The Separation

In the beginning, all was one

According to this teaching, before time and space, there was only the Source, sometimes called All That Is or God. Everything existed within one infinite mind. Our souls were part of that mind. Yet within perfect oneness, the soul could know things but could not feel them.

To experience and feel, the story says, a physical universe was created, one built on contrasts. We know warmth because we have felt cold. We understand joy because we have known sadness. Souls were sent out as extensions of the Source, each carrying a spark of its consciousness, along with free will and the power to create.

The gift of free will

In this teaching, souls entered the universe with a knowing: that higher choices rooted in love and lower choices rooted in fear were always open to them, and that the Source loved them without condition no matter what they chose. It also holds that all souls would one day return to oneness.

How we forgot

As souls journeyed deeper into form, they faced a choice. They could appreciate physical life without becoming attached to it. Or they could get so absorbed in its pleasures that they lost their sense of connection. The story says that many of us did get absorbed, and this is what is called the Separation, or the Fall.

Over many ages, attention moved from the whole to the self. People began to feel apart from the Source, from one another and even from their own deeper nature. We forgot who we really are.

Why separation feels painful

This teaching suggests that the belief we are separate leads to fear, and fear leads to choices that put the self first. Many traditions describe this as karma, the law of cause and effect, in which what we give out returns to us in some form.

Whatever you believe, it is easy to see how an "us versus them" mindset can harm people. When we feel disconnected, it becomes easier to judge, to compete and to treat others as less than ourselves. Division based on nation, belief, background or skin color has caused real suffering. It is a reflection of a mind that has forgotten that everyone shares the same humanity.

The way back is unselfish love

You cannot fix the whole world, but you can heal your own heart. The teaching offers a gentle approach:

• Do not fight your ego. Struggling against it only gives it more energy.
• Meet the self centered parts of you with understanding and love, and put them in proper perspective.
• Practice kindness, forgiveness, humility and harmlessness in daily life.
• Treat others as part of the same family, because in this view they are.

This is a lifelong practice, and the teaching says it may take many lifetimes. Even so, every small step matters. As old fears and false beliefs soften, a sense of peace and unity grows.

What unselfish love can bring

Many mystical traditions say that the fullest awakening comes when we let go of the small, separate self and live in harmony with the greater whole. In that place, they say, suffering fades and we become a vessel of love in the world.

You do not have to accept every detail of this story to benefit from its heart. Choosing compassion over judgment and connection over isolation makes any life brighter. If this resonates, you may enjoy exploring Creating Good Karma, our Lightworker Type Quiz and the Starseed Origin Quiz.

A gentle closing

Wherever you feel apart, you are still part of something much larger. Start today with one act of unselfish love, toward yourself or someone else. That is how oneness is remembered.

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