Most people think about theology, if they think about it at all, as the study of God.  This is simply a mistake.  Theology is not just about God; it’s about how our finite minds construct and encounter claims about the Infinite.  There are two streams of thought in this regard, and we will explore each in turn.

The stream of theological thought called cataphatic theology seeks to understand the Divine through concepts and words.  In this approach, God is described by using analogies: “God is good, wise, just, etc.”  It is a theology of affirmation, but this approach has a serious drawback.  The problem is that it easily reduces God to a series of concepts, and this verges on idolatry.  It takes us away from the actual experience of the Divine, and we get lost in concepts instead.  

Apophatic theology takes the opposite approach.  Instead of describing what God is, an apophatic theologian will describe what God is not.  This approach begins with the understanding that God is beyond all our knowing and, consequently, it is better to say nothing.  The problem with this approach is that it easily slides into vagueness or nihilism.

What both traditions have in common is the assumption that God exceeds the capabilities of our ordinary means of understanding.  Both approaches understand the limits of language, and both aim at transformation, not just information.  Both agree that God is beyond language.  Where they disagree is what to do about it.

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With this conceptual framework, let me share my understanding of the Divine.  I am not trying to convince you to see things my way; instead, I want you to understand the bias I’m coming from.

Every approach that uses words to describe the Divine is, in my view, ultimately erroneous.  That is not to say that we shouldn’t try, but rather to understand the limitations inherent in our language.  The problem is simple: all language is based on dualistic thinking.  There is an “I” over here that perceives an “object” over there.  Language begins by splitting the deep unity of our experience, and because most of our experience is mediated by language, this split usually occurs outside our awareness, in the unconscious mind.

Before language gives us duality, there is an undivided state – a unitive awareness.  In this non-dual awareness, there is simply a “beingness.”  We typically experience this non-dual awareness at least twice a day.  The first time is just after we wake up from sleep.  There is a space between waking and being conscious of one’s self as a separate entity.  

The second time we typically experience non-duality is as we drift off to sleep.  There is a moment where we let go of our “self.”  In this moment, the too-narrow constraints of self dissolve, and one’s being extends into eternity and into Infinity.  (You will notice, I hope, that while I prefer the apophatic way of speaking, I am forced to use language and analogy to point at the actual experience of God.  Both approaches are necessary, and they both fall far short of an adequate description.)

You’ll notice that I haven’t yet talked about Jesus, about the Trinity, about Krishna or Buddha, or any of the usual terms that are employed when talking about God.  In my experience, these labels follow after the direct experience of the Divine.  The usual labels are language-based and thus fall within the dualistic realm.  As such, they can never accurately describe the non-dual experience.

You will also notice that I typically use the term “non-dual” rather than “unitive.”  On the surface, it appears that these two terms are referring to the same thing, but there is a subtle distortion in the term “unitive.”  The term gives lie to itself because it implies that a separate “thing” exists, a unitive thing.  Once again, we have fallen into the dualistic trap entailed by languaging.

So, what is this non-dual Reality that I keep referring to?  Perhaps the most basic description is to label it, “All-That-Is.”  This Reality is sentient and loving.  It is not just connected with all that is; it actually is All-That-Is.  It has been an intimate part of our lives since the very beginning.  It holds you and me and all parts of Itself in equal esteem.  It offers guidance to Itself and seems to be steering humanity towards a particular end.

Divinity is impartial, non-judgmental, and goes beyond our limited ideas of good and evil, right and wrong. It grants each of its parts the freedom to act or not, as that part chooses, and it holds everyone in the embrace of unconditional Love. This Love is an inclusive field that rejects no one. One experiences Its presence as an exquisite, all-encompassing reality. It is deeply gentle yet infinitely powerful.

Because the Divine is All-That-Is, it sees all and knows all and radiates an infinite field of power. Everything naturally aligns with this power. It exists both within and outside of time and space, and when we experience this Presence, it is unmistakable. We recognize its Presence by virtue of experiencing that same Presence within ourselves. That is to say, at our deepest level, we are one with that Presence.

