Exercise – Image of Ultimate Goodness

Exploring Your Inner Image of Ultimate Goodness

A contemplative reflection for people of any faith, philosophy, or worldview

This exercise explores the inner images and assumptions that shape how we experience goodness, meaning, and reality.

For some people this will involve God.

For others it may involve love, compassion, truth, or the moral center of life.

The goal is not to decide what is correct.

The goal is to notice what image already lives within us and to consider whether that image reflects the kind of world we believe—or hope—is ultimately true.

Preparation

Perception: Trust Your Inner Response

First find something to take notes as you go – a notebook, an app., a piece of paper.

People experience imagination and awareness in different ways.

You may notice an image.

You may feel something in your body.

You may hear a word or sense an atmosphere.

However your perception appears is valid.

Sit comfortably.

Feet on the floor.

Hands resting in your lap.

Take three slow breaths.

Silently remind yourself:

“I am not trying to force an experience.

I am simply noticing what is already present.”

Step 1 — Psychological Awareness

Notice Your Existing Image 

(3–5 minutes)

Ask yourself quietly:

When I think about the nature of reality, goodness, or ultimate meaning, what is my first impression?

What appears in your mind?

You might notice:

  • an image
  • a feeling
  • a mood or atmosphere
  • a sense of distance or closeness

Allow the response to arise naturally.

Notice the Emotion

Now notice the emotion in your body.

Examples include:

  • Joy — peace, contentment, ease
  • Sadness — grief, heaviness
  • Fear — anxiety, tension
  • Anger — frustration, resistance
  • Disgust — aversion or rejection
  • Surprise — unexpected shift

Write down the first emotion that appears.

Do not label it good or bad.

Simply observe.

Reflect

Ask yourself:

  • Does this image reflect how I experience life?
  • Does it make the world feel safe? indifferent? hostile? meaningful?
  • Am I comfortable with the image that appears?

Step 2 — Moral Imagination

Imagine Radical Compassion 

(5 minutes)

Now imagine a person who represents the highest form of goodness.

This person might embody:

  • compassion toward others
  • forgiveness instead of revenge
  • courage in the face of injustice
  • love even when rejected

Across many cultures and traditions, stories of such people appear repeatedly.

Imagine this person standing before you.

Notice their posture.

Notice their expression.

How do they look at you?

Do you sense:

Warmth

Understanding

Respect

Patience

Care

Pause with this image.

The Central Question

Now gently ask:

“Does the image of ultimate goodness I carry resemble this?”

Allow your mind to respond naturally.

Step 3 — Personal Belief

Reconsider Your Image of Ultimate Reality 

(5 minutes)

Now reflect on your personal worldview.

You might think of:

  • God
  • the sacred
  • ultimate reality
  • the moral arc of the universe
  • the deepest truth about life

Ask yourself:

If ultimate reality truly exists, would it resemble the compassion I just imagined?

Or something else?

Allow your imagination to explore this question.

Optional Faith Reflection

For people within religious traditions, