Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value.
Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures…
~ Baha'u'llah ~
Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures…
~ Baha'u'llah ~
Know Thyself I: Toward the Angelic Nature
Discovering the innate potential and the dual nature of the human being.
Dear Ones,
This series of articles on self-knowledge is offered as a set of simple educational tools — mirrors and practical guides for the recognition of our own potential, the potential of our children, and that of others. They invite us to recognize more clearly the innate nobility of the human soul, to understand the dual nature we all carry, and to learn how to orient our tendencies toward the light.
In the quiet unfolding of our spiritual journey, one truth returns again and again with gentle insistence: the human being is created noble. Yet this nobility is not a finished state. It is a potential — luminous, intact, and waiting to be revealed, like a star whose full radiance is veiled until the darkness has completely fallen.
Abdu'l-Baha teaches us that man possesses three kinds of character: the innate, the inherited, and the acquired.The innate character, bestowed by God, is purely good. In it there is no evil. Differences exist only in degree — some capacities are greater, some lesser — yet all are excellent in their own station.
These differences of degree, far from being imperfections, form part of the rich diversity that God has willed for humanity — a diversity that, like the varied flowers of a garden, enhances beauty and makes possible the complementary roles needed in the life of society.
At the first creation of the human race, this innate perfection extended even to the physical and psychological realms. Everything was perfectly calibrated, like a harp freshly tuned by the hand of the Creator. Over the generations, however, through the accumulation of inherited weaknesses, imperfect education, and the misuse of free will, these outer aspects have known progressive degradation. The spiritual essence itself has never been corrupted; only the instruments through which it expresses itself have been affected.
The inherited character comes through the physical and psychological constitution transmitted by our parents.
The acquired character is shaped by education, environment, and the experiences of life.
Here lies the dual nature of which the Writings so often speak.
Man stands at the frontier between light and shadow. He has an angelic side and an animal side.Every energy given to us is good in its essence. As Abdu'l-Baha explains:The need to nourish the body is good; excess turns it into gluttony. The capacity for anger can serve justice when rightly directed, yet becomes destructive when misused. What appears as a failing is often only a river that has left its rightful bed. The same water that can irrigate a garden and make it bloom can, if it overflows its banks, flood the land and bring ruin. The force itself was never evil — only its course was lost.
Otherwise, we are not always responsible for the burdens we carry. Heredity, early education, subtle influences at birth — these may color our temperament long before free will can fully exercise itself. Yet once consciousness awakens, a sacred responsibility begins: to know ourselves; to recognize both our innate potential and our innate limitations, and to orient them toward the light.
This knowledge of self is not a cold analysis. It is an act of compassion. For the first enemy we are called to love and to pray for is often ourselves — that part of us still marked by inherited tendencies, by imperfect education, by the lower nature that seeks the easier path.
To see with the eyes of God rather than with purely human eyes is to behold, behind every distortion, the noble essence that has never been extinguished. It is to look upon our children, our parents, and ourselves with the same patient tenderness, knowing that each soul is progressing according to its own measure and its own mysterious destiny. Education — especially spiritual education — remains the great key. It does not change the essence, yet it exerts a tremendous influence.Thus the journey of self-knowledge becomes a journey of hope. We study our tendencies not to be imprisoned by them, but to free the angelic nature that has always been waiting within — like a bird that has never forgotten the sky.
In the quiet unfolding of our spiritual journey, one truth returns again and again with gentle insistence: the human being is created noble. Yet this nobility is not a finished state. It is a potential — luminous, intact, and waiting to be revealed, like a star whose full radiance is veiled until the darkness has completely fallen.
Abdu'l-Baha teaches us that man possesses three kinds of character: the innate, the inherited, and the acquired.
As to the innate character, although the divine creation is purely good, yet the varieties of natural qualities in man come from the difference of degree; all are excellent, but they are more or less so, according to the degree.
These differences of degree, far from being imperfections, form part of the rich diversity that God has willed for humanity — a diversity that, like the varied flowers of a garden, enhances beauty and makes possible the complementary roles needed in the life of society.
At the first creation of the human race, this innate perfection extended even to the physical and psychological realms. Everything was perfectly calibrated, like a harp freshly tuned by the hand of the Creator. Over the generations, however, through the accumulation of inherited weaknesses, imperfect education, and the misuse of free will, these outer aspects have known progressive degradation. The spiritual essence itself has never been corrupted; only the instruments through which it expresses itself have been affected.
The inherited character comes through the physical and psychological constitution transmitted by our parents.
The acquired character is shaped by education, environment, and the experiences of life.
Here lies the dual nature of which the Writings so often speak.
Man stands at the frontier between light and shadow. He has an angelic side and an animal side.
He has the animal side as well as the angelic side, and the aim of an educator is to so train human souls that their angelic aspect may overcome their animal side.
It follows therefore that in existence and creation there is no evil at all, but that when man’s innate qualities are used in an unlawful way, they become blameworthy.
Otherwise, we are not always responsible for the burdens we carry. Heredity, early education, subtle influences at birth — these may color our temperament long before free will can fully exercise itself. Yet once consciousness awakens, a sacred responsibility begins: to know ourselves; to recognize both our innate potential and our innate limitations, and to orient them toward the light.
This knowledge of self is not a cold analysis. It is an act of compassion. For the first enemy we are called to love and to pray for is often ourselves — that part of us still marked by inherited tendencies, by imperfect education, by the lower nature that seeks the easier path.
To see with the eyes of God rather than with purely human eyes is to behold, behind every distortion, the noble essence that has never been extinguished. It is to look upon our children, our parents, and ourselves with the same patient tenderness, knowing that each soul is progressing according to its own measure and its own mysterious destiny. Education — especially spiritual education — remains the great key. It does not change the essence, yet it exerts a tremendous influence.
Through education the ignorant become learned; the cowardly become valiant. Through cultivation the crooked branch becomes straight; the acid, bitter fruit of the mountains and woods becomes sweet and delicious; and the five-petaled flower becomes hundred-petaled.
With these sacred realities held close to heart, we warmly invite you to continue this sacred journey of self-knowledge.
Discovering the innate potential and the dual nature of the human being.
KNOW THYSELF II: Our Cosmic Birthprint
Exploring the subtle imprint received at birth and key tools of self-knowledge.
KNOW THYSELF III: Our Spiritual Imprint
Understanding free will, predestination, and the unique measure assigned to every soul.
KNOW THYSELF IV: Spiritual Parenting
Accompanying the child’s unique tendencies with wisdom, patience, and divine guidance.
KNOW THYSELF V: Children’s Resources
Practical tools to nurture the innate potential and support the unfolding of the angelic nature.…
... another step toward our angelic nature.
Be wonderfully blessed,
Loesha
Share this page...