You may wonder, who am I to say I am divine?

It is interesting that when asked to offer a statement of who he is, Archangel Michael simply responded, “I am Michael”. At first I was not satisfied. “But many will want to understand who you are, what you represent, where you come from, what is the truth of your being,” I replied. But now I understand that while others may seek to know me and may quite accurately and appropriately define that which I am – just as I have done with my dear companions – coming from self, the statement “I am” is quite complete.

And so for all who may ask who I am to say I am divine, my most immediate response is, “I am Shams-Tabriz”.

I have no explanation for those who do not accept the possibility of their divinity. For that, in truth, is the first step in expansion. Awareness. Accepting that one is divine by one’s very nature – and accepting that one may come to consciously know and live their divinity. If not for this first and most fundamental premise: Awareness, one cannot proceed to discover their truth. It would be an act of futility, an exercise of the uninspired intellect, an egoic fantasy.

Sufi tradition refers to the experience of self realization as fanafillah. Appropriately translated, this means annihilation of self into God. I have experienced this as a complete dissolution of self – all notions of individuality and self-identification – and a resultant merging into the most magnificent nature of the source. Such experiences have been spoken of by many mystics from many traditions – and each describes it differently according to their own understanding and ability (or willingness) to translate the experience. I have enjoyed levels of this experience that include an overwhelming energetic expansion of my being in which my sense of self is lost and I find myself resonating with the universal rhythm that is the pulse of all that is. It is truly a mind-blowing experience. At other times I have dipped so deeply into silence that I find myself in a stillness completely devoid of any thing or any thought, while at the same time profoundly knit in a most sublime love. This is the experience of touching the very core of my being. That element that is intimately connected with the source of all that is. That experiences no separation from all that is. That in essence is all that is.

The floodgates are open. God is shining upon us. And the discovery of our divinity is available for us to embrace

There is another state of self-knowing that is the promise to humanity. This has been my journey and this is the subject of my story. Divine human experience. It can be accurately described as being the angel in human form. Bringing the immensity of wonder and awe and wisdom and love that is the state of the angelic realm and experiencing that as a living, breathing, creative human being. It is this discovery of the divine birthright of us all, which is the natural transformational process that is upon us. As Michael has given us to know, we stand in a unique moment in the evolution of mankind. The floodgates are open. God is shining upon us. And the discovery of our divinity is available for us to embrace. It is not that all of mankind will embrace this truth now, but many will. There is much in the realm of the unseen that greatly supports such an expansion.

This discovery that I speak of is the true discovery of our divine humanity. It is the healing of the self. The realignment of the self. The emergence of the healthy ego. It is humanity walking individually and collectively with the full knowing of their own magnificence and the grandeur of all. It is the experience of wholeness and of sameness. The expression of compassion and love. It is our inheritance. And it is upon us. As Elmarilla and Irsha often remind, the truth of that much quoted saying is that all are called and now many will choose.

And so it has been my humble, awesome experience to discover my divinity. The process has been often profound and often uncomfortable. It has brought up much in my emotional and physical memory that requires forgiveness and compassion – and letting go. It has called for patience and persistence. It has required faith. It has led to self examination. It has taught me the great magic of laughter and of playing the fool. It has expanded my understanding of myself and of all of humanity. It has brought me love and has inspired me to express love.

Today, I can honor the efforts of the nestled caterpillar awakened to her evolution. Awakened to the brilliance of the fragrant world awaiting. Aware of the winged angel-worm destiny that beckons. The course is set. It is only for us to break free of our cocoons. To discard the notions of old, the judgments of old, the feelings of old, the patterns of old. The things that no longer enrich us. That no longer align our identity with the divine identity that is our truth.

Discovering divinity is eternal. For divinity is forever expansive, forever in creation. Know, however, that the point of recognizing your divinity, honoring your divinity, embracing it and being it is a significant moment in time. It is a grand, grand accomplishment. Strive for this. Desire it. And know that it is real.

For it is I, Shams-Tabriz, who will ask you, “who are you to say that you are not divine?”