June 8 – Boundaries Dissolved in Oneness

Gregg’s Reflection

Every so often in my spiritual journey, I’ve had moments where the boundaries seemed to dissolve — between myself and God, between myself and another person, even between myself and creation. They are brief, unplanned, and always surprising. But in those moments, I feel completely at home in the world, and everything feels connected. The first of these experiences came when I did psilocybin in my early 20’s, long before I came to faith. It was my first unitive experience.

Mystics call this nondual consciousness — the sense of oneness that comes when the walls built by ego and fear come down. Cynthia Bourgeault says mystical experience inevitably involves that overpowering sense of boundaries dissolving and finding oneself at one with everything.

For me, these moments have often come during prayer, in silence, or out in nature — standing by a river, watching the sunrise, or even holding my granddaughter for the first time. In those times, I’m not thinking about God as an idea; I’m simply resting in God’s presence. And in that presence, the usual categories — mine and yours, sacred and secular, here and there — fade away.

I can’t manufacture these moments, but I can prepare my heart for them. Prayer, stillness, and openness create space for the Spirit to work. And when oneness comes, it leaves a mark — a deeper sense of connection, compassion, and belonging that carries into daily life.

Scripture

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

For in him we live and move and have our being.

Acts 17:28

There is one body and one Spirit… one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Ephesians 4:4-6

Ancient Quotes

He is in all things, yet He is above all things… He is in all things in such a way that He is also above them, and above them in such a way that He is also in them.

Gregory the Great, Homilies on Ezekiel

Modern Quotes

By definition mystical experience is nondual. The boundaries dissolve, the oneness flows in, and the world is bathed, for as long as the experience lasts, with the radiance of intrinsic wholeness.

Cynthia Bourgeault, The Heart of Centering Prayer, p. 44-45

The mystic’s heart knows that everything belongs. Nothing can be excluded from the circle of God’s love.

Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs, p. 25

Journaling Prompts

• When have you experienced a moment where you felt deeply connected with God, people, or creation?
  
  
• What practices help you become more open to such moments?
  
  
• How did that experience affect the way you saw others afterward?
  
  
• Where might God be inviting you to notice unity rather than division today?

👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 23 Reflection: Non-Dualistic Thinking