Man is made in the image of God, some religions claim. But if we examine what does it mean, we find that God is imagined as a human being, who punishes, judges, forgives... In other words, they draw conclusions about God from observing patterns of human behaviour, which leads them to endow God with human qualities. What if we were to turn this around and begin to discover our own divine attributes by studying God's actions? Not incidentally, this is what Jesus taught: “...I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me...” (John 6.38) If we acted in this way, we would immediately understand what it means to be made in the image of God and our world would change. 

This medium (matrix) in which we live was NOT created by God. He created an Earth, which He has placed at our disposal so that we shape and mould according to our will and ability. He has endowed us with divine gifts and the capacity to create, which we should exercise and perfect on this Earth. Unfortunately, the majority of people do what they want and not what they are supposed to do according to the divine will, and even blame God for not making the world perfect or for not intervening to alleviate suffering. This matrix is therefore the product of a human mind separated from God. 

The first step would be to recognise that we are the creators of our own destiny, of our immediate environment. The second is that we have all the gifts to be able to reshape our world. The third is to have the will to do it, and finally continuously do it. 

Most people get stuck at the very first step, because they do not take responsibility for their fate, but pass it on to others. Why is this wrong? Well, God works and creates, we are made in His image, so we must work and create if we want to follow the divine pattern. If you work and create, so will your children, and if you don't, your children won't. If you work and create and your children don't, you give to them for a while, but after a while you say, I showed you how to do, learn it and take care of yourselves. Jesus taught that we are the children of the Father, therefore everything we need is given to us. Included in this role model is that children follow the Father's instructions, strive to grow up, become creators and reciprocate the help. Anyone who expects others (or God) to create a better and more beautiful world for them is denying their own divine creative capacity, and thus denying themselves and God Himself! And he/she who has denied himself/herself and God, from whom does he/she expect help? In Oneness there can be no lack, therefore, he/she who has lacks, is in Oneness neither with himself/herself nor with God! 

The second step is for those who doubt, who dare not believe that they can change their destiny. To overcome our doubts, we need self-discovery and self-awareness. Once this is achieved, the power and insight necessary for creation are born. Cognition also involves knowing which skills to develop, which knowledge to acquire. If one does not believe oneself to be able to solve own tasks, from whom does one expect to believe it? What makes you think that the outside world will give you feedback contrary to your own beliefs? This is not possible, if only because it contradicts the first point, that we create the outside world. That is, the outside world always reacts to what we believe about ourselves and project (unconsciously or consciously). We can therefore become creators by creating within ourselves what we want and manifesting it outwardly. If we cannot create it yet within ourselves, we should develop our abilities. 

Once we get over the first two hurdles, we may still lack the intention. There are those who are aware of the first two points, yet they think that it is not they task to create, others should create. They prefer to withdraw from the world e.g. meditate, pray. Of course, they still have physical needs, but they think that others should create these to them. Why is this inappropiate? To understand this, we need an additional explanation. 

Let's look again at how God or nature works. There are three stages to every sequence of events that takes place in the universe: 1. creation (unfolding, development, integration), 2. destruction (decay, regression, disintegration), 3. Then the cycle starts all over again. Some believers join the destructive aspect of God (e.g. Siva believers). They do not create, but meditate during the creation cycle, and then engage in the destruction of creation in the post-creation cycle. The whole truth, however, is that in the creation cycle even Siva generates a creator aspect of himself to assist creation, and the destruction is also done in complete harmony with the creator. Believers who wish to realise the destructive aspect should take this into account if they aspire to full realisation. There are believers who seek to realize the non-creative (unmanifested) aspect of God (e.g. Buddhists). For them, creation is an illusion, so they think it is a waste of time to participate in it. But the unmanifested God sometimes manifests, i.e. creates, and then they are unprepared for it, because they have never done it, they have never developed the divine creative faculty in themselves; even though they knew its existing, they have never lived it. These solutions, therefore, although they may be considered as God-realizations or self-realizations, are still not in harmony with Oneness. In order to be in tune with the Oneness, we need to know what stage of the cycle we are in and connect to the aspect that is currently active. 

We are now in the age of Christ. At this time the highest creative power is the Christ force, in working. Therefore, every human being who wishes to be fulfilled should practice the liberation and realization of the creative forces hidden within himself/herself.

Margaret Rhasoda-Varga
UCCM head-master
(The art of living life II. excerpt)