Recognizing Our Innate Perfection

 

 

Our divine perfection – not registered by the physical eye but only by the heart’s knowing – is who we truly are. Our mortal imperfections – registered by the physical senses – are not who we truly are. Yet we keep trying, in love, to find each other’s perfection within the world of imperfection. And it simply is not there.

-          Marianne Williamson

 

The very idea that we are whole and perfect in and as who we are tends to upset some people.  We have been conditioned to think of ourselves as flawed, subject to “original sin” or victims of random genetic mutation.  In terms of psychoanalysis we are inherently driven by lust and aggression.  In our competitive society we are always comparing ourselves to one another, envious of another’s success and anxious about our own.  Sometimes we connect with someone on a deeper level, but even then we tend to mistake their form for their essence. 

The place to start though is not by trying recognize someone else’s inherent perfection but accepting one’s own.  There are so many layers of judgment, expectation, criticism and self-condemnation that we heap upon ourselves that it requires some serious effort to learn to love ourselves as we are.  We certainly are not raised to believe in our innate self-worth.

I was raised in a Catholic household and started going to confession at age seven.  I remember thinking that it would be great if I got killed in an accident immediately following confession before my sinful nature caused me to mess up again.  Public school wasn’t any better.  I was constantly criticized for my behavior and this was reinforced by my parents when I got home.  I tried sports but was mediocre at best.  I loved art and got some recognition for my talents but never felt they were truly good enough.

Of course my story is similar to everyone else.  We are judged and criticized for our behavior, grades, looks, abilities and more.  We end up feeling like we are never quite good enough or truly worthy of love and respect.  We learn to judge and criticize ourselves in order to beat others to the punch.  We believe that we need to perform and achieve in order to be worthy of our existence. 

This whole idea of unworthiness is a game we’ve learned to play in our minds.  We were born worthy as expressions of universal life-energy.  There is never a moment when we are not loved and appreciated as children of God.  We are beings of love, loving and lovable.  It is the lies of the world that have given us this notion of unworthiness.  Spirit doesn’t consider whether we are worthy or unworthy, doesn’t judge or condemn.

When one lets go of self-judgment, comparison and condemnation, one is truly able to love without lust, anger, jealousy, etc.  Self-love is the entrance way into realization of one’s true nature, one’s innate perfection. 

The best way to begin is to develop the ability to witness oneself.  Instead of identifying with thoughts, feelings, or sensations we can learn to be aware of them.  Instead of believing our thoughts about ourselves we can learn to observe them simply as thoughts.  Instead of being overwhelmed by our emotions we can experience and release them.  We have been taught to feel guilty about our negative mental states: desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy.  If we face them, however, with open awareness they are transformed and actually bring us back to our essential nature as beings of love.

When we start to let go of the core belief of our unworthiness we start to glimpse our innate perfection.  Everyone experiences negative mental states from time to time.  They are part of nature.  However we don’t have to let them define or control us.  Nor do we have to fight and suppress them.  Instead we can simply observe them as they arise within us and let them be transformed through awareness. 

If we pay attention to life around us we notice that murderers, thieves, addicts can be transformed through grace and that wealthy, successful, beautiful people can be inwardly quite miserable.  The outward appearance of things is deceiving.  Underneath it all is just the perfect wholeness of being expressing in its infinite variety.  We are never not whole.  Each and every one of is God in disguise.