Having said this, we stand in the midst of several wild paradoxes. First, despite our longing and our many attempts, we cannot comprehend the Infinite by means of our finite cognition.  Further, we cannot use language without distorting the Reality language is attempting to describe. Further still, we cannot conceptualize the Divine without reducing that Reality to a point where it becomes unrecognizable. In other words, we cannot contain God with our ideas.

And that brings us to the question: how can we move forward from this place?

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The short answer is this: we move forward when our primary data source shifts from inherited concepts to direct, structured experience. That is, when we “feel it in our bones.” Right about then, we are experiencing the Divine directly. Once you've had an experience of this nature, it is unmistakable!

It’s not about feeling something intense. It’s not about rejecting doctrine and all the concepts about the Divine and the spiritual life we have inherited. It’s not about using “mystical” language. It’s an experience far deeper.

As I see it, there are three criteria that must be met simultaneously for us to experience the Divine directly.  First, there is an epistemic shift. Knowledge is no longer about God; it becomes immediate, direct awareness. Instead of representational concepts like “God is good,” we realize that words cease to have any power to explain. The meaning of the experience resides within the experience itself. Sadly, most spiritual seekers stop here. They are still trapped in a dualistic framework and have not yet broken through to the direct and immediate experience of the Divine.

The second criterion is that this experience is stable.  Instead of being a feeling that comes and goes, or something that varies, this experience is always present.  You may choose not to notice it; you may choose to lose yourself in some other experience.  But every time you direct your awareness to the depths within, it becomes present to you in a way that is instantly recognizable.

Third, the experience arises prior to interpretation, and is not borrowed from prior concepts such as Scripture or tradition.  Prior concepts necessarily distort our experience.  For example, if you feel stillness during a meditation, the tendency is to label it as “God’s presence,” because that’s what we’ve been trained to do.  You haven’t yet entered into direct experience; your ideas and concepts still stand between you and it.

There is an interesting twist in this kind of experience. Many genuine mystics have authentic spiritual experiences, but they still describe them using inherited theological frameworks. For example, one might say, “This feels like union.” While the experience may be genuine, the language distorts it significantly and impedes the seeker's progress.

Genuine mystical experience is not constructed out of prior knowledge. It is not recognized through analogy. It is not confirmed by memory. It doesn’t arrive as: “This matches X teaching.”  

Instead, the knowing appears before thought. It precedes languaging and concepts. It has a self-validating, independent authority. It doesn’t require validation from Scripture, from teachers, or from any prior beliefs. They are simply irrelevant to the actual experience.

Finally, these experiences don’t point to something else.  They are self-evident and self-validating.

Many, perhaps most, spiritual seekers think that they’re having direct insight.  In actual fact, they are simply matching a pattern they have experienced against an internalized theology.  This does not lead to enlightenment; it is simply high-speed interpretation.

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Looking back on all the words I’ve written, I find myself giggling.  For a guy who prefers not to talk about these things and the guy who distrusts his own words, I certainly have scribbled out a lot of them today.  And here I thought I was going to talk about the Trinity.  So much for my mighty plans!

Again, thank you for your patience and for working through this material with me. I deeply appreciate your willingness to travel these roads with me. As I write, I have a very clear sense of your presence out there, just beyond the limits of my perception. Your presence sustains me in ways you might not fully realize, and I am deeply grateful.

Please remember to set aside time every day for at least five minutes (or more!) of meditation and quiet reflection.  Ultimately, our willingness to travel into our own depths will determine how close we come to the everlasting Truth.

May you rest in God’s love every moment of this week!

P.S.  These newsletters were written in a particular order, but due to the limitations of our email delivery system, we cannot send them in the order in which they were written.  We can send out the first five in order, but then the system sends out the next one, whatever that happens to be.

So, if you are suddenly moving from issue #5 to issue #whatever, it might be a little jarring.  If this sounds like you, I would encourage you to go back into our archives and do your best to read them in order. 

Humility as a Tool  → Letting go → Fear → Openness →  Acceptance & Growth

If you are finding this newsletter course helpful, you may want to consider Dr. Kaisch's latest book, Inside the Invisible:  The Universal Path to Spiritual Transcendence.👇

To access the other newsletter editions of the “Inside The Invisible Newsletter,” or if you’d like to read ahead or go back.

Please Note: These newsletters are meant to be read in order.