Relating to the Divine

There are many ways of relating to God* depending on how God is conceived. Here I have divided it into 3 simple categories: we can think of God as being outside of us, within us or at one with us.

If you object to the word ‘God’, please insert another word you prefer, eg. The Divine, Enlightenment, The Absolute, Reality, The Universe, The Light, The Source, The Self, etc.

Concept of God	Dualistic/non-dualistic*	Concept of God - details	Concept of the individual self or person
God is outside of me	Dualistic	God is considered to be an all-powerful entity - eg. a creator, a destroyer, a giver of reward or punishment. God may be personified as an authority or parent figure, a friend, a lover or even a child. God may be approached using external means of worship such as song, sermons, prayer and ritual.	Limited human being, weak and frail in comparison to the all-powerful God. A victim to the whims of God or the Universe.
God is within me	Dualistic	God is considered to be a powerful intangible force that is not only external to the person but also resides within the person. God is related to as a loving parent, friend or lover. God is approached through both external and internal means (eg. meditation, contemplation)	Limited human being with the capacity for great power. Sometimes feels like a victim, but sometimes feels empowered by the divinity within.
I and God are one	Non-dualistic	There is only oneness. Words and concepts such as ‘God’ are unable to communicate this. May be non-theist, ie. not refer to the concept of God at all. If you want to call it God, God is everything and everywhere. There is only God. Paradoxically God can be approached by all methods as God is all and God cannot be approached by any method as all is already God and you cannot approach what you already are. Self-knowledge and ridding oneself of false concepts is emphasised.	No separation between God and self. There is no individual self, only God. The individual self is an illusion. All concepts of separation are false/untrue. The individual is either considered to be part of God (qualified non-duality) or equal to God (non-duality or unqualified non-duality).

Dualistic means that God is conceived to be as something separate from the individual. Literally it means that there are essentially 2 things in the universe - God and not-God.

Non-dualistic means that there is only oneness: everything is one, call it what you want. You could say I am everything or God is everything or everything is God. Literally it means there are no essential divisions in reality.