“We feel and know that we are eternal.” ~ Baruch Spinoza
I’ve always been fascinated by the notions of destiny, fate, cycles of life and possible past or future incarnations. These thoughts can be perplexing, even paradoxical when given full attention. Understanding or exploring these concepts brings us into a sphere we all visit from time to time. I refer to it as the sphere of the familiar; the place that you absolutely know that you’ve been to before despite seeing it for the first time. This is a sphere at the intersection of the infinite.
We’re all familiar with the symbol of infinity; the figure 8 that represents a continuous path that runs on forever. This symbol, this path, has one interesting feature. It intersects at the center and always loops back towards it. Correspondingly it also loops away from this intersection. To me, this symbol doesn’t just represent a concept of “foreverness,” but instead a variation of subtle but eclectic meanings.
This symbol represents a path of continuous experience, in life, in birth, in death and in ether; in spirit. It represents a road not simply traveled by the individual, but also represents those who share its way. It represents those we travel with, those we’ve met in another time, another sphere. This path we travel is not a lonely place. It is full of companions alive in both present, past and future.
We all know the feeling when we’re sure we’ve seen, felt or heard something before. Just the same we all know the feeling of being in a particular place and having it feel like home. But this feeling may not be just our personal experience alone. It is quite possible that we once shared this place with another partner; a soul companion that travels with us throughout time, beyond space, above the stars and without fail.
I once stood in a place that gave me a sense of peace and comfort that was so powerful words cannot describe its full beauty. The wind filled my ears with a silence that was profound and distinct; a silence so loud that it became almost deafening. This wordless wind surrounded me with a brilliant connection to the infinite as I stood upon the intersection of life. This place I stood alone, yet I know now that I was not alone. This place was shared with another, perhaps not then physically, but maybe in another time not yet upon us, or one long ago in the past. Perhaps at this intersection my companion was there, though not visible; with me in pure spirit. This is where my heart opened, and my path before me was clear.
If these notions are even plausible, whether one believes them to be true or not matters little. We all have our own interpretations of life’s mysterious happenings. Regardless, these are feelings of the heart, a place that knows the truth of things that the mind cannot possibly comprehend. This is where feeling is born and where knowledge of the infinite dwells; this is where we see our soul and where we meet our companions.
When you visit the sphere of the familiar, stop and listen to the silence about you. Hear the heartbeat of life; the natural ebb and flow that lives within and around you. Realize and embrace the intersection of infinity when you stand upon its crossroads. Then, at that special moment, perhaps if you look past your shoulder; looking beyond yourself, you’ll see another familiar face smiling back at you.
HeartSphere 
When I was a young child I have always believed I was an “old soul”. I love this world. woo hooo : )
I’ve been told the same thing about myself, and I feel it to be true. And, yes, I truly love this world; this life. 🙂 Best wishes to you.
And to you. 🙂
This was absolutely lovely
ah yes.
we feel like we’ve entered the vortex today.
just went to grab some lunch at a local cafe (here in los angeles) and started talking (as we like to do) to the person on our right……………..who just happened to have gone to the same university (back in england) as us, the year after-we-left.
what are the odds?
glorious.
Beautiful! I look forward to further posts.
Thank you! Much more to come for sure!
powerful writing,love that phrase ‘the sphere of the familiar’,thank you
Thank you for the compliment! Best wishes to you 🙂
That part when you stood up to a place that gave you a sense of peace and comfort- goodness, that was soo beautiful I want to cry!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you 🙂 And cry away, just as I did in that moment. It was the feeling that pulled at my soul. I honestly cannot describe its strength.
Life is a continuously infinite amount of moments connecting. Connecting to learn. Connecting with others. Connecting with self… higher self… and beyond.
Thank you, Jeremiah, for such a thought provoking and inspirational post.
Namaste,
Karen
This was absolutely beautiful! Stunning words and expansive meaning… so thankful to be reading your work as it’s in perfect alignment with what’s arising in my life. Thank-you. I’ve had so many of those ‘alone’ moments… When I suddenly feel how wide that silence is and how much love and joy… intimate companionship there is within it. It reminds me of Sufi poems… Experiencing this huge vast space of intimate wordless love… so drunk on the ecstasy, knowing how deep it goes within myself and knowing how it expands out to reflect within another: a companion, in all range of time and space. What a miracle we live. Mahalo nui loa!
touching, beautiful, deja vu.
Thank you for this post. I really enjoyed reading it. Funny enough, I’m getting that symbol tattooed on my wrist with a friend of mine sometime in August. Perhaps a bit of a cliché but it means a lot. I found curious your interpretation of that symbol. It is very similar to my own interpretation as something beyond its core and popular meaning as “infinity”. I will be definitely visiting your blog a lot more often.
Beautiful read!
Thank you so much for stopping by and liking my post. I look forward to visiting yours more 🙂
Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Have you come across John O Donohue? Take a look at his book Eternal Echoes…
Thank you! And yes I have.. Anam Cara is on of my most favorite books I’ve read, but I haven’t read Eternal Echoes. Now it’s on my list! 🙂
It is utterly divine, my favourite of the two actually.
“Everything is connected, like a delicate web. Ever growing, ever changing. New silvery strands come together every day, and once the strand is formed, no matter what superficial circumstances may sometimes keep you apart, it is never broken. You will meet again, perhaps in another lifetime. The connection is unbreakable, lying dormant in your subconscious.”
― Chelsie Shakespeare, The Pull
Incredible post Jeremiah, my new favorite ☺
We are all undoubtedly connected and helping each other in ways that are incomprehensible to many. I believe there are souls who hold fragments of our own, and one in particular that when we are fortunate enough to meet them repeatedly, the possibilities are endless. No doubt, this earth has been a better place for it.
I thought you would appreciate the writing I have quoted below. When I found it years ago it was just another piece to the puzzle, affirming all I have believed in exists. ☺
“We meet again, this flesh, blood, bone and memory.
Events of old lives, divested of our former selves.
My past is in you,
In meeting you again and again and again into infinity.
A dark delirium of the soul; has us believe we have met for the first time,
But home is where we are together.
In a room, a house, or just the two square feet we occupy in a single embrace.
The embrace of memory of falling asleep in your arms.
The arms of many births and deaths,
Incarnations of gods, goddesses and bardic voices.
As with breaths on the back of your neck,
Having shared endless sounds and sights,
Distant, but yet as close as a hand before your eyes.
With you I have returned home, souls in the ancient movement of time.
I lie asleep on the floor, ear pressed to the darkness and hear the hum of Earth.
The generations of our families and existence of all living things.
We came from here and return.
Forgetful of our origins,
But never,
Never forgetful of each other.”
❤ Love to you Bright One ❤
🙂
wonderful … I enjoy your language for this experience … what a beautiful connection and expansion to be present in the sphere of the familiarity, revealing our greater knowing self to our now self!