Transformed into that Image

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, 
even as by the Spirit of the Lord.  --Paul, 2 Corinthians 3:18

Dear Friends,

We are exploring the miracle of transformation into that which we behold.  

All our lives, we retain some measure of the childhood genius that can learn any language effortlessly and perfectly within a few years of birth.  As children, we had no choice about what we met.  As adults, it is up to us to turn our impressionability toward models of our own choosing.  And while it is not quite so effortless as the child's gesture, we do want to investigate closely what kind of intention, what kind of doing, is involved.

When Paul writes here about beholding "with open face" or uncovered face, he is referring to an episode in Exodus 34:29-25.  There, Moses returned to the community after talking to God, and he had to cover his face because even the reflected radiance it bore was too brilliant for the people to endure.  Paul promises that now we can all bear the light, the multidimensional beauty of existence, as directly as Moses did.  Even if we have to go slowly, by stages -- transformed from glory to glory.

So what does it take to be "uncovered" in this sense, intentionally innocent enough to open ourselves directly to the light without disappearing?  

It has to do with appreciating our own light, first, and that of the various communities to which we belong, including the light of the earth itself (For his transformative conversations, Moses removed his shoes so that his feet would directly touch the sacredness of the earth)  -- appreciating our darkness too, and so bringing all of ourselves to the encounter.

We'll go slowly, by stages, releasing our inhibitions against the good (unworthiness, doubt, confusions), as we give ourselves permission to move deeper and deeper into the very source, and so become it.

with love,

Michael