The 40 days to Oneness and Global Oneness Day by Anakha Coman and James Twyman

Practice 14

The Sensation of Oneness

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”
— Kahlil Gibran

“The greatest gift of a garden is the restoration of the five senses.”
— Hanna Rion

“Our senses are indeed our doors and windows on this world, in a very real sense the key to the unlocking of meaning and the wellspring of creativity.”
— Jean Houston

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Exercise

Your senses are a doorway to Oneness. They take you straight into presence and the core of your original nature. They ground you in the reality of your innate connection to and resonance with life. You are a sensing being, and this is a sensing universe. Becoming present to your five senses, as well as your sixth sense, restores your natural mind-set of undifferentiated unity you were born with.

In today’s practice, you’ll use your senses to connect with the oceanic field and feeling of Oneness, the shared foundation of humanity. Celebrate your senses as you smell, taste, touch, see, hear, and know the ground of Oneness. You can use this practice as a morning or evening meditation and to heighten your awareness to the sensation of Oneness throughout the day.

Begin by taking several deep, full breaths. Become still and present to this precious moment. Breathe yourself into a calm, open, and centered state of mind; and engage in the following steps:
1. Open to the sense of sight. Fully see what’s around you. Take in the colors, textures, shapes, and movements. What do you notice? Expand your vision so that you see the details as well as the larger picture of life as it unfolds. Let everything you perceive feed and enhance your vision. Open to the gift of sight as a doorway into Oneness.
2. Open to the sense of smell. Breathe in the air and life around you. Open your nose to the scent of life. What do you smell? Experiment with this. Sniff the blanket on your bed, roses in a vase, your lover’s shirt, an orange, a tree, the earth, your own skin. Inhale the fragrance of life around you. What scents are most pleasing to you? Open to the gift of smell as a doorway into Oneness.
3. Open to the sense of touch. Touch the life around you. Feel the textures with your fingertips. Reach out and touch the Oneness. What do you feel? Experience the sensation of Oneness using your feet, hands, cheeks, toes, and so on. Immerse yourself in the sensation of touch and discover a new world. Allow your sense of touch to be enhanced by the textures that touch you. Open to the gift of touch as a doorway into Oneness.
4. Open to the sense of hearing. Listen to the sounds around you. Open your ears to the symphony of life calling to you. Hear the sound of Oneness. Can you describe it? Listen to the sounds and the silence. Experiment with making your own sounds. Tune in to your inner and outer ear, and experience the orchestra of life serenading you. Allow your sense of hearing to be enhanced by the sounds around you. Open to the gift of hearing as a doorway into Oneness.
5. Open to the sense of taste. Taste the flavors of life around you. Open your taste buds to the flavors of Oneness. Savor everything you eat and drink. What do you taste? Experiment with the sensation—taste air, water, fruit, skin, and sunshine. What does love taste like to you? Open up and taste life! Open to the gift of taste as a doorway into Oneness.
6. Open to the sense of knowing. Experience the knowing that lives beyond your five senses. Feel the knowing of Oneness. What do you perceive? What lies beyond your knowing? Experiment with your sixth sense—your intuition and unique life perception—and let it guide you to Oneness. Allow your knowing to be enhanced through your conscious contact with your intuition and Divine guidance. Open to the gift of knowing as a doorway into Oneness.
Now that your sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste, and knowing are activated, allow them to move together in a sensory dance of Oneness. Experience your connection to life through your six senses, as this is the sensation of Oneness.

Affirmation

I AM unlocking the meaning of life, living my connection to the whole through the wondrous sensations that surround me.