“Withdraw into yourself and look. And if you do not find yourself beautiful yet, act as does the creator of a statue that is to be made beautiful.” — Plotinus, Enneads, I.6.9, “On Beauty”
Modern theological formulation often emphasizes grace as unmerited Divine favor. In an esoteric sense, grace is the Divine introduction of perspective, revealing the Truth of one’s actions and opening the way toward personal internal change, and self-realization. Grace is the chance at a spiritual initiation into a higher level of conscious awareness. This is the spiritual evolution of the soul, and for the self-led spiritual aspirant the Divine introduces grace by way of perspective, not external salvation.
Esoterically, grace is an expansion of consciousness. That expansion gives us the perception necessary to recognize our own participation in our circumstances. This recognition catalyzes personal responsibility, which is a necessary component of spiritual development.
For the spiritual initiate, grace is not the forgiveness of “sins” as this forgiveness eludes the point of meaningful spiritual practice, which is the invigoration of soul transformation. The illusion of forgiveness from a higher power can actually be contradictory to growth. Many religious worshippers take actions which they know go against their greater Divine wellbeing, and yet do it anyway because they plan to “confess and be forgiven.”
This type of spiritual practice is equivalent to a grade-school detention and works well if that is the level of consciousness one is attempting to cultivate. The simple formula of: Action → Guilt → Confession → Absolution will continue indefinitely unless the individual has a change of consciousness. The individual must find their way out of this cycle of ignorance and change their internal state.
This change in one’s internal state is brought about by flashes of (earned) perspective which are orchestrated by Providential forces. Our efforts of self-reflection and spiritual practices can be likened to the weeding of the garden of our minds, so that when these Providential events occur, we are able to perceive them. In this way, we are neither purchasing nor bargaining for spiritual perspective, but we are doing the necessary preparatory work. Or, to reference the Plotinus quote at the beginning of this article, we are working to beautify our internal space so that it is fit to house Divinity.
The spiritual aspirant must commit to two things: Themselves and the Divine. This commitment to one’s self-growth is the piece of the puzzle which renders the aforementioned formula obsolete. Commitment to personal excellence will eventually free the aspirant from the tendency to engage in spiritually hurtful actions. But one must first cultivate awareness, which leads to the ability to discern which actions are actually hurting them. Because often we are truly unaware of what is holding us back in life, demonstrated by the fact that if we did know, it would no longer be holding us back. It is either this ignorance, or internal weakness which keeps us performing actions which we know are harmful, yet do not have the necessary strength of Will with which to break free.
This is why Will and consciousness must be cultivated simultaneously, as the knowledge of change is nothing without the ability to act on it.
Providence ensures that those who have cultivated a certain quantity of spiritual gravitas through their own Will and spiritual practices will receive the “grace” that is the realization of personal circumstance. It is a widening of one’s viewpoint, and a new internal revelation.
This revelation does not “save” the aspirant, rather, it provides the perspective necessary to change their actions, cultivate greater spiritual gravitas, and move consciously toward self-realization. For the spiritual aspirant whose goal it is to move beyond grade-school, grace is earned through spiritual fortitude rather than received as a free gift.
Close up of Gerhardt Wilhelm von Reutern’s Girl in Historical Costume With a Casket, German 1836
The reason this is not widely practiced, and is sometimes even discouraged, is because radical responsibility for oneself is a key which most do not want to hold. It is much simpler to look outward for the source of our circumstances than to turn inward and examine the changes that may be required of us. We see this tendency everywhere, in the ways individuals and groups rally around external causes while overlooking the transformations that must occur within. The impulse to change the world around us can be powerful, but lasting spiritual development ultimately requires the willingness to change oneself.
The fingers which point everywhere but to one’s own heart deplete the individual as this finger-pointing action is one of willful energetic leaking. It is like a magical wand that removes all of one’s agency, power, and ability to make the personal changes that are necessary to reach higher levels of awareness.
New levels of awareness are always available, waiting to be realized by those who accept the secret of self-responsibility. We are each our own devil and our own Divine, and this is one reason why religious groups sever over time, as illustrated by the extravagant amount of denominations of popular religions.
On some level, our human need for direct contact with the Divine is felt, and so schisms occur within large religious institutions when one individual personally disagrees with the practices and, instead of transforming as an individual, they seek to change the entire establishment and create a new denomination. This severing action often times depletes the mystical components which live beneath the original exoteric mass-teachings, and thus the newer versions become very diluted, with teachings based upon fear and frenzied emotionalism.
For the spiritual aspirant, awareness is always preferable to ignorance, even though the fleeting bliss of ignorance is candy to the human ego. Everlasting spiritual development, however, can only be achieved through awareness and this sort of fulfillment is akin more to a satisfying and nourishing meal rather than a quick treat. It is also the ability to continue to feed oneself, over and over, with no dependency on outside sources.
About the cover image: L’Apothéose d’Hercule (The Apotheosis of Hercules) by François Lemoyne (1736), painted on the ceiling of the Salon d’Hercule at the Palace of Versailles, France. A monumental allegory of ascension to the Divine, featuring 142 figures across an expansive celestial composition.
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