artist. 

After what felt like a divinely inspired conversation, my little brother and I got back in the car. We both knew it was time to come home. This meeting with the old man was truly a gift to us. Those are the kinds of gifts I still carry with me today. By taking the time to interact with a stranger, we both learned some valuable lessons. His instructions covered more than how to be an artist—they were instructions for how to build community. 

1. Give/surrender 
2. Practice humility
3. Be kind and caring
4. Love

Show Respect to Elders

Respect all those we meet in the community, especially our elders. By being respectful and kind to our elders, we, as individuals, create and enhance unity in the community. My life has been greatly enhanced by the time I have spent with the older generations. I have gained a great deal of wisdom by being quiet and listening to my elders. 

Respecting my elders was a gift my parents taught me. As a young boy, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. She was deaf, so going to her house was different in some ways. It was very quiet in her home. She didn’t have a radio, and the sound was always off on the television. I remember playing cards with her on many occasions, and we would pass notes back and forth to each other. My favourite times, though, were when we stopped writing notes and would just sit quietly with each other. It felt like she was teaching me through the silence we shared. This was her wisdom for me. I learned a great deal about my grandma during these times. 

Take time to be with the elders in your life. Be patient with them and willing to learn from the lessons they have for you. Our elders have valuable lessons to pass on to the generations that follow. Age does not guarantee wisdom, but by looking for the best in people, we generally find something to admire and a lesson that can be learned.

Showing respect for others requires the personal strength to remain true to your own moral conduct. If someone treats you poorly, remain true to who you are, even in the face of adversity. This always helps defuse the situation much quicker. 

Years ago, the operator of the press I was working on kept turning up the speed until I was barely able to keep up. The longer this continued, the madder I became, until I considered punching my co-worker in the face. But I decided the best thing for me to do was to leave the situation before I did something I was going to regret. I stopped the line and said I had to use the washroom. 

I was at war in my mind. I really wanted to go back out and start swinging, but I knew that decision would only lead to heartache. In that moment, I asked myself what I was going to do. Then, in a brilliant flash, a diagram came to mind. I had a choice. The seemingly easier choice was to return to the press and come out swinging, but I knew this would result in an uphill battle that would not serve me well. If I made the right choice and just went back out and did my best with a smile, the rest of my day was bound to get better. 

I made the hard choice. I went back out and told my operator, who’d been doing my job since I’d left the press, that I was sorry. I was not being a team player. He looked shocked when he heard my words. The rest of that day we worked together and actually had a lot of fun.

Link to picture
https://umatter.ca/2021/02/03/chapter-ten-unity/

Build Tolerance for Difference

“Beware of the differences that blind us to the unity that binds us.”

                  Huston Smith

In our search for unity, we are drawn to people who share common traits, but it is very important to embrace difference in the community and to search for the goodness in others. 

In Jack Kornfield’s book, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry, he tells a story of his trip to a Buddhist monastery. 

Upon arrival, he noticed there were lots of kids and farmers living in the monastery. While being escorted to his room, they informed him that he had to bow to his elders, so he asked for clarity as to who his elders were. He was told they were anyone or anything that had been there longer than he was. 

He found it difficult to bow to the kids running around and not respecting the senior monks, or to the farmers who were just sitting out the winter doing nothing at the monastery. However, after a while he learned that bowing was much easier when he found things in others to bow to. When he bowed to the screaming children running in the halls, he was bowing to their youthfulness, and when he had to bow to a farmer, he bowed to the wrinkles around his eyes  that were a sign of all the work he had put into mother earth. What he found over time was that there was always something to bow to in everyone he met. 

 I adopted this mindset years ago, and it has been very helpful for me to learn how to become less judgemental and humbler with my community. I started to look for what I could bow to in people. 

            I worked for a time as a volunteer with a support service for people with special needs. Ingersoll Support Services wanted to try sound therapy as a relaxation method for the supported, and I was asked if I would come and start a program doing drumming for some people with special needs. I learned more than I ever thought possible from this group of individuals. I committed to one year and, after two and a half years, I could barely peel myself away from the group. Even though this group of people were very different from me, they taught me a lot. They were kind, honest, and real people. They added a great deal of love to my life and taught me how to be more patient, kind, authentic, and how to love unconditionally. 

            Every week, one of the guys from the group would come to my store. He did this by walking right past his destination (the support services centre where I was doing my volunteer work) so I could give him a ride back, during which we would stop for a coffee and a bagel. 

One day I was feeling down in the dumps and had had a very stressful week. I wasn’t myself that day and when I looked over at my friend, I could see he was worried about me. Our drive that day was quiet until I asked him, “Can you feel what I’m feeling?” 

He said that he could and asked if I was okay. I told him that I was fine and that I was sorry for being so down. 

After a few minutes, he turned to me and said, “Ned, how about for today, I will live in your heart and you can live in mine.” At which point, I burst into tears. 

That young man taught me the true meaning of kindness. He taught me it was okay to not be okay and that just because he and I were very different, we still served a great purpose being in each other’s lives. He and I were better together than we were apart. I needed his friendship to inspire me to return to the love in my heart. He needed to give to me and to be my friend that day. I also needed to keep buying this young man coffees and bagels. Clearly, he had gifts to teach me. I have such fond memories of my time with this group. When I reflect on the experiences I had with this group, I now realize that they were a gift from God to me. They came at a time when I needed the most love. I came into their lives trying to make a difference and brighten their days; however, their presence in my life changed me. 

Share Yourself with Unconditional Love

This is a favourite quote from my wife.I love how it reminds me to do my best. “How you do one thing is how you do everything” - Author Unknown

We all have gifts to offer this world. There is no such thing as a small role here. At times, we play small in the roles we take on, but even in the smallest roles we can play a big part. Make life about sharing yourself, about putting a hundred per cent into whatever you are doing. By sharing our gifts with the world, we actualize our purpose. There are no greater instructions for us in this life than our purpose, for our purpose was given to us by God. It is our special and unique instructions on how to live our life. 

Sharing yourself requires that you be present. If you are lost in your mind, you are not giving your full potential to the moment. Have you ever had a friend drop by to visit, but instead of visiting you, they were glued to their phone? Showing up for life means you put down your cell phone and engage in the world around you. Share your thoughts with a stranger, perform an act of kindness. But most importantly, share who you are with others. Show people what is important and special about you. 

One of my old friends used to say, “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people waiting for you to wake up and start living what you came here to do.” I believe this to be true. When I have stepped up and really lived my purpose, I have been involved in things that have had a massive impact on my community. 

It is everyone’s job to help create unity in their community. There is so much to discover in others, more than meets the eye. The greater aspect of what unity holds for us is discovered in the silence we share with one another. It is found in the unseen forces that make up the spark of our soul. 

Your life is meant to be a collaborative, co-creating adventure with God and with all of humanity. When you seclude yourself from the world and claim your separateness, you end all possibility of discovering all the benefits of unity. When you turn toward the unity you share with others, greatness follows. 

May you embrace the consciousness of unity and be the person who awakens the whole of society. My deepest wish is to inspire you to search for the unity that ties you to the world and all its parts. 

Tools to Deepen Your Experience of This Chapter

1. For an entire day, try to find something you admire in every person you meet. If you want to take this one step further, after you find something you like about another, let them know. 
2. Do you spend enough time talking with people face to face? If you interact more on social media, take some time for real time conversations. A good sign that you are out of balance with your phone is when you are visiting someone and, during your visit, you keep checking your phone or start a conversation on it with someone else. While visiting someone, it is courteous to keep your phone put away. 
3. I challenge you to try to start a conversation with a stranger every time you go out.
4. There are many organizations you can join and volunteer with. Be brave and join one in your community. 
5. Dedicate yourself to being kind to everyone you meet. Show others respect by engaging with them in a kind and gentle approach. 
6. I challenge you to find time to spend with a senior in your community. 
7. Next time you find yourself condemning or criticizing another, try to catch yourself and change your thoughts by looking for what you can bow to in them.