The Face of the Beloved

That's what would really work for me - to share when/where/how we've been able to SEE the Face of the Beloved.

O. Responded:
Just practice looking for it, make a habit of being aware of it. The more you practice, the more you'll see it. It's everywhere.<<

I don't disagree with you. But depending on what the particular "mask" or "veil" happens to be, this practice can be difficult, and that's where the value of sharing our experiences comes in, I believe.

It's when the "mask" or "veil" is fierce, unpleasant, horrid, terrifying, and devastating, that we are tested (K14) as to our TRUE ability to "discern"(K6). It is in the crucifixion of the flesh that all the platitudes, quaint aphorisms, and all other faulty props fall away (K13), and we are left with our ONE support (K12) which either sustains us or leaves us crushed (as a lesson too, no doubt).

It's when we are stripped naked, and must face the fierce and terrifying Dragon with nothing else but what we've got inside of ourselves, that we are forged or broken upon the anvil. It's these trials (and other trials even more subtle) that separate the Initiated (K14) from the novices, and from the pretenders with quick wits and smooth tongues...

=============

Q.  wrote:
I submit that the challenge in life is as you say to "see through" ALL the masks not just the ones that give the appearance of being "distasteful."
====

Agreed!

It's through the "pretty" masks that the most subtle tests of discrimination come....

jc

============

Thank you O.,

I think that's an Excellent practice.

Do you think there is value in sharing our intuitive experiences of this awareness of the face behind the mask, or is this "awareness" something entirely subjective, and thus best kept to ourselves?

It is and has been my suggestion, that if we don't share the VERIFICATION side of the work with each other, then we'll just be exchanging abstractions, where obtuseness gets confused with profundity.

JC

===