According to Sufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Friends of God have been working for centuries with the mystical oneness. They have seen it as accessible to all, not just available to only a few lucky souls. Now this spiritual energy is afoot in the universe and it is our mission to help it come into being. The author writes: "The meaning of oneness is already beginning to seep through the cracks of our defenses. The work now is to make this available, to help it to flow through the web of light and love. To facilitate this work, the hearts of many different spiritual wayfarers are being linked together, because love flows fastest through the open hearts of lovers of God."
Unity consciousness has been given a great boost by the ecological movement and its healing emphasis upon the interdependence of all forms of life. It also has been bolstered by the Internet as a vehicle of global unity and consciousness.
But this energy of oneness still faces formidable opposition in institutions and the culture. The Western way of thinking persists in "us" versus "them" dualism, and the hierarchical power structures in society emphasize elites over inclusiveness. That is why Vaughan-Lee challenges all those who consider themselves as Friends of God to lead the way: "Mystics can help prepare humanity for the possibilities of the future in a very practical way. They can give their knowledge back to humanity so that we all can learn to work with the energy that is being made accessible. This knowledge can help us create the organic structures that will contain the ‘new wine,’ a wine that will nourish and intoxicate us with wonder and beauty, that will awaken us to the glory of divine presence."
To awaken the heart of the world, mystical activists need to practice unity in everyday life, moving beyond the shadowlands of culture where walls of separation keep people apart from one other. Love charged with divine consciousness, notes Vaughan-Lee, is fueled with the energies of joy, freedom, and imagination. It is a field of wholeness and grace. Or as a Sufi saying puts it: "Do not worry about anything ever, for the grace of God is in every shape and form."
There is a growing and eager audience waiting for a vision of unity consciousness. Ever since 9/11, spiritual seekers of all stripes have wanted to reach out to others with something more than the destructive and retrograde philosophy of an eye for an eye or the same old cycle of retributive violence against the enemy. Working with Oneness offers a salutary antidote to worn-out antagonisms. It challenges readers to join other kindred souls in a mystical activism that can bring new hope to humanity.
