What is the divine, if not the thread that holds all things together, seen and unseen?
Maria Gehrke | Issue 002: The Sacred Thread That Binds | May 31st, 2025
A Shifting Understanding
For much of my life, I held a vague notion of a supernatural force—something distant and undefined. Raised without religious frameworks, I was left with curiosity and a quiet intuition that there was more. But I wouldn't have called it divine. Not yet.
In the past five years, something shifted. The concept of the divine crystallized, not as a dogma or an external deity, but as something deeply natural. The divine became not a being, but a way of being. I now feel it as the essence that moves through everything that exists and everything that has not yet taken form. Not separate from me, but within and around me, at all times. I believe everything and everyone in the universe carries this same spark. Most of the time, we simply forget.
My Path of Remembering
My remembering began with mindfulness. I was preparing episodes for my podcast and immersed myself in different spiritual teachings worldwide. Each new insight felt less like a discovery and more like a return.
If you're seeking to reconnect, I invite you to explore different kinds of teachings—not necessarily as answers, but as gentle mirrors that reflect your own wisdom back to you.
Early Glimpses of the Divine
This remembering has roots in my childhood. I recall lying on a grassy hill at a campground, side by side with a new friend, gazing up at a star-laced sky. I felt my smallness, yes, but also a profound belonging. Another time, years later, at the end of a yoga class in the park, I found myself lying in Savasana. The sun flickered through the leaves of a great tree above me. The breeze stirred the light. In that stillness, I touched something eternal. I didn't name it then, but I recognize it now as the divine.
Rituals as Portals
Since then, these moments have multiplied. They do not arrive with grandeur. They arrive in the quiet. In ritual. Lighting a candle. Playing gentle music. Painting. Walking barefoot in nature.
You may try creating a small daily ritual yourself. Something that centers you in presence. It might be as simple as pausing to light a candle or sitting in stillness with a warm cup of tea or coffee.
These are not just practices for me; they are portals. Through them, I return to a state where the boundary between self and the oneness thins.
The Role of Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the path that brings me back. When I am present, I feel the divine more clearly. The separation softens. I connect the living web of all things. And with that connection comes purpose. Not the kind you chase, but the kind that meets you in the stillness. My purpose is to remember, experience, and fully embody this connection.
If you're unsure where to begin, try this: pause. Take one mindful breath. Notice where you are. That small act can begin to shift everything.
Embracing the Whole Journey
That remembering also comes with responsibility. To listen deeply. To act with presence. To practice radical acceptance—of others, of myself, of the whole messy unfolding of being alive.
Let this be a reminder: your imperfections are not barriers to the divine. They are part of the path. Be gentle with yourself as you walk it.
It's not always easy. Disconnection still visits. Sometimes for hours. Sometimes for days. But I've come to see even that as part of the dance. We are not meant to dissolve entirely into oneness. We are here to navigate the tension between unity and form.
Awe as a Bridge
When you feel distant from yourself or the divine, turn toward beauty. Awe is a bridge. A flash of birdwing. The smell of rain. The silence after snowfall.
Look for one moment of beauty today. Let it stop you. Let it speak.
Finding Your Own Way
I don't believe there is one path to the divine. We each must find our own way—through art, through breath, through witnessing the ordinary as sacred.
If I could offer only one truth, it is this:
We are already connected to the divine. We always have been. We just forgot.
And so, I am remembering. Each day, in my own way, I return.
With love,
Maria
This essay was featured in Issue 002: The Sacred Thread That Binds. Read the Full Publication
Maria Gehrke is a contributing writer for The Sacred Business Writer’s Collective focused on helping visionaries and transformative groups stay connected to the energy of their essence, purpose, and expansion. You can follow her on Substack here.
Subscribe to our monthly publication where heart-centered entrepreneurs share wisdom that honors both profit and purpose. Each themed issue delivers practical strategies and transformative insights from multiple perspectives. Read for inspiration or join our community.