The man and his wife [in the Garden of Eden] were unashamedly naked. ... Later [after eating the forbidden fruit], they heard the sovereign god walking in the garden in the evening. The man and his wife hid themselves ... among the trees... . But the sovereign god called to the man. He asked him, "Where are you?" And the man said, "I heard you in the garden. I was afraid because I was naked. So, I hid myself."
*Genesis 2.25; 3.8-10
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You are a revelation as much as any holy book or place. You are a breathing unveiling of splendorous Grace.
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My eyes moved through the books on the shelf at the used bookstore. I opened one. And opening, the words spoke resoundingly, "We long to expose ourselves." I felt the truth. The longing spoke through me. I tasted the bliss, the joy of exposure. Something deep within seemed to recall a native nakedness we humans have long covered in fear and shame. When did we learn to hide ourselves?
I see the return to "Eden" as the bliss of letting myself be seen, not with the eyes of matter but of spirit. To be open, naked, and seen is the deep yearning reverberating in all our false paths to intimacy with others and god.
Spirituality, then, is not about hiding to be safe from being seen but about coming out of hiding. This transformation does not mean trusting everyone or telling all, but this does mean being moved through the fear and shame into the naked revelation of who you are beyond and before the personel cover-up and letting others see you. Being seen means our seeing through the pretend game we were taught was the way to get love and approval... to get ahead in this world. And, by the way, religion, spirituality, and doing good for others can be as cosmetic as anything you might see as wrong, evil, or criminal.
Exposed, you do not need to try to be yourself or prove to anyone you are yourself, for you know you are, and that is enough. Those with eyes to see will see... the Light's grace shining through your grand, joyful presence. Do not try to be seen. Light does not try to shine - it shines, for it is light. Simply relax into the joy of be-ing.
This pertains to love. One could rightly ask, "What does this have to do with love?" Well, do you want an illusion of you to be loved? Or you? Would you not rather be loved than something you pretend to be to be loved? I prefer the risk of being exposed. Do you?
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse.
