Adopting a Consciousness of Oneness

The story of humanity’s evolving consciousness is made up of many chapters built upon pluralities and dualities, yet it started with and appears destined to return to a strong heritage of unity.

It is evident now that a consciousness of oneness – being able to recognize the power and primacy of the whole, as well as the validity of its parts – is what characterizes our time. Not only is this a principle of the mystic life, of interest to those who seek the ultimate reunion, but a guiding principle for everyone alive on the planet today, precisely because we all share a common future.

The living of one’s life according to the principle of union – or, carried to the practical level of the global village we live in, the principle of the oneness of humanity – and including the essential oneness of all life – is not merely a social commitment, or even an act of social justice, but a core spiritual belief designed to direct and guide every aspect of our lives toward the fullest achievement of what is humanly possible.

This is what all the transformations that have ever been experienced have been leading to. The principle of the oneness of humanity represents the higher synthesis of, and the resolution to, all the oppositions that are found in this physical realm. It is the apex of spiritual principles, meant to unite the opposites of the phenomenal world, and it has embedded within it the idea of service to and fellowship with all human beings, founded upon a love for humanity as a whole.

This journey of discovering who we are at our core is the journey of soul-making. Baha’u’llah’s mystic Baha’i treatise, The Seven Valleys, depicts the journey of the soul, and applies to the collective soul, as well.

Focusing on finding and maintaining unity, this quest starts with the Valley of Search, where great patience is needed, and leads to the Valley of Love, where our awakening begins. Then, in the Valley of Knowledge we recognize the inner significance of all things.

This leads us to the Valley of Unity, where “the veils of plurality” are pierced and we enter “the heaven of singleness” where “the lights of oneness” are manifest. This valley is the needed bridge between the realm of duality (the temporal world), and the realm of oneness (the eternal world), conferring a lasting understanding of the divine unity of all created things.

The last three valleys, Contentment, Wonderment, and True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness, move us closer to perpetual spiritual happiness, a sense of inner peace, and inspire us toward heightened spiritual empowerment and service to humanity.

Ultimately, this mystic journey of the soul leads us back to the realm of oneness where we can stay as long as we remain conscious of it. What we had thought of as opposing forces suddenly become essential helpmates in assisting us to maintain a hidden wholeness. The endless dualities of life are seen to exist only in our mind, or in a limited consciousness, and on the physical plane, cleverly camouflaging an eternal oneness that defines the spiritual realm, or the entirety of reality.

When we come right down to it, there is only the oneness beyond all dualities. All the world’s religions speak of this oneness in one way or another. The essential, underlying common truth that the sacred traditions of the world share, despite apparent contradictions and oppositions, is that there is harmony and unity at the source of all life. Even the inner life of humanity, which clearly undergoes many cycles of opposition, is founded upon this essential oneness.

Rumi, getting right to the heart of the matter, puts it this way:

I know nothing of two worlds,

All I know is the One.

I seek only One,

I know only One,

I find only One,

And I sing of only One.

The mystery of mysteries is that all pairs of opposites flow into each other, creating a wholeness representing completion, oneness, and unity. The result is a synthesis combining and transcending all pairs of opposites and forming a new unity greater than the parts. This is the process that turns duality into oneness. And with this consciousness, we can spend our time basking in the realm of oneness.