Why say Namaste?

The fruit of the Spirit is within you.

You may have heard the word “Namaste” with greater frequency over the years, especially as Eastern, New Age, and New Thought beliefs have emerged in Western societies. Namaste is a Sanskrit word that literally means, “I bow to you.” When I first heard it, I was told it means “The divinity within me greets the divinity within you” and I think that’s how most people understand it.

I like “Namaste” because I actually believe God dwells within every one of us. Although the concept is from Hinduism, the idea is near-universal. Even the Christian Bible supports the idea that God is our essence.

John 4:24 says, “God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Genesis 1:26 says, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.”

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9) begins with “Our Father.” Emmet Fox writes,

“Note that this clause which fixes the nature of God at the same time fixes the nature of man, because if man is the offspring of God, he must partake of the nature of God, since the nature of the offspring is invariably similar to that of the parent. It is a cosmic law that like begets like. It is not possible that a rosebush should produce lilies, or that a cow should give birth to a colt. The offspring is and must be of the same nature as the parent; and so, since God is Divine Spirit, man must essentially be Divine Spirit too, whatever appearances may say…