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Have you ever met someone at a party, been introduced to a person at a meeting, or bumped into somebody at the grocery store and felt sure that, in some way, you already knew them? There was something immediately comfortable and familiar about them. Was it their face, or their voice? Perhaps it was the way they held your gaze, or your hand as they shook it "hello." Whatever the reason, they had inspired a warm, inviting feeling in you – like the stir of a fond memory – and you were immediately drawn in – intrigued. Meeting them had left you wanting more of them; for they fed your soul in a most curious and delightful way.

The power of "familiarity" is legendary. From great lovers, to great politicians, to great entertainers we are witness to its ability to move us. For better or worse, life is a popularity contest. Lovers are won over; business deals are sealed; elections clinched, and history is made – the world’s fate turns on this elusive, most intangible thing called intimacy.

Curiously, the fact that it is both elusive and intangible is key to our understanding the nature of intimacy and learning to harness its power. The secret to creating intimacy lies in what might best be called our common invisible "fabric," our mutual Source. Intimacy is the fleeting experience of connection created by a momentary recollection, acceptance, and communication of who and what we essentially are – deeply and universally. Because it is based in non-physical or metaphysical truth, the feeling of belonging - of union - proves short-lived, and must continuously be remembered and renewed, moment-by-moment. Intimacy is an energetic language based in what is most absolutely and mutually true. It cannot be learned, only remembered.

Meditation can be a direct link to creating intimacy. When we meditate we fix our attention on our breath or mantra. Forsaking our thoughts and feelings, we immerse ourselves in the experience thus created - union with Self. By taking this skill out of the meditation setting and into the world we may create union with "other." The other person becomes the mantra, the point on which we focus all of our attention. All thought and feeling fades into the background. The world, with the exception of this one "other" melts away. We are left with an adulterated connection - intimacy.