For those who seek perfection, the path can sometimes lead through difficult terrain – stony ground, or a desert perhaps, in which the only visible sign of life is our own trudging figure. What is worse, as we slog uncomfortably forward, sweating from the effort, we are keenly aware of our shortcomings. We want to go to the ‘One,’ to the Royal Court, but a journey always confronts the traveller with him or herself in one way or another, and the more we study our faults the less we can imagine our ragged, travel stained selves standing in the Presence of God. What to do? Giving up isn’t an option – we started this journey from a state of dissatisfaction, and we have passed no place along the way where we would want to stop – but neither does it seem possible to rid ourselves of our limitations, to wash ourselves of the stink of our self.

In his book called ‘Wisdom’ [The Hikam] the 13th century Sufi Ibn Ata’Allah al-Iskandari said, “Nothing can remove you from your human attributes other than witnessing His attributes.” If we stay on the human level, we can make valiant endeavours to refine ourselves, and to master the grossness of our nafs, as the Sufis call the ego or the personal identity, but it is only the smile of Divine Love, the clear and endless light of Wisdom, that can lift us up to the infinite.

It may appear that we are alone as we journey, but of course that cannot be the case. The Divine is omnipresent and all-pervading. We think we are alone because we do not recognise what we see. Therefore, we are offered various methods to help make ourselves familiar with Perfection, such as prayer, concentration on various divine qualities, and the living stillness of meditation. Those whoo recognise the value of their practices are truly blessed.

If we are feeling daunted by the journey, by the hard path that seems to extend all the way to infinity, it is a good moment to stop, let go of ourselves, and look for the Infinite in our own heart. Every sincere seeker will be answered. That is what the Master Jesus meant when he said, ‘Knock, and the door will be opened to you.” It is also what Hazrat Inayat Khan meant when he said, “Make God a reality, and He will make you the truth.”