The Power of Essence

August 30, 2023

Essence is the intrinsic quality of something. As individual humans, our essence is made up of the indispensable attributes of our innermost being, our soul. Our essence is that which remains after we peel away the layers of the false self. Our essence is our true nature.

Everyone’s essence is unlike any other because our souls are a unique combination of various divine and essential aspects. In the language of the Spirituality of the Enneagram, our soul qualities are the spiritual attributes we were born with that develop as our soul matures. All soul qualities are universal and have different names depending on the faith, but all major faith pathways have the same array of soul qualities.

For example, mercy is a soul quality in Christianity. In Judaism, the soul quality of mercy is rachum (rekhum) which encompasses compassion, mercy and forgiveness. In Islam, many words refer to mercy, such as rahma, raheem, rauf, hanan, kareem. In Buddhism, the concept of mercy is karuna. In Chinese Buddhism, it is guan yin. The Native American Creek Nation’s word for mercy is Adadolisdi.

Our essences are not distinguishable or described by nationalities, ethnicities or religions. The soul is more profound than any of these. Love is the all-encompassing essence of humanity, but we have yet to reach a critical mass of us who realize this.

Inquiry: What are the qualities of your essence?

Dear God,

I am moved that our essences come from you. We are your children. Amen.

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