Honestly, I was ill-disposed to this section's title upon first reading. Until I realized Dyer is pushing God in the divine, general sense of the word, which may have nothing to do with the Christian church God (although it very well could).
Dyer speaks of being separated from our "source" of divine power, and that accompanying feeling of disconnection. A particularly illuminating subsection here addresses egos. Dyer says, "Your ego is nothing more than an idea that you carry around with you everywhere you go." While this doesn't sound terribly harmful, our egos throw the following spiritual obstacles:
- it is formed by what you have, what you do...and it "tells" you this is who you are.
- it puts you in competition with others for various resources
- it fosters distrust and wariness
- it reminds you (usually not in a constructive way) of what you're missing
- it saps our energy by keeping us in a "constant state of fear, anxiety, worry, and stress"
I'm no psychology major, but I can see the validity in this concept. Ego is what keeps society searching for ways to lose weight, stay young and be trendy. On a literal level, it's a problem because ego is causing the world to develop a convoluted sense of entitlement. It's our egos that keep us from being grateful or reaching out to "fill each other's buckets". On a deeper level, it prevents us from questioning our true purpose in life. Our ego chains us to this material planet. Ultimately, in the end, what we have and what we do does not follow us into death and beyond.
Now, here's the fun part (for me, anyway). We're all Divine creatures. We're part of the Divine creation, and there is a spark of Divinity in everything around us. Dr. Dyer goes so far as to state, "We are God." While I might have trouble stomaching that, it's food for thought. We are Divine - we go beyond the material - beyond the ego. We are greater than it.
While there is much in this book that provokes my thought, two concerns continue to plague me. True, I have not finished the book yet, but I've read ninth-tenths, which is enough to substantiate.
1. Specific ways to enact each of the secrets. Sure, Treasuring My Divinity sounds great, but exactly how do I do it? Maybe by Embracing Silence? Meditating? Unsure? I'm of a practical disposition, and some things just honestly need to be spelled out for me.
2. Inaccessibility of some of the text. Comprehension comes differently for everyone, and while I can read and understand all of the words on the page, sometimes, the ideas are too lofty or ethereal or esoteric...which can be off-putting at times.
That being said, I am glad I have attempted to recapture some of the thoughts here. I hope to continue the reflection on and implementation of many of Dyer's ideas
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