Communion with God is traditionally thought of as a religious act where we eat food and/or drink wine to connect with God. Many people are greatly inspired by this religious ceremony. This is because communion is an act that joins man and God, and the natural by-product of this reunion is happiness. The happiness effect makes communion highly relevant and important. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines "communion" as an instant of sharing. There are other words with the "com" root that relate to sharing. "Communication" is the sharing or words, behaviors or signs. "Community" is the sharing of geography, family, purpose or ideas. Even the word "common" is the sharing of similar characteristics with others. Sharing enables us to join with each other and with God.
People who communicate are generally happier than people who don't. People who live in community with others are generally happier than people who live alone. People who perceive themselves as joined together by common characteristics are often happier than people who perceive themselves as different and isolated by their differences. The secret of happiness lies in communion or joining. Whereas the cause of all suffering is separation or the inability to share and connect with others. Solitary confinement, for example, is considered a severe form of punishment.
While the religious practice of communion is very beautiful and uplifting, the ability to join and connect with God is not exclusive to this ceremony. In fact, we have the ability to connect with God in every moment if we choose to. Therefore, sacred spaces, temples or churches are not necessary for communion with God. Special foods or drinks are not required. And even more, official representatives of God are not needed to intervene for us or to administer communion. God puts no limits on his love. He extends love to all. He joins with all. All of these conventions surrounding communion are man's rules; not God's.
The ability to join with God in Holy Communion requires both willingness and skill. When you choose to share, unite and communicate with God in every moment, you are enlightened or in heaven. Most of us have not yet reached the point in our journey of awareness where we are willing to pay full attention to God. More worldly things are still calling for our attention. However, we can at least begin the work of developing the one basic skill that enables us to commune with God, and that skill is simply a peaceful state of mind. A peaceful state of mind dis-engages the ego, which blocks us from hearing God's Voice. Are you willing to spend a minute a day in stillness and peace? Two minutes? Three? It's not possble to develop a new skill unless you practice it, and this is what it takes.
Communion with God is similar to communion with human beings. It involves giving and receiving, the transmission and exchange of thoughts. As you know from your own daily life, it you don't want to engage in conversation with another, nothing happens, There is no dialogue. No exchange. And if someone wants to talk with you but you don't choose to listen, then nothing happens either. So to be in communion with God, we have to be willing and open to both giving and receiving. This requires the ability to talk to God and the ability to listen to him. Talking to God is typically referred to as praying. Most of us are more highly skilled at talking to God than we are at listening to Him. Yet listening, or being open to receive information, is a very big and important part of the communion process.
My dearly beloved Aunt Rose, who has gone on to the next world, was a great talker. She simply did not "get" the point that conversation was a blend of talk and listen. All she did was talk, talk, talk. Having a conversation with her was sort of like putting a nickle into a gabbing machine and letting it go. My sole job would be to say "uh-huh" every few minutes and let her ramble on. Real communication was blocked because it was so one-sided. Likewise, many of us talk or pray to God in the same way that my dear aunt used to talk to me. We talk, talk, talk and we do not listen. Therefore, real communication is not achieved because we are not open to receiving. We are only concerned with talking to God and making sure He knows everything we want, everything we need, every unhappiness we suffer.
The simple act of listening is the trick that makes it possibe for real communion to be experienced. Try it now. This moment. Shut your eyes and still your mind. Ask for nothing. Just listen.
Karen Bentley is "big heart" and America's Spiritual Reviewer. She reviews contemporary books and movies exclusively from a love-based perspective, which means she explains how harm and harmlessness produce different results. For more information visit spiritualreviewer.com.