Day 2
Image and Likeness
There is no separation between us and God we are divine expressions of the creative principle we contain the potential for everything within us.
Shakti Gawain
You may have heard the phrase, We have been made in the image and likeness of the creator. What does it mean to be made in the creator s image and likeness? It means that each of us has the power of creation. We each are the creators of our own lives and co-creators of the universe. How could this possibly be true? And if it is true how does it work?
It all starts with consciousness. Reality is based upon consciousness. Consciousness is the creator of reality as well as the experiencer of that reality. As conscious beings we participate in reality and participate in its creation.
Consciousness requires two entities the observer and the observed. Without the perspective created by this relationship there could be no consciousness.
The other is the mirror in which we see ourselves. Without this mirror we could never know ourselves. Eastern cultures call this principle yin and yang . All things in our reality save the prime creator are subject to this principle. It is the principle of opposites.
The prime creator created the universe by establishing the principle of opposites. Before this principle there was only one . One represents unity and wholeness. It also represents undifferentiation -- lack of perspective -- and therefore lack of consciousness.
Before creating duality the prime creator could only have a limited consciousness of him/herself because s/he could not observe herself. The primary and most fundamental act of creation was the creation of the other or of duality. The purpose of this creative act was for the prime creator to know and experience himself in ways that were not possible in the state of unity and undifferentiated wholeness.
All of creation (including the other ) is part of the prime creator it could not be otherwise. All of reality including the illusion of duality is part of the whole -- part of the original unified body of the creator.
The nature of opposites is that they are two parts of the same whole. The easiest way to understand this is to think of a magnet. Magnets have two poles -- north and south. Each pole is the opposite of the other but they are both part of the same magnet. They could not exist separately. They can only exist in relationship to each other and as part of the one magnet.
It is the same for all opposites male/female, hot/cold, good/bad, light/dark, night/day, long/short, up/down, in/out, happy/sad. One cannot exist without the other. They only exist in relationship to each other. They can only be defined and understood in relationship to each other. Therefore, they are both part of the same whole.
Christ said love your enemies . Why? Because your enemy is part of you. He is your opposite and therefore a reflection of you. Your enemy teaches you about yourself. You and your enemy are both part of the same whole. By hating your enemy you are actually hating yourself.
The creator created us in her image and likeness . What does this mean? First of all s/he could not do otherwise because everything that exists is part of the prime creator and therefore a direct reflection of some part of her nature.
But in our case, s/he also gave us the gift of consciousness and not only the gift of consciousness but also the gift of self consciousness. That means we are aware of our own consciousness. We can observe ourselves and we can observe our own consciousness. Just like the prime creator -- we can experience ourselves.
Even more importantly -- we can direct our own consciousness. That is -- we can choose what we will be conscious of. We can decide where we will focus our consciousness. This is in fact the most fundamental basis of our power of creativity -- free will, the ability to decide where to direct our consciousness.
How does free will work? Simple. Try this little experiment -- What are you thinking about right now? Observe your thoughts now decide to think about something different maybe a vacation you are planning maybe a loved one ... maybe a problem you have been trying to solve whatever.
You just changed what you were thinking. By changing what you were thinking, you changed your consciousness. By selecting what you would think about you used your free will.
At the same time that you changed what you were thinking, you also created something. You created an idea. Ideas are very important. All of creation starts with ideas.
The prime creator gave us consciousness. S/he also gave us self-consciousness. And finally he gave us free will. These are the same creative powers he has. The same powers he used to create the universe. The same powers he uses to experience the universe and to know himself.
The prime creator created us in his image and likeness what does this mean? It means we too have the power to be conscious and to direct our consciousness. It means we too have the power to create our own lives and our own universe through the choices we make with our consciousness.
We have the power to know ourselves through self-consciousness. We have the power to know that we are both separate from and part of the same reality -- separate from and part of our environment -- separate from and part of our enemies. We can know that we are both separate from and part of the prime creator.
We can choose the form of our separation based upon how we choose to use our consciousness. By doing so, we create new realities for ourselves and others for ourselves and the whole.
Exercise Day 2:
Let s focus for a minute on the choices you have been making for yourself. How do you see yourself? How do you choose to see yourself? Your family, friends and surroundings are a mirror of the choices you have made for yourself. Select some element of your life to describe your personality your family your friends your living environment your job etc. On this and the next page, write down a brief description of that element and analyze what it tells you about choices you have made so far in life:
About Me
Analysis of My Choices
Next: Day 3 - Get The Idea?
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