We Are Microcosms of the Divine

A Reflection on Original Blessing and Human Wholeness

If, as the Christian tradition suggests, we were made in the image of God, then perhaps we need to stop and ask what that actually means—and more importantly, what it implies.

It cannot merely mean we were once like God but lost it. For how do you lose the imprint of the one whose essence sustains you? If God is the source, and we emerged from that source, then we are, in whatever mysterious way, carriers of divine essence. That essence might be buried, misdirected, forgotten, or even denied—but it cannot be erased. What truly comes from the divine remains marked by the divine.

We are not only "from" God. We are, in a real and profound sense, microcosms of the divine.

This is not flattery. It is not delusion. It is not self-deification. It is simply a sober implication of the Genesis metaphor itself. If a thing is made in an image, the image must live within it, no matter how cracked the mirror becomes.

This is why I struggle deeply with the doctrine of original sin. Not just because of its theological baggage, but because of how it warps the human gaze—both inwardly and outwardly. It teaches people to view themselves as fallen before they see themselves as whole. It trains communities to look for guilt before they recognize glory. It builds entire systems of salvation not upon the memory of blessing, but upon the architecture of shame.

Yet when you read Genesis 1, what do you find? Not a curse, but a blessing. "And God saw that it was good." That was the first word about us. Not sin. Not unworthiness. Not alienation. Goodness. Wholeness. Worth.

We must learn to reclaim this foundation. Original blessing is the truer starting point of the human story, not original sin. And original blessing is not about denial of failure or naivety about evil; it is about remembering the root of our dignity so we can confront those realities from a place of strength, not chronic self-rejection.

If we are microcosms of the divine, it means that the energy, the creativity, the wisdom, and the moral impulse we so often assign to "God out there" also exist—albeit imperfectly—in here. In us. In you. In me. In the people we disagree with. In the children we dismiss. In the enemies we demonize.

Perhaps to differing degrees. Perhaps in various states of disconnection. But nevertheless, resident in all of us.

This is why the world cannot be healed by fixating on beliefs alone—especially not beliefs crafted, edited, and enforced by broken, power-hungry men across centuries. Doctrines alone will not save us. They have their place, but they are not the lifeblood of transformation.

If we truly are microcosms of the divine, then the path to wholeness is not through uniformity of dogma or spiritual gatekeeping. It is through the activation of divine potential in every human being, regardless of the religious label they wear—or do not wear.

It means that what makes the world whole is not obsessing over our theological differences or using metaphysical allegiances as litmus tests for moral worth. What makes the world whole is learning to harness our variety toward collective healing. If the divine is the source of all life, and we are all rooted in that source, then our uniqueness should not divide us—it should complete us.

We must begin to tell a different story. Not one in which humanity began damned and only survives by narrowly escaping God’s wrath through blood sacrifices and transactional faith. But one in which humanity carries the divine within it, often hidden, often distorted, but always there—waiting to be remembered, activated, and multiplied.

This is not heresy. It is honesty. It is the recovery of what so many religious frameworks have forgotten: that God did not put us here to grovel, but to grow; not to earn worth, but to express it; not to fear being human, but to awaken the divine within our humanity.

We are microcosms of the divine. And the sooner we begin to see one another through this lens, the sooner the world itself may become whole.

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FAQs We Are Microcosms of the Divine

What does it mean to say we are “microcosms of the divine”?

According to St Lucia Spirituality, saying we are microcosms of the divine means that God’s image is not something lost or only symbolic - it lives in us. Even when distorted, forgotten, or denied, that imprint sustains us. The idea isn’t self-deification but recognition: creativity, moral impulse, wisdom that people often assign to “God out there” also reside in every human being. This view shifts how we see ourselves, other people, and how we practice faith.

How does the doctrine of original blessing reshape our view of human dignity compared to original sin?

St Lucia Spirituality argues that original blessing rewrites the narrative: Genesis does not start with guilt or fall but the statement “God saw that it was good.” Blessing comes first. While original sin teaches innate unworthiness, blessing teaches inherent dignity. This informs how we treat ourselves and each other. When dignity is our starting point, compassion, forgiveness, and healing become natural rather than exceptional.

How can recognising the divine within all people change how we handle conflict, judgment, or difference?

According to St Lucia Spirituality, when we see others as carriers of the divine image - even imperfectly - it softens judgment and invites curiosity. It means resisting the temptation to define moral worth by doctrine or conformity. Instead we learn to hold differences with respect, recognize brokenness, and believe that everyone has something sacred. This mindset shifts conflict into possibility and separation into communion.

What practices help someone remember and activate their divine potential?

Per St Lucia Spirituality, practices include reflection on blessings rather than failures, meditative silence to become aware of what’s alive inside, acts of kindness that remind you of shared humanity, journaling about moments when you sensed dignity or purpose. Also reframing inner dialogue from “I must prove myself” to “I am image bearer” - this rewiring helps shift identity from shame to worth.

How does the idea “we are microcosms of the divine” affect how religion and spirituality are organized and lived out?

St Lucia Spirituality suggests this insight challenges faith systems that focus on guilt, exclusion, hierarchy, or rigid belief. When divine potential in each person becomes central, theology, ritual, community life begin to orient toward healing, inclusion, creativity, and justice, rather than pure rule-keeping. It calls communities to reject power games, to celebrate diversity, and to build spiritual practices that help people live into their dignity - not shrink from it.

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