“If a man would be alone, let him look at the stars... One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime.”
So tell me, dear Reader, what is it you intend to do with this one wild and precious life we all live? O yes, your core, your essence will live forever, but you will only live this exact life as the person you know one time and that time is now. I know that if I were in your shoes, I would want to live the best life possible - which is actually a desire all human beings innately share. But Life is far grander than all that we know of it, like a sea of time stretching on for eternity in every direction. In the future you will be a different you. How will you make decisions for that person where you stand now?
“The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.”
You can decide what you want & begin to move towards it. You can do this anytime because you are a free being in a friendly universe. You are meant to live the life you love, and to love the life you live. If you’ll remember my meaning of the word “zeitgeist” to be “the defining spirit of the time of a being’s life”, you can understand when I say there exists in the universe a zeitgeist of well-being which is like a signal, a guiding light for all the rest of us, like a lighthouse or the Northern Star. Some call this zeitgeist The Tao, some call it God or Goddess, some call it qi, kami or prana, or Holy Spirit or Source Energy, some even disbelieve it exists – but it does exist, and it is always divine. I am calling this zeitgeist The Sublime and it is the key to living the best life possible.
IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT wherever you are that you are suddenly the only existing human being on Earth. No one else is there, anywhere, except you. The plants, stars & animals are all you now know. You are completely alone within Nature. It is deep and vast & mysterious to most humans. It is so much bigger than you, you are surrounded by it, dwarfed by it, and there is no way you can ever directly control it, or even fathom it, or protect yourself from it. Do you feel the world around you is more friendly or more hostile? Your answer could, of course, depend on the conditions of your present environment – couldn’t it change significantly if you found yourself in the middle of a stormy desert hell rather than a paradise of heavenly sunshine? Suppose you fancy storms over sunshine? Nature has many moods, but the question of whether it seems friendly or hostile has an answer that lays only within the heart of You.
Films featuring babies suddenly going through tunnels reveal interesting information regarding how humans basically react to being overcome or engulfed by something unfamiliar
What I am illuminating here with this little thought experiment is the feeling of the concept of The Sublime – the very essence of greatness, majesty, and excellence in all ways, shapes, and forms. I also wanted you to know how you would react in such an experience, as a person’s emotional response speaks volumes of their inner convictions. The Sublime in its purest form is by nature a subjective experience, sometimes shared by individuals with a common denominator. This is why faith is considered such a personal subject. Desire is what summons The Sublime to the doorstep of our hearts, yet faith is what allows it to enter. Like a compass that always points North, The Sublime always points to what is desired most in the all the worlds.
“Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue & the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”
But if we shall learn anything from history for the sake of this conversation, we will learn that not all experiences of The Sublime are alike – in fact, no two experiences of it are exactly the same, whether the contrast be subtle or dramatic. The Sublime, symbolically akin to light, creates shadows where it does not dwell. And there are all kinds of creatures that live in the shadows, just like there are all kinds of creatures that live in the sunlight, and a myriad of creatures living everywhere in between. Each creature chooses its place in the world. Perhaps this is why The Sublime has traditionally been thought of in terms of natural phenomena – mountain ranges landscape vistas, atmospheric cataclysms, endless oceans, exotic animals – things of the world that were not created by humans, things that are larger than humans, things that could even threaten humans. But The Sublime also exists without such tangible forms – in mathematics, psychology, and emotions – because it exists in every particle of the universe. The Sublime is essentially non-physical in nature, yet everything in nature is composed of its seemingly magical, infinitely versatile substance. Because it is too large for any human to know fully, we as a species have consistently feared the unknown throughout recorded history, perhaps since our inception. But The Sublime has always been with us, and always will be. It permeates all atmospheres in all dimensions rendering it everywhere and everywhen. It cannot be created or destroyed. It cannot be bought, bullied, or reasoned with. And it is on our side.
“The glory of the One Who moves all things/ penetrates all the universe reflecting/ in one part more and in another less.
The Sublime affects everybody, whether they are aware of it or not. It affects you on a daily basis. Most of the time The Sublime is brought to our awareness by a situation or circumstance of intense extremity, i.e. an earthquake killing thousands or an exceptionally beautiful sunrise illuminating a mountain range. Think of the things which blow your mind – think of how aware you are of them. But The Sublime, even when we are not aware of it, calls to us at all times – sometimes softly, sometimes loudly. You felt it in your soul when I asked you to imagine being the only human on Earth moments ago – you could feel the nature of your connection with The Sublime even as you do not understand it, just as you may flick on a lightswitch and sense the light and its inherent value without ever understanding electricity. You can feel The Sublime because it is a part of you, the larger part of you.
But if we really want to pinpoint it, The Sublime is best understood as spiritual electricity, and we the spiritual conduits. None of us can live without it – we all need a central source, like a battery. The light of The Sublime floods a person’s life just as a lamp’s light floods a room, providing value wherever it goes. If you think of yourself as a star emanating this light, you can understand what it means to shine – to be who you really are. This is how The Sublime affects people like you and me. When we’re shining, we are thriving. Like the compass, The Sublime always guides us towards what we want – no exceptions. But unlike a compass, The Sublime can never be broken, it can never be lost, stolen or replaced, and it can never be separated from us. We may experience The Sublime – in music, massive festivals, or in Nature – or we may experience the lack of it- manifest in war, punishment, and strife. But we, individually, are the modulators of its flow in our personal lives. Which would you rather experience – terror, or ecstasy? Your relationship with The Sublime is important because you get to choose what you experience in this lifetime and therein lies the secret to living the best life possible.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.”
But how can YOU live in harmony with The Sublime? That’s easy – you just follow your heart. Your intuition will guide you in the form of emotions and internal directives. Reach for the things that feel good, whether they are thoughts, words, actions, colors, or anything else. Reach for the best of everything. Take whatever you need and do whatever you please. Fall in love – not just once, but over and over again. Be curious rather than skeptical. There is no danger and you can’t possibly do anything wrong. Imagine you are living in what you consider Heaven – what is it like? Connect yourself with well-being. Pleasure yourself more. Evolve in the direction of your joy. Live happily ever after. You deserve it!