THE KINGDOM

    by Sverre Andreassen


    "Why wait for Heaven? Those who seek the light are merely covering their eyes. The light is in them now. Enlightenment is but a recognition not a change." --from A Course In Miracles

    The holy scriptures of western religious traditions have many references to "The Kingdom", like the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of my father.

    According to my childhood beliefs, some of which have survived until this day, this place exists in the hereafter. It is a place you may enter if you have been good in this life, or maybe even if you haven't, but have been forgiven for the worst of your misdeeds. Strange ideas to be put into the minds of children, if you ask me.

    Once I had a vision. I saw myself in a historic setting communicating with other people about "The Kingdom". This was a common term among us. It was a word spoken daily in our conversations, in a practical way. We talked about practices, methods, road maps. Experiences from those who had visited the place were shared. We knew about the various stages of the road and we were aware of some of the pitfalls. And above all, we knew that you could visit this place without entering the afterlife.

    I can not be certain of the source or reason for this vision, but after this experience I became acutely aware of the fact that "The Kingdom" is nowhere else but here. In the terminology of our times we may call it a state of consciousness, or a level of being. Yes, this is the place we are all moving towards, but you certainly don't have to die to experience it. Actually we have all been there, or at least on its outskirts.

    If you visit this place (or somewhere in its neighborhood) , you may wonder why you stay for such a short time. Why you are there at one moment and in the next instant somewhere completely different? Maybe so far away that you start doubting its existence, or. for a while, even forget all about it.

    Well, as in every society there are rules and laws that govern life in the Kingdom. If you violate any of the rules you are expelled instantly. Put in a different way, you choose to leave by following a different set of rules, a set of rules that belong to some other place. It is a matter of choice which set of rules you want to follow, and we are of course completely free to make that choice.

    It works the other way around also. If you start living by the rules of the Kingdom you will find that you are already there. But how do I know the laws, you may ask? By recognition, I believe. Whenever you act according to "law", you will be rewarded by a feeling that is hard to mistake. I believe that in essence we must all know the rules, since The Kingdom is our true place of origin.

    I guess there are many levels, many kingdoms. Each with its set of "laws", its own logic and its own norms constituting what is considered natural or normal on that level. You can navigate between these places by letting your thoughts and action be governed by their laws. Still, I would like to hold on to this deeply meaningful designation "The Kingdom". To me, it represents a state beyond simple well-being and harmony. You have to cross the border to the spiritual realm of permanent values to experience it. As the spiritual world opens up to you and its reality becomes harder to doubt, you will know that it is the only place you would like to be, both while living on this earth and afterwards, - in fact, always.




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