Spiritual masters are called BOTH to reveal their flaws, AND to show the tools they've discovered for transforming those flaws.

Our flaws generally involve the over-expression of one side of our personality.  For example, we may be oversensitive, over-aggressive, or overly focused on the sexual aspect of our being or on the things that make us angry. We may have a tendency to engage in action to the detriment of contemplation, or vice versa. The traditional model of religious perfection treats the spiritual master as someone who has already overcome all of their flaws, and who is now perfect - or at least close to perfect.

However, recent history is filled with cases of spiritual teachers who eventually reveal their clay feet.  A hidden affair, sex with their disciples, a penchant for materialism, or a drive to lord it over others are examples of some of the flaws that suddenly reveal themselves.  The result is often disillusionment on the part of their disciples, or a general skepticism regarding religion for those who don't consciously see themselves on a spiritual journey.

I believe that a new model is needed in our time.  Rather than acting as though all of their flaws have been overcome, spiritual masters should be open to revealing some of the ways in which they are still untransformed, AND the practices and tools they use to overcome their flaws.  Martin Luther used the phrase "Simul iustus et peccator," which means "simultaneously righteous and a sinner."  While I don't agree with Luther's view that the human core is innately sinful, and that "righteousness" consists in having this sinfulness covered by Christ's sacrifice as though by a mere cloak, I do resonate with the sense that we are always righteous (at our core) AND flawed (in the sense that we do not always live up to who we are at our core), BOTH at the same time.

Some early Christian writers -  Irenaeus of Lyon being a notable example - made a distinction between the IMAGE of God that dwells within our essential core, and our LIKENESS to that image, which manifests itself in our actual behavior on a day-to-day basis.  Here, these writers discovered hidden meaning in a passage included in the first chapter of Genesis, where the author says that we are made "in the image and likeness of God."  Irenaeus translates "likeness" as "likening" - a verb - thereby emphasizing the realization that we are always working to actualize - in practice, through the "likening" - the essence of who we really are; that is,  the "image."  In other words, we continually seek to become more "like" the core image in our everyday attitudes and actions.  I would add the fact that since our divine core is infinite, we will be FOREVER in process, working on expressing the richness of that core in endlessly new ways.  Thus, we are forever perfect (in our core) AND falling short of that perfection, since our true self admits of a limitless number of ways of actualizing its profound richness within our daily life. This is simply Luther's "Simul iustus et peccator," translated in a more positive way.

Following this model, I have committed myself in my teaching and writing to reveal BOTH the ways in which I am still challenged by the unbalanced aspects of my personality AND the tools I've found for beginning to transform those aspects.  For me, this involves finding the sacred dimension present within such things as an oversensitive nature, a typically male preoccupation with erotic energy, the tendency toward depression, and a desire to be seen as special (a part of the artistic temperament: the "Romantic," the Type Four personality on the Enneagram). I believe this approach is necessary both to remain true to the virtue of honesty, and to encourage others who find themselves in a similar place.  After all, spiritual growth is an endless process, and without some aspect of the personality that still needs further transformation, I - like all of us - would be deprived of the energy that is so necessary in driving and vivifying my spiritual journey.  Besides, like the tree shown in this photo, we sometimes appear much more interesting to others when we are NOT perfectly balanced!

Photo: A twisted, weather-beaten Limber Pine frames the Vedauwoo Rocks at sunset; Medicine Bow National Forest, WY; November 3, 2012