Five Persistent Illusions: Ownership, Separation, Time, Death, and Self

Four seductive myths beguile us, and five persistent illusions blind us to the Reality of Love that we live and move and exist within: Ownership, Separation, Time, Death, and Self. 

Ownership pretends that the things of this world are ours for the taking, and using, and discarding. But a financial loss, a personal tragedy, or a life threatening disease, all remind us that we brought nothing into this world, and take nothing from it. Health and prosperity and property are gifts of Love, given to love others, and easy redistributed by the changes and chances of life and death. 

Separation isolates us, making us feel cold and alone, but also autonomous and free of responsibility to others. But in experiences of natural beauty and artistic glory, music and dance, deep conversation and intimate love, the veil of separation falls: We glimpse our interconnection with all things, and begin to feel our interbeing in all things. From the stars above to the soil below, to our lovers and our enemies, to those we serve and those who serve us: We are all inextricably linked one to another. 

Time seems to divide one event from another, and separate cause and effect, in an unending and inexorable river of experience flowing one way only. But then we find that in intense joy and contemplation and anxiety, time slows to a crawl. When we watch a clock it ticks slowly, and when we wait for a kettle it never seems to boil. But in mindless consumption and the endless busy-ness of business, time speeds up and escapes our grasp. There are instances when time stands still, or flashes back, or fast forwards in deja vu. And if we dive deep into the murky waters of the quantum world Time seems to point in many directions and collapse inward on itself. The unyielding inflexible structure of Time suddenly becomes malleable and elastic. Time reveals itself as just another construct our minds use to shape Reality, and create order, and make sense of the fact that every instant is eternal, and every event happens right NOW. 

Death boasts of finality, as a giant who guards the last entrance and shouts “None shall pass!” The embalmed corpse. The scattered ashes. The bleached skeleton. All tell us that the one who once lived there has left the building. Forever. But billions claim to be inspired and guided by those long dead: The Risen Christ, the Buddha Nature, the Ascended Masters, and the rest. And there are times we are haunted by the sense that someone long gone is right here with us in some way we cannot explain. Surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, the barrier between heaven and earth is far more permeable than we ever could have imagined. “He is not God of the dead but of the living, for to God all are alive”. Indeed. In the timeless NOW that is Ultimate Reality, all are alive forever. 

Last of all, the self grips us tight with the illusion of “I, me, and mine”. But which self is it? The self I was 20 years ago, or 20 minutes ago? My self at birth or my self at death? The self I am now, the self I could be if I made this or that choice, or the self I actually will be? Is my self to be found in my memories or thoughts or emotions or choices or preferences (all of which have changed and will change in ways I cannot imagine)? Or is “my” self a conduit of some greater Self, who contains and expresses itself through countless other selves, including me? I am not my own. I belong to Another, within Another, through Another. Suddenly it begins to make sense why Saint Paul would say “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”, or Krishna would say to Arjuna “The one who sees me in everything and everything within me will not be lost to me, nor will I ever be lost to him”. 

As for me, the shattering of these five illusions points me to the Way, the Truth, and the Life embodied in Jesus the Messiah. As the first letter of Peter says: “The prophets, who long ago foretold the grace that you've received, searched and explored, inquiring carefully about this salvation. They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was saying when he bore witness beforehand about the suffering that would happen to Christ and the glory that would follow.” (1.10-11) This glory, hinted at in the religions and myths and philosophies of human culture, is fully revealed in Jesus, who unites Heaven and Earth, God and humanity, in himself, to make us all one. Jesus tells us of this glory and unity and love when he prays to his Father, the God and Source of all Reality: “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17.22-23)

If we would shatter these persistent illusions, and realize these truths in ourselves, the Path to Liberation passes through the land of silence. Whether we sit alone on a cushion, or walk alone in nature, we must breathe deeply, wait in silence, and shut out the clattering chattering world around us. And as we breathe we recite the Name of Divine Love in our hearts. Over and over, exhaling and inhaling the Name of Love as we have come to know Love. Allowing that Love to fill us, and flow through us, and suffuse us. Floating through Love, immersed in Love, baptized by Love. Letting Love flood and cleanse the secret rooms of our heart and mind, until our self finds itself fully alive through the Self that upholds all things in Love. 

Silence. Inhale Love. 
Silence. Exhale Love. 

Be loved. 
Be Love. 

Silence. Inhale Love. 
Silence. Exhale Love. 

Be loved. 
Be Love. 

So shall we will find the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

So shall we be one in the One who transcends and includes all ownership, separation, time, death, and selfhood in Divine Love. 

So shall we realize that within these five illusions is hidden the Truth that God has willed them— Love intended them— so that by growth and discovery and overcoming these illusions, countless beings may awaken to the Love that made them, and loves through them, and calls them to enjoy Love forever. 

And all will be well. 
All will be well. 
All manner of things will be well.