Swimming In the Ocean of the Divine: An Odyssey Through Love, Loss and Rebirth

By Catherine Kominos

It was January 1, 2000, when author Catherine Kominos received a call from God—an invitation to set sail on an odyssey of discovery, remembrance, and inner growth. Easily seduced by the divine’s transcendent gifts, she accepted the invitation. Only after the ship had sailed did the perils of the journey and the sacrifices demanded by it become evident.

In this personal narrative, Kominos shares her personal odyssey of spiritual growth and transformation from a Pentagon engineer to guru. Accustomed to looking outside of herself for fulfillment, her experiences showed her nothing external is permanent, nor can the external fulfill the deep longing within for something more.

A hero’s journey through love, loss, and rebirth, Swimming in the Ocean of the Divine spans adventures through unconceivable calamities, misfortunes, pilgrimages, and moments of unforgettable spiritual bliss. Kominos discovers the power of love, forgiveness, and the courage to face life’s challenges with grace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Apr 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483410593

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Copyright © 2014 Catherine Kominos .

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1060-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-1059-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014906319

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 04/17/2014

CONTENTS

Prelude

PART I THE DEPARTURE

1. Encounter With The Elders

2. Ordinary World

3. Call To Adventure

4. Refusal Of The Call

5. Of Theology And Science

6. Meeting The Mentor

7. Crossing The Threshold

8. Pilgrimage To Lourdes

9. Healing Night At St. Catherine’s

10. Prophets, Saints, And Sages

11. Pilgrimage To Israel

12. Walking Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

PART II THE INITIATION

13. Adrift

14. Road Of Trials: The Shapeshifter

15. Road Of Trials: The Charlatan

16. Road Of Trials: Justice

17. Road Of Trials: The Betrayal

PART III THE RETURN

18. Meeting With The Goddess

19. Return With The Elixir

About Catherine

The winds of God’s grace are always blowing; it is for us to raise our sails.

—Ramakrishna

For Alexander and Sofia

PRELUDE

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.1

—Joseph Campbell

Does God exist? As an agnostic, I was skeptical. I questioned the existence of a supernatural, monotheistic deity as described in the holy scriptures of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Belief in such a God seemed wedded to long-forgotten traditions intent on keeping the masses in the opium high of religion.² Those beliefs evaporated once I took my first swim in the ocean of the divine.

It was January 1, 2000 when I received a call from God: an invitation to set sail on a magical odyssey of discovery, remembrance, and inner growth. Easily seduced by the divine’s transcendent gifts, I enthusiastically accepted the invitation without a second thought. Only after the ship sailed far from shore did the perils of the journey and the sacrifices demanded by the voyage become evident. By then, the prevailing winds and currents prevented a safe return home, so onward I sailed toward the fabled promised land.

The night was young with a brilliant full moon. There was no wind, not even the slightest breeze, making the surface of the sea as smooth as a lake. The moon’s glow was reflected as a golden glimmer on the otherwise black water. The sea beckoned to me, and without hesitation, I plunged headfirst into the stillness and swam out over the golden shadow to reach the moon. It was here, in the stillness, that the concealed one revealed itself. I became one with the sea, one with the moon, and one with all that is.

The alpha and the omega converged on this slither of moonlit water and stretched out into infinity. Sea and sky were one. The big picture was before me. Worlds upon worlds and lifetimes upon lifetimes emerged, separated by the most delicate of incandescent silk. At that moment, I understood all: I am the finite within the infinite. I am the bedrock, the foundation that supports this expansiveness. I am the form within the formless. I am the creator—of my life!

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Swimming in the Ocean of the Divine is the story of my spiritual growth and transformation from a Pentagon science director to a yogi, from an agnostic to a mystic. The person I am today is not the person that began the journey in 2000. I felt called to share my experience because I believe that empowerment, wisdom, and spiritual maturity are embedded within all, and that through my story, you too will remember your true essence. I especially want to inspire those of you facing extreme life circumstances, such as death, divorce, or financial difficulties to persevere. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

The Sufi poet Attar of Nishapur records the fable of a powerful king who asks assembled wise men to create a ring that will make him happy when he is sad, sad when he is happy. After deliberation the sages hand him a simple ring with the words This too will pass etched on it—a simple mantra that holds the wisdom of the cosmos.³

Although the events described happened years ago, I am writing in the present tense so that you, the reader, can become my shipmates on the journey. I made several attempts to write the book over the years, but kept stumbling on how to structure the material. It was on the Aegean island of Patmos, the place where St. John received the book of Revelations, that it came to me: the structure of this book was to follow the classical hero’s journey as outlined in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces.⁴

Joseph Campbell describes the hero’s journey as occurring in a cycle consisting of three phases: Departure, where the hero leaves his comfortable and familiar world and ventures into the shadows of the unknown; Initiation, where the hero is subjected to a series of tests in which he must prove his character; and Return, in which the hero brings the boon of his quest back for the benefit of his people. Campbell states, Whether the hero be ridiculous or sublime, Greek or barbarian, gentile or Jew, his journey varies little in essential plan.⁵

The hero evoked by my story, and thus the subtitle of the book, is Odysseus. The epic poem of the Greek hero Odysseus and his heroic journey home after the fall of Troy is told in Homer’s The Odyssey. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca, an island in the Ionian Sea. Ithaca lies in the geographical vicinity of Kalamos, the island of my ancestral heritage. Bound by place, Homer’s Odyssey relates loosely to my personal journey. Homer writes, A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time. His words are a fitting tribute to all seekers—heroes —on the spiritual path of awakening.

Swimming in the Ocean of the Divine is not a religious book. My story leans heavily on Christianity because many of my experiences occurred within a Christian context. However, each path and each religion reflects but one face of the great truth. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace (Prov. 3:17). Some paths may take longer, consist of small excursions, rest stops, and lots of road. Other paths may be on the express route. Ultimately, all paths lead to the same destination—a swim in the ocean of the divine—a complete immersion into God consciousness.

I would like to thank and acknowledge all those who supported me in writing this book—the spiritual helpers, family, and friends—as the book manifested from inspiration into physical form. I offer love, gratitude, and appreciation to my teacher and mentor, Kenna Saleh. There are not enough words to express all you have done for me. I would not be where I am today without your council, teaching, guidance, and love. Thank you for being with me through good times and bad, for your brilliant advice, and for being the source of the numerous pieces of channeled information appearing in this book.

I offer love, appreciation, and heartfelt gratitude to my friend Buddy, for holding my hand through the writing process, for your inspiration, support, encouragement and words of wisdom. I extend my gratitude to my soul sisters, Linda and Arielle, for your love, friendship, support, and encouragement. To James Tyberonn of Earth-Keepers, I offer sincere gratitude for your support, for sharing your sacred knowledge, your guidance, and for sparking the genesis of this book. I thank my editors, Moyra Irving, Jennifer Read Hawthorne, and Matthew at Lulu Press, who worked magic with the raw manuscript.

And I thank you for joining me on the path.

PART I

THE DEPARTURE

Oh lovers, where are you going? Who are you looking for?

Your beloved is right here. She lives in your own neighborhood.

Her face is veiled. She hides behind screens calling for you, while you search and lose yourself in the wilderness and the desert.

—Rumi

1

ENCOUNTER WITH THE ELDERS

Where the hero encounters a protective figure that provides the adventurer an amulet against the dragon-forces he will encounter.6

I once had a huge heart; it was full of sweetness, joy, wonder and adventure. That was prior to 1967, the year my young life abruptly changed thanks to a group of right-wing army officers who seized power in a coup d’etat, weeks before a scheduled election in Greece. My family left Greece amidst the ensuing political confusion for America. Upon arrival to the alien world of Washington D.C., my father assured us our stay would be temporary. The unlawful dictatorship cannot last long. World powers will intervene to run the fascists out of Greece.

Two years later, we continue to live in the suburbs of Washington D.C., amongst a community of immigrant Greeks. The Greek junta, led by Colonel Papadopoulos, remains in power. It has become notorious for torturing political prisoners and forbidding dissent and free speech; its drastic conservatism led to bans on miniskirts for women and long hair for men and on the writings of Aristophanes, William Shakespeare, and Anton Chekhov, among others. The regime is widely condemned by other Western countries, but is supported by the American government for its anticommunist stance.

Our immigrant community is a safety net, a protective bubble against the American culture encroaching upon us. Nostalgia for Greece, and a yearning for anything remotely Greek, keeps us close to our ethnic