Yol II

The wayfarer makes their intention to take upon themselves the practice of ‘the purification of the self’. Having acknowledged/recognized their call to ‘the path’, the heart/mind is steadily conditioned to bear the weight of one’s vows and the relentless conflict with the desires and temptations that test the human being. The subtle impulses and habits of our life prior to ‘the path’ are carefully analyzed, and our most apparent and grievous sins are identified. They’re unveiled for what they are, not of our nature, but outside phenomena that infiltrate the heart/mind by manipulating the organs of the body through our basic instincts. The ego creates intricate webs of delusion, and in the beginning the wayfarer will find it incredibly difficult to identify their sins and the temptations that lead to them, as the ego attempts to remain ahead of the wayfarer’s progress. In one moment the wayfarer will see their sin clearly, and in shame turn toward God in repentance, but after a brief time they suddenly find themselves justifying/rationalizing their sin. This is where the ego offers the wayfarer concessions, and appeases their shame through consolation. This is a normal experience and how must people cope with sin, in that time heals the wounds of guilt and allows us to come to terms with the consequences of our actions and the damage they have done. For the wayfarer however, they who have committed themselves in body and spirit to ‘the path’, to purify the self entirely and be remade by His names and virtues, there can be no such compromise.

Through diligence and devotion, eventually the wayfarer will get ahead of their ego. Once they are capable of identifying not merely the sin, but the process of the sin through its temptation and its justification/rationalization by the ego the wayfarer will truly begin making progress. They have now not merely understood themselves as a sinner and in need of repentance, but also that sin is not of their nature, but a manipulation of their corporeal form. The human being is what they are by the gift of the breath of their Lord, our nature is our soul whose origin is in the absolute oneness of God. The wayfarer now understands the nature of the struggle against the ego, of their position within a world designed for their testing and not their pleasure, yet beautified when the presence of God is amplified through the redemption of His most beloved creation.