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 When you have a deep respect for someone or something, you have Reverence for it.

This deep respect is a sum total of many emotions. It has admiration, esteem and awe; there is an aspect of devotion in it and more than a tinge of worship. You look up to that person or thing; you feel blessed to be able to offer your admiration to them, not the other way round.

When someone or something becomes your Highest Reverence, that someone or something become your guiding light. There is nothing as important to you as the object of your Reverence. All you are, your values and your person, is expressed through that, which you revere.

Reverence is a gift granted to an entity other than yourself. At least, that is the common perception and practice. We are taught self- deprecation in the name of humility; self- doubt in the name of modesty. We are taught to place our Reverence outside ourselves- and more. We are taught that if we feel even a trace of Reverence for our own person; for our opinions, thoughts and choices; we are pure evil.

A bigger joke was never perpetrated on humanity!

A noble soul has reverence for itself.

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

 

In the absence of Reverence for self, you flounder sans oars and rudder, as you hurtle down the river of life in your little boat. You have no confidence in your ability to take decisions. You dare not trust your own judgment. When a crisis comes, you are frozen with fear. You have no idea what to do. You wait for instructions.

Everything your intuition suggests to you, seems like the worst course of action. You shut the tinny voice of your inner wisdom, you reject the guidance of your own experiences. Petrified of making a mistake and inciting the wrath of the omniscient others, you do nothing at all. There you sit, shivering with terror and dread, while your world crumbles to dust around you.

The best of opinion is reserved to others. They deserve all your respect and admiration. They have the right to all your awe and devotion. As long as it is not you (the definition of others), anything and everything goes. The Good is everything that is NOT YOU. The thought is bewildering and repugnant to me.

Let parents then bequeath to their children not riches but the spirit of reverence.

~ Plato

Life is not a cheap bauble to throw away irreverently. All life deserves your Reverence- including your own. You cannot let the magnificent fact of your existence pass you by, untouched by the light of your own awe and wonder. There might be billions of people on earth, but there is just one you. You are inimitable. Everything about you is unique, exclusive and unrepeatable. No one has a soul like yours, or fingerprints, or life experiences.

Self-Reverence, self- knowledge and self- control; these three alone can lead one to sovereign power.

~ Alfred Tennyson

Imagine the trouble the whole universe went through to bring you to where you are today- a journey exclusive and unique to you- custom designed only for you. Imagine the universe fussing over you like a protective mother, making sure you walk the paths you were meant to walk. Imagine it ensuring that you are given the resources and the companions you most need at any point of your journey.

What is all this for? Is it so you can turn around and say that your person is worthless and undeserving of respect, love, admiration and Reverence?! Can you imagine anything more cheeky- and offensive?

When the Masters recommended that you Love thy neighbor as thyself, they cleverly ensured that you’d first love yourself and then, using that as a model, love others.

It is the same with Reverence.

May you appreciate the wonder that you are and the miracle of all creation.

~ Charlene Costanzo