The Illusion of Separation: Embracing Non-Dual Awareness

When God finished creation, He declared it good. The term "good" stems from the Old English word "god," meaning valuable, complete, whole, and suitable. In this declaration, there lies a profound truth about the nature of existence: everything is interconnected, whole, and unified. However, as humans, we have an innate tendency to name, categorize, and divide the world around us, creating an illusion of separation that distances us from this inherent unity.

The Endless Division

The first humans named the animals of the field and the creatures of the sea. They then named their parts, their microscopic components, and so on. Naming a thing doesn’t create the thing itself; it simply labels it. A hand is composed of a front, back, palm, bones, skin, nails, calcium, cells, and more. Even naming these smaller parts doesn’t make them the names. This breakdown can continue infinitely, as illustrated by the Mandelbrot set, where there is always a smaller part to name and separate from the larger entity.

I propose that there are no truly separate parts in reality outside of the thinking mind. Instead of seeing ourselves as composed of arms, legs, and a head, we can see ourselves as a body, but even that is still a form of separation. Expanding outward, we rely heavily on the sun for heat, the air for breath, and water for life. Our bodies are 80% water; if we consider ourselves a body, then we are also water. Water, or moisture, is like spirit—it's all around us and invisible. Where is the separation? It becomes difficult to see any true separation outside of measurement, observation, numbers, and concepts.

Interconnected Existence

Take a home as an example. If you’re in a room of a house, are you not still in the house, reliant on it for structure and security? Now your house is in a town. Aren't you reliant on the town for utilities and security? When your house catches fire, who do you call? When a burglar breaks in, who do you call? Your town is in a state, which is in a country, which is on a planet, which is in a solar system, which is in a galaxy, which is in a sea of trillions of galaxies, which is in a cosmic web, and so on. In 100 years, we may have more names for ever bigger and smaller parts of infinity. However, classifying something based on numbers, concepts, and language we invented doesn’t make that part separate from the whole.

In Genesis, God tasked Adam and Eve with naming parts of creation. It’s in our nature, in our mythology, to divide up reality. We start experiencing life as if looking through the eyes of a child, probably around age four or five. Layers of various labels, categories, and classifications are added over time. Before the age of self-awareness, toddlers and babies understand very few concepts. They are wholly reliant on their environment for survival; they cannot feed, gather food, or defend themselves. A baby and its environment are not separate. To separate is to pull apart, detach, and divide. If a baby were truly separate from its environment, it wouldn’t survive.

The Path to Unity

As we grow, we increasingly feel separated until one day, we’re deemed old enough to be independent. This separation is often emphasized by societal structures. For instance, the government needs a divided population to maintain power and control. Each individual is programmed to be the most successful unit, separate from others.

Our senses further divide reality. We categorize by color, scent, taste, feel, and sound. Our ability to think leads us to separate ourselves from reality. However, no part of you is truly separate from another part. Awareness requires something to be aware of, so you are aware of thoughts. Thoughts need something to think about, so you think about sensations. Sensations must have something to sense, so you sense hot and cold, sharp and dull, smooth and rough. This continuous loop from awareness to physical reality and back reveals the interconnectedness of everything.

Embracing Non-Dual Awareness

Experiencing non-dual awareness means recognizing the unity underlying all existence. It means seeing beyond the illusion of separation and embracing the interconnectedness of all things. By shifting our perception, we can dissolve the artificial boundaries we’ve created and experience life as a seamless whole.

In conclusion, the concept of separation is an illusion created by our minds. By embracing non-dual awareness, we can reconnect with the unity that permeates all of existence. This perspective not only transforms our understanding of ourselves but also fosters a deeper connection with the world around us. Where is the separation? It exists only in our minds. In reality, we are all part of a magnificent, unified whole.