37. A Sense of Belonging

What does belonging mean? To my mind, it brings up emotions of feeling safe, secure and being part of something greater than myself. Where do we belong? This brings up images of our birthplace, family and cultural ties, and the community that we reside in and perhaps work for. Who do we belong to? This question is the most pertinent, because it brings up the area of connectivity and ownership.

In our perpetual seeking, at some point in all our lives, I am certain that the question ‘who am I?’ really has to be faced. When our answer is that I am a human being, then our sense of belonging will keep us to the physical realm, living on this planet as its sole experience. However, if our perception takes us to the knowledge that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, it opens us to a much wider perspective and possibilities.

When I realise that I can only belong to myself at the deepest level, it brings a sense of freedom and power that does not exist when my sense of belonging is to someone or something else. We can then remain rooted in our own beliefs, rather than get easily influenced by opinions that are limiting and insubstantial. This ownership to self can only occur with a spiritual connection to a higher sense of self.  With this attainment, our sense of belonging anchors us in solidity which allows greater expansion and growth, dictated only by our own capacity, which could be limitless!