The Gateway To The Divine

My first experience with the Divine happened when I was twelve. I was at church camp in the hills of Ohio--Camp Bountiful to be more precise--a place I had been coming to with my family from the time I was a small child. It was a place I loved. It was way out in the country, so none of the distractions of my daily life were there. It had cabins nestled in the hills, a large shelter house for services and campfires, a dining hall to eat and fellowship in, and a pool for recreation. A creek traveled through much of the property, water meeting earth in a beautiful union. It was definitely one of my happy places.

I had been attending a Junior High Camp that week. Classes and activities had been fun, and I enjoyed hanging out with my friends. As usual, I was friends with everyone. Also as usual, I had a couple of friends who didn't like each other. In fact, I can remember both of them asking why I liked the other one that week. I had the same answer for both: because they were nice! They were nice to me (just not to each other).

The last campfire we had for the week took place on a Friday night. While campfires started out boisterous, they always ended on a quiet, thoughtful note. At this final campfire, they gave people the opportunity to stand up and share experiences and thoughts they had of the week. Some people stood up and shared problems. Some people talked about how God had touched them personally in their lives. What touched me most though was my two friends that spent the week not liking each other. They apologized to each other for the way they had acted. As I sat in this atmosphere of caring and love, I felt the whole Universe open up in a way I had never experienced before. All of a sudden, I became aware of the presence of angels. I could even seen the outlines of them standing in the leaves of the trees on the other side of the creek.

There was no doubt in my mind that God loved me. I could feel the love emanating from those angelic beings. I could feel the love in my friends. All barriers between us came down as love was given place in our hearts. Love had become the gateway to the Divine. Even though I was limited to this time and space, my heart allowed me the freedom to explore and expand in ways I never dreamed possible.

As I look back at that time so long ago, I understand the place of the heart even better now. All the blessings I've received in my life were from those times I was open to love. At those times when I allowed my heart to be fully opened, I became fully engaged, fully enlightened. Nothing was held back from me. Love is the state where energy flows freely. 

Love is the gateway to the Divine. When we can break down the barriers that stand between us, energy is free to flow. We allow ourselves to access the knowledge and wisdom of the Universe. It is this in this process of connection we finally find our place of acceptance and power. It is in this place we truly find ourselves.

~CSE!!!