Interpretation of the Twenty-Fourth Rule of Love

Rule Number 24 — The human being has a unique place among God’s creation. “I breathed into him of My Spirit,” God says. Each and every one of us without exception is designed to be God’s delegate on earth. Ask yourself, just how often do you behave like a delegate, if you ever do so? Remember, it falls upon each of us to discover the divine spirit inside and live by it.

– Shams Tabrizi, to Self

Context - This rule arises as Shams Tabrizi reflects on his spiritual journey and observes the immature notions people hold about the Divine and its functioning. He recalls this rule to emphasize that all human beings possess the same inherent potential as the Divine, though most have yet to realize it.

Interpretation within the Story - In this part of the narrative, Shams Tabrizi reflects on his journey and the various perspectives people have constructed about God. More often than not, we project our own nature onto the Divine. Our limitations, fears, and beliefs become the framework through which we imagine God operates. Whatever we assume about ourselves and our lives, we extend the same assumptions to the Divine.

In truth, the reality is the opposite. The Divine is limitless, and since we are created from that same source, it is only natural that we too carry that limitless potential. However, our deep sense of separation from the Divine prevents this understanding from taking root. We are meant to live as expressions of that boundless essence, yet we hesitate to accept such a role.

Deeper Interpretation Beyond the Story - Across various religions and cultures, there exists a common idea: that human beings are created in the image of God. This concept appears repeatedly, expressed in different languages and traditions.

This is what makes human birth so significant. A human being stands just one step away from the Divine. Through the long journey of evolution, much has already been accomplished, and what remains is the final leap into divine realization. This is what is implied when God says, “I breathed into him of My Spirit.”

If we are created in the likeness of the Divine, then it follows that we are meant to act in a divine manner. By shaping us in this way, the Divine has entrusted us with the role of its representative on earth.

Yet this is where the challenge arises. How many of us truly live in alignment with this divine responsibility? How many have consciously accepted this role? Instead of expressing this limitless potential, we impose our own restrictions upon the Divine, deciding what God can or cannot do.

“They say that God has created Man in his own image. The reality is opposite. Actually, the Man has created God in his own image.” - Osho

Time and again, it has been observed that we accept God as a creator and sustainer, but not as a destroyer. When a child is born and grows, we call it God’s blessing. But if that same life ends, most people find it difficult to accept that event as part of the Divine will. We assume that God is only capable of what we label as “good,” rejecting the possibility of what we perceive as “bad.” In doing so, we limit the Divine according to our own narrow understanding, whereas for the Divine, such dualities do not exist.

Therefore, when Shams Tabrizi speaks of being a delegate, it may also imply embracing all aspects of existence with the same acceptance that the Divine holds for creation.

In the final line of this rule, he conveys that living as a true delegate, and accepting life in its totality, becomes possible only when we realize the divinity within ourselves. Until that realization dawns, the sense of separation from the Divine prevents us from embodying a truly divine way of being.

Gratitude!!!