Rev. Kamatara Johnson

We Are Eternal Now

We are Eternal Now
by Rev. Kamatara Johnson

Rev. Kamatara Johnson

In Science of Mind, one core belief is “We believe in the eternality, the immortality and the continuity of the individual soul, forever and ever-expanding.” However, I realized a peculiar disconnect in my thinking about being eternal, immortal, or infinite. It was always presented to me, in the religious education of my youth, that this eternality was after I died, in the future, later, definitely not now, something I had to earn. It’s strange to consider it now as an adult, that whether I burned in the fires of hell or played with the angels in heaven, either way–it would be forever and eternal. And if it’s eternal, why does the clock start ticking only after we die?

In New Thought philosophy, we believe that “heaven is within us and that we experience it to the degree that we become conscious of it.” This also, of course, applies to hell, or the experience of suffering right here and now. 

So here are the if-thens to make this clear for me: IF I am eternal, THEN I am eternal now. I do not have to die to be eternal. There is no finish line to cross, specific qualifications, or magic words to say. If I am eternal, then I already have that quality right now. 

This also leads me to know that IF I am eternal, immortal, and ever-expanding, THEN this life I am experiencing right now IS the heaven and hell, that which we qualify as good or bad, uplifting or damning, empowering or suffering.  And IF heaven and hell are eternal, THEN they are both part of my experience now. I understand that my life is a blend of both heaven and hell, to the degree that I am conscious of it. 

So, I do my best to be conscious of the heaven and hell I create with my thoughts, my words, and my actions. I recognize my role in the experience of eternity. And, I remember that I am eternal right now and expand into the greater expression that is me over the ages and span of all eternity. I do not have to wait. I am vast. I am Divine: past, present, and future. Amen.