Excerpt from "The Reluctant Disciple"

“A lot of people wish to acquire a greater understanding of God. Perhaps we can start with that. How does spirituality relate to God?”

Peter adjusted himself in his seat as if preparing to address a class of students. “Spirituality closely relates to God. The only difference is in the way it is perceived. The nature of God is quite simple to understand. Take the first paragraph here. Do you believe in a power operating in the universe that is greater than yourself?” Peter asked.

“Yes, there must be something that makes everything work.”

“Do you feel a sense of interconnectedness with this power and with all living things?”

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Have you ever been in love?”

The strange tickling sensation Skylar felt inside became increasingly more noticeable. After a few seconds she answered. “Yes, I have.”

“Okay, you’ve experienced the power of love through an interconnectedness with another person. The first rule of thumb—God is a self-reflective energy source, and that energy source is love. The heart of that energy source for the individual is within the soul. It is best, then, to understand the nature of God from an individual perspective. Therefore, the second rule of thumb is to bring the understanding of God down to the individual level. The third rule of thumb is to understand that the nature of God—as a self-reflective energy source—is internal rather than external. We expel far too much time and ‘energy’ searching outwardly for God, but God in the big perspective is incomprehensible. The commonly held perspective that God is external and detached from us is erroneous. In other words, we need to bring it down to a level we can comprehend—the personal level. Once we understand how we work from a personal perspective, we begin to understand how things work beyond ourselves. Are you with me thus far?”

“That depends on which rule of thumb, you’re talking about,”she answered, not yet grasping all three rules.

Peter smiled. “At the beginning stages of spiritual education, it is unrealistic and impractical trying to understand God as the principle that governs the entire universe. This is where individual spirituality comes into play, and why I asked if you have ever been in love.When you’re in love, you’re connected with the soul of another person. You experience God at an individual level, which is the only place understanding can begin.”

“Okay, I can relate to that. Being in love is a great feeling, though I never would have associated it with experiencing God. You said God is external to us. This describes the Christian philosophy. Christians believe God is independent of the material universe; something for the afterlife.”

“I did say that God is external to us. I also said that this perspective is erroneous. Be that as it may, Peter’s mission is to teach us about spirituality from a personal perspective, not to debate Christian philosophy.”

“Okay, go on.”

“The fourth rule of thumb is that God is not strictly male,but female as well. Historically, God is referred to using the generic application of He, His and Him. The feminine aspect of God as Goddess or Divine Mother has lost prominence in many cultures. God embodies both masculine and feminine ideals. This is the new millennium, and equality should be first and foremost on our list.”

“I agree wholeheartedly with that,” Skylar said.

Peter offered thumbs up and continued his dissertation. “This leads us to our fifth rule of thumb…

Brian Bodan is an authority in the area of empowerment through spirituality and the author of four books. He created the University of Spirituality, an online resource offering information and guidance pertaining to the numerous aspects of spirituality. Akin to a mystery school, The University of Spirituality redefines the nature of the traditional guru-disciple teaching method,a teacher-student relationship originating from the soul that produces a more effective leader. The curriculum teaches students to reveal the mysteries of life and learn directly from God by accessing higher hallways of knowledge. The website writings reflect the contents of the main course work, The Master Within: Building Our New Home Within the House of God. The course explores the idea of constructing a spiritual home from within the essence of the soul by using universal energy as the building blocks. We already have the tools and materials within ourselves to build our new home. Bodan is the author of The Master Within series, a two-volume, comprehensive guide that addresses numerous topics regarding spiritual growth and self-mastery. He is also the author of The Vision Master, as well as The Reluctant Disciple, a work of fiction that incorporates many of his enlightened teachings and ideas.

The Reluctant Disciple,along with Bodan’s other books, can be purchased through the University of Spirituality Web Site or Amazon.