Likeness First
The truth is a superpower. Telling the truth wields this power.
Telling the truth about the most important things is to enter the realm of the divine.
To be where the Divine is you must first say what He is saying, and before you say, you must meditate, and before that you must overcome offense to consider what you have not considered.
Although I am not a Christian, I often use Christian language because it is the wisdom tradition I came out of. Even though my message to the pillar of disgrace that is the sissy “Church” is one of rebuke to the white-washed tombs of rot, I honor the good they have done. I seek to stand on the shoulders of their goodness and the goodness of every wisdom tradition.
My mission is towards the infinite expanse of beauty, a journey towards love, something that prunes out the bad, throws it into the fire but remains in the same vine of the wise men, the vine of Abraham, the vine of the Bhagavad Gita, of Confucius and countless others.
I don’t want a new tradition to form, I abhor it. I want to honor the divine found within the beautiful souls who, through the millennia, sought and found the heart of love. I want to forcefully advance toward the God of whispers and storms. I sell what I own to buy the field where the ancient treasures are buried, and what I reap, I do not store in barns; I sow with eyes alert for fertile soil. I sow what each has sown with the words of my mouth, cutting and burning like a sword of fire, cutting and burning out the bad to make way for new wine.
When we say what God says, we are where He is. The more often we say the most important truths, the closer we are to God. There is nothing the Divine is saying more than words of love over everyone you see. My mission is for the first momentary impressions, attitudes, and thoughts toward everyone I ever see to be as close to the voice of the Divine as possible.
Our gut reaction to meeting a human eye should be filled with light and joy, filled with hope for where they are going, mercy for what they have been through, and a spirit of comradery if paths were ever to cross in kindred purpose. Our instinct when we see a soul should be love. Our inclination to every greeting, a royal encounter, honoring the likeness of the Divine. The first response of our heart should be leaping, erupting with love, with reverent duty to be who we are.
Similar to how supporting free speech is allowing someone you don’t like to say something you don’t like. A pure heart is a heart that is instinctually, immediately, and outrageous for those who, with a lesser vibration, would be scorned, hated, and filled with ill will. Yes, even towards those who slander and work to defeat you. If the first impression of your heart is to honor their likeness to the divine while also holding them to the account of your very own divinity… greatness awaits.
Putting others' likeness to the divine first among our considerations isn’t to deny self—most certainly not. This is the attitude of our heart that most aligns with self. The corrupted version of this form of honor is very common, this bastardized version is a doormat and whipping boy, it allows others’ brokenness to walk all over self.
Light travels from its source through self, then to others. If we diminish ourselves, we diminish our impact. There are no exceptions. None. Ever. EVER. This is the natural order of things.
The Divine —> Self —> Others
We often put a shade upon our great light. It takes immense courage to let light pass through us, it is far easier to keep it hidden away. We often keep the beauties we notice to ourselves, we rarely share our true feelings. We honor the fear of rejection over our vast potential to impact another with powerful words of light. Below is a quote reflecting on this lost impact.
“One of the greatest tragedies in life is that you will always be loved more than you will ever know. someone in class finds your presence inviting and warm, even if you’ve only ever exchanged a few words with them—maybe none at all. someone on the street loves your smile, and it gets them down the next few streets. someone you used to be friends with still wishes to fondly call your name. someone you used to be friends with five years ago would give anything to be in the same room as you today. someone who regularly comes into work is disappointed when you aren’t there to brighten their day. someone missed you today. someone noticed you were gone. someone loves you when you’re there; someone loves you when you’re nowhere to be found at all. you think you have always disappeared when you’re no longer in the picture, but you’ve never left the frame.” - Author unknown
In this life, there isn’t a day filled with journey that isn’t strengthened by the brightness of genuine encouragement. I hope I always speak the beauty I see out loud. I hope you do too.
Be good to yourself.
Then, as yourself, with heavenly charity, let yourself see the innate divinity of those around you, even those who wrong you and position themselves as your enemy. After you see, dare to say. Refuse to let that goodness end with you, magnify it.
Hold Tension, Be Vast.Remember, restoration alone brings victory.