What Is Divine Power, and Is It True?

Divine Power is that which one feels upon experiencing the Divine Reality.

A clarification of the phrase, “Divine Reality.”

Lou Reich, PhD says What it means to say that people who are religious believe in a “Divine Reality,” or “something of infinite value,” as I will interchangeably use these phrases, is that normally the “believer” believes that, say, “God,” is real, and of unlimited value. Likewise, the Buddhist thinks “Nirvana” is real, and the value placed on it is not a limited one. For certain Hindus, “Brahman” is “Being-Consciousness-Bliss,” Itself: the Ultimate in truth and value. In each major religious tradition there are people who claim to have direct experience of the “Divine,” of the “Truth” of their respective traditions: generally called “mystical experience.“ This happens for the Christian when she is “anointed,” or “filled with the Spirit,” or “born again.” It happens for the Hindu when he experiences the bliss of “Moksha.” And for the Zen Buddhist the highly valued and sought after realization of “Nirvana,” “divine” for the Buddhist, is called “Sartori.”

There is nothing contradictory in thinking these things, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that any of the claims are true. But ruling out a “Divine Reality” by definition is simply to stipulate that they are not true. So, when I speak of a “divine reality,” I am speaking of how the average religious person thinks and feels about the “Object” of their belief. An “object of belief” needn’t actually exist. But “believers” think there is “something” of “infinite,” or “unlimited” value. God is, so to speak, a “reality,” for the believer, and God is “sacred,” “holy,” or “divine.” God is so intrinsically good, or valuable that God is worthy of our adoration, in the eyes the “believer.” Similar things could be said about “Brahman,” or “Nirvana.”

Our meanings are sometimes important to clarify precisely because we can get “hung up in words,” otherwise. A “divine reality,” in the sense of the phrase used above, cannot just be defined out of existence, nor into it. There may, in fact, be some truth to the claim by some to have found something the value of which is unlimited. But then again maybe not.

But if so, what is it ? This is where the “Conflicting Truth Claims Problem” arises. The descriptions of that which is so valued, i.e. descriptions of the “Divine,” vary from tradition to tradition. It could, in fact, be Nature, seen in a certain light, as “religious naturalists” maintain. It could be that there is only Nature, or everyday life, or just one Reality, not two, and that nature is what is found to be “sacred,” or of un-limited, or of in-“finite” value. In that case there would be a “divine reality” and it would simply be life. “Life is sacred,” as some say.

If we define reality as “the Whole of all there is,” then there could only be one of “it.” In that case the “believer” in, say, Nirvana might define Nirvana to be a dimension of “all there is.” Or, they might define “all there is” to include “God,” the “Bliss Body of the Buddha“, etc.

Now, I am not trying to get anyone to believe in a “divine reality,” or anything, “sacred,” “holy,” or of unlimited value at all. Neither am I trying to get people to disbelieve. The point of talking that way is get into the worldview of the “believer,” and trying, in this way, to say something important about what the “believer” believes, while remaining as fair as can be to both “believers” and non-”believers” alike. I am trying to elucidate the nature of a basic “religious claim,” which in plain language is that “there is Something perfect.“ Extraordinary claims should not be accepted uncritically. We should require very good reasons, indeed, to accept them. It is for that purpose that we look at the evidence and arguments offered by “believers” and non-“believers” alike in a philosophy of religion course.

The experiences that “mystics” claim they have do take place, but the doctrinal assertions made, in part, on the basis of them should be distinguished from the experiences themselves. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and the non-“religious” all have these claimed “revelatory” inner experiences. If “Reality” were defined as “the Whole of all there is,” then they certainly would not prove that there are two “Realities.” Perhaps the Whole itself is of “infinite value,” but we can never adequately conceptualize IT. In that case we wouldn’t have a description. We’d just have a value. Or, perhaps there is nothing “sacred” at all. But, clearly, the “believer” believes that there is. And some claim to have a personal experience of and/or a relationship with the “Divine” in their lives.

How to Connect With Divine Power in Daily Life

Whether or not you fully believe, opening yourself to divine energy can bring profound peace and clarity. Here’s how:

Practice Stillness: Meditation and mindful breathing help you tune in.
Spend Time in Nature: Nature reflects divine intelligence and balance.
Gratitude Journaling: Shifting focus to what’s good invites higher vibrations.
Pray or Speak to the Universe: Whether traditional or personal, expressing your thoughts opens a path for connection.
Listen to Your Intuition: Often, divine guidance speaks in a whisper.