Do Not Judge a Book by its Cover

Listening to the radio the other day, I heard an interesting talk on the theme `Do not judge a book by its cover`. I think one of the really positive things which is emerging in this age of Aquarius is a greater acceptance of `the many different ways of being` and a deeper understanding of variations from what has been considered the right way to be, to act or to look!

However, it is still all too easy to judge things by their outer appearance, or coloured by our own experience, our upbringing, religious conditioning from childhood and the culture in which we live. I notice this myself, and keep working on it! When we pass on, I think we are still bound in many ways to old restrictive patterns of thought, and it can take a while and considerable effort to free ourselves, as we shed the numerous layers of the old life, to reveal the sparkling jewel within.

A little while ago I was talking with a friend about the beautiful precious jewel - a ruby - and how much this stone meant to me. Amazingly, he showed me a ruby he had in its original form, encased in a brown stone-like substance, not beautiful at all, but what a treasure lay inside, similar to the finding of a beautiful pearl in a rough oyster shell! I thought of this as I listened to the radio talk. I also remembered Mother Theresa`s inspiring words about how, as she worked with the old, sick and destitute people she sought to help, how she always saw Christ in every soul, no matter their outer appearance.

The White Eagle teaching is full of inspiring words encouraging the reader not to judge in any way. One of my favourite passages is in The Quiet Mind and has the title `Respect your brother`: 'The true light is a gentle love which, rising in you, causes you to look on the world with understanding and compassion and respect. When you respect the soul of your brother or sister you respect their life in every way. This gentle spirit, this respect one for another, must come. For this is the generation of the one true light, and this true light is that of love.'