You Are Not Separate from God — Just Pretending You Are
You Are Not Separate from God — Just Pretending You Are
One of Abhinavagupta’s most daring gifts to the world was this uncompromising insight: separation from God is not real. It is an illusion we rehearse, a drama we keep acting in. Beneath the costumes of fear, doubt, and striving lies the truth — you are already woven into the very fabric of the divine.
The mystic of Kashmir Shaivism insisted that God is not sitting in some distant heaven, hidden behind veils of ritual or guarded by priests. God is the pulse of awareness beating in your chest, the shimmering intelligence that allows you to even ask, “Where is God?” The problem is not that we are far from the divine. The problem is that we keep playing hide and seek with ourselves.
Abhinavagupta compared this state to a dreamer forgetting they are the dreamer while lost inside the dream. You play roles of student, parent, professional, or seeker — but the stage and the actor both arise from the same source. Your sense of “I” and the vastness of God are not two. The separation is only a game of forgetting.
Why, then, do we pretend? Because the play of life is richer with contrast. Without the appearance of loss, we wouldn’t taste reunion. Without the feeling of limitation, we wouldn’t sense the joy of expansion. Yet the danger is mistaking the play for the ultimate truth. We take the costume to be the actor. We confuse the mask for the face.
Abhinavagupta calls us to wake up, but not by rejecting the play. Instead, he teaches: play consciously. Realize that even in pretending separation, the divine never left. God is the stage, the story, the light, and the witness. And you — even while pretending — have always been the same infinite presence.
This perspective dissolves spiritual anxiety. How many seekers torment themselves with the thought, “I am not there yet”? Abhinavagupta would smile: there is nowhere to get to. You are not on a journey towards God. You are God exploring the joy of pretending to search. The moment you drop the pretense, you see — you were home all along.
This is not arrogance. It is not the ego inflating itself to become divine. Quite the opposite. It is the recognition that what you call “ego” is a temporary mask of God. When you realize this, humility deepens. You bow not out of distance, but out of awe at the intimacy of it all.
Living with this vision transforms the ordinary. Washing dishes becomes a sacrament because the water touching your hands is God caressing God. Speaking with a stranger becomes communion because there is no “other” in the ultimate sense. Even suffering, though painful, becomes part of the divine theatre — reminding you of the mystery you swim in.
The question is: how do we stop pretending? Abhinavagupta gives us not dogma but direct practices — invitations to taste awareness in real time. For him, spirituality is not escape but embodiment. You wake up by inhabiting the fullness of each moment until the veil of separation thins and vanishes.
Practical Daily Toolkit: Ending the Pretend Game
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The Mirror Practice
Each morning, look into a mirror. Whisper: “This is God, playing me today.” Hold eye contact until the words feel real. Begin your day from that recognition. -
Sacred Breath Check-ins
Every few hours, pause. Breathe deeply and silently affirm: “I was never apart. Even this breath is divine.” Carry on with renewed presence. -
Unity Walk
When walking outside, notice how trees, sky, birds, and people are part of one seamless tapestry. Let your steps echo: “All of this is me.” -
Compassion as Recognition
When someone irritates you, silently remind yourself: “This too is God pretending.” Respond with gentleness instead of reaction. -
Nightly Reunion
Before sleep, close your eyes and recall the day. Where did you forget unity? Where did you remember? End with gratitude: “The play was beautiful, and I was never truly separate.”
Abhinavagupta’s wisdom is radical in its simplicity: stop pretending. The divine you seek is not missing; it is your very essence. God is not a destination — God is the actor, the stage, and the audience. And you are the dance itself. The curtain may fall, but the truth remains: you and the divine were never apart.
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