I agree that embracing both the vast and particular can deepen spiritual understanding. Rumi said, "You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop." I am all that is and I am the particular expression and extension of all that is. That notion was contradictory and difficult for me to accept for a long time, and when I saw and accepted that I am all that is and am the particular, I was transformed, that is, my awareness of my being changed in a way that felt expanded and positive. What helps me accept all of me is seeing 'aspects' of me rather than 'parts' of me. There are no parts; all is one expressing in a zillion different ways. It also helps me to see all of me as me, as one whole, and not define some aspects of me as scruffy and other aspects as magnificent. It helps me to see some of me as somewhat known and the great majority of me as unknown.
On May 30, 2025 David Doane wrote :