TURNING QUALITIES INTO POWERS

An important aspect of God, remembered throughout history in all cultures and traditions, has been the concept of an Almighty Authority. The interpretation of this concept has been varied, however.
Some have conceived a God who is fearsome, who punishes, who extracts a tooth for a tooth. That is very different from the experiences of God, in meditation, as a benign, benevolent, merciful parent; as a teacher of absolute wisdom, but a wisdom that includes gentleness and compassion; and as one who has total humility, who is free of the demands of ego. Yet, it is also the experience of the soul that God is the Almighty Authority, the source of all power and strength. When I meditate and connect with the Supreme, I come to a state of truth in which the combination of all the qualities of the soul - peace, love, purity, wisdom and happiness fills me with power.
When I first communicate with the Supreme, and God's qualities begin to influence me, I feel replenished by the experience. But beyond that, as I fill deeper, the energy of truth that enters me becomes a positive power that overcomes negativity in myself and others, so that those I am connected with become better able to experience their own truth. This power also extends to my physical surroundings, transforming the atmosphere around me. There are interesting spiritual parallels to the way the physical sciences distinguish energy and power. In physical terms, energy is defined as the capacity for doing work, where work means making things move. Power is defined as the rate of doing work. Similarly, we can look upon spiritual energy as our cap-acity for experiencing the original qualities of the soul. We all have this capacity, but to different degrees. Spiritual power is then seen as the extent to which we put these qualities to work in our relationships. We bring about change through our power to remain in a state of truth, in the face of the various tests that come. Our actions and relationships give us an opportunity to utilize the power we have accumulated.
The qualities of God experienced in meditation are also the original qualities of the soul, but the link with God is essential for their full power to be expressed. In fact God, too, needs the connection with us, despite having these qualities to the highest degree, in order to exercise His power to restore truth to the world.