“The longest journey one can ever take is the distance from the head to the heart.”

“God dwells within you, within every cell of your being.  Seek Him there, in the depths of your own heart.”  St. Teresa of Avila

We’ve all heard it said that life is about the journey, not the destination.  I believe it is a very specific journey that begins in God, is taken with God (whether we recognize it or not) and returns us to God.  God has placed deep within each person the desire, the longing, for something “other” than us.  Whether we admit it or not, each person intuitively knows that there is something else that is not only with, but within us.

How do we become aware of the divine indwelling?  Or, put another way, how does the divine make itself known to us on a deeper level?  Somehow, in some way, our spirits must be quickened. How does this happen?  Or put another way, what is the source of this quickening that results in faith?  For the mystic it is a deep and personal communion with God that results in an intimate union. It is not a matter of the head, but of the heart. As James Finley says, it is experiencing the intimate immediacy of the ineffable.  How does this happen? 

One way is through dreams or visions.  We see the prophets of old receiving messages from God in this manner. Joseph, called “the dreamer” by his brothers, is most notable.  The birth of Jesus is filled with dreams and visions, such as that given to Mary and Joseph.  The final book of the Protestant bible is Revelation, which is the vision of John on Patmos.  But God’s communication through dreams and visions doesn’t suddenly stop at the end of the New Testament.  People throughout the ages have had dreams and still do.  Just this week I spoke with someone who recounted a dream she had that gave her immense peace and confirmed a decision she was pondering.

God also communicates through gentle nudgings.  Another word for it is intuition; the sense that someone or something is leading us in a way that is inexplicable, beyond reason, and yet makes sense to us. 

Yet another is through signs.  Some of which are obvious, like the Magi following the star to find the baby Jesus.  Julian of Norwich experienced 16 signs, or showings as she called them, experienced when she was near death.  One of the most memorable is that of the hazelnut which revealed to her the depth of God’s love.  Other signs are not so obvious.  We sometimes call them “coincidence.”  It is something that happens which seems to be beyond thre realm of possibility.  It is guided serendipity.  These are subtle, and require an awareness. 

How comforting it is to know that not only is God all around us. But God is within us, vivifying us, leading us, and guiding us on this spiritual journey.

Where have you been seeking God?  What have been the barriers to finding God?  How might you intentionally take the journey from your head to your heart to find God in the depths of your own being?