Embracing the Transformative Power of the Beloved’s Subtle Presence
A Journey into Oblivion
Your shyness
Has melted me
Into oblivion
Life’s thundering pulse
Is now
A great calm
An intimate, radiant blush
Permeating all of me
as
You
John Harper
I was deeply immersed in the Beloved’s subtle, almost elusive presence when I wrote this poem. The “shyness” I mention isn’t a metaphor for timidity but speaks to the gentle, nearly invisible way the Ultimate Beloved makes itself known. The Beloved isn’t something that can be grasped or held onto—it’s elusive, slipping through the mind’s fingers, yet in that elusiveness, it begins to dissolve the barriers of the ego.
Dissolving the Self in Shyness
“Your shyness has melted me into oblivion” speaks to how the Beloved’s soft and subtle presence gradually melts away the sense of self. It’s not a forceful obliteration but a gentle unraveling, leaving nothing but the essence of being. The Beloved, in its magnetic radiance, is a force that quietly enters our lives, transforming us from within without any grand display or announcement.
When I write, “Life’s thundering pulse is now a great calm,” I refer to the transformative power of encountering the Beloved. The noise and chaos of everyday life—the constant rush of thoughts, emotions, and distractions—gradually give way to a profound stillness. This isn’t merely a peaceful feeling; it’s the stillness of truth, the quietude that comes from being in the presence of the heart’s true love, where the self dissolves, and all that remains is the calm of pure existence.
The Calm After the Storm
“An intimate, radiant blush permeating all of me with You,” expresses the depth of this connection. This isn’t a facial blush but one of deep, intimate joy that permeates every aspect of being, filling it with the presence of the Beloved. This connection is so intimate that the Beloved is suffusing every cell, thought, and breath.
In the Diamond Approach®, the Beloved is not merely a distant, spiritual concept but a profoundly intimate experience. It is the Ultimate Beloved of the heart, the true source of all longing, and the essence of our deepest spiritual yearnings.
All beloveds we encounter in life are reflections of this Ultimate Beloved, guiding us toward the deeper truth of who we are.
A. H. Almaas
The subtle and transformative nature of the Beloved quietly permeates our being, dissolving the self, and revealing the vastness of true nature.
The Radiant Blush of the Beloved’s Embrace
Mystics across traditions have long spoken of this elusive, shy nature of the Beloved.
The Beloved is shy, revealing only the hem of her gown.
Rumi
My Beloved is always with me—hidden in my heart.
Rabia Basri
This presence doesn’t just calm the storm within but also quietly melts away the barriers of the self, leaving only the purity of Being. The shyness of the Beloved is a reminder that the most profound spiritual experiences often come not in moments of mind-blowing revelation but in the quiet, subtle sighs of the heart.
If this reflection on the subtle power of the Beloved resonates with you, I invite you to go deeper into this mystery through my book, Love Loving Love: The Way of Wild Roses. It is not a book of answers, but a book of longing, surrender, and union—a contemplative unfolding into the Beloved’s presence.
Discover it here: Love Loving Love
John Harper is a Diamond Approach® teacher, Enneagram guide, and student of human development whose work bridges psychology, spirituality, and deep experiential inquiry. His newest book, Nurturing Essence: A Compass for Essential Parenting, invites parents to rediscover the soul beneath behavior. He is also the author of The Enneagram World of the Child: Nurturing Resilience and Self-Compassion in Early Life and Good Vibrations: Primordial Sounds of Existence, available on Amazon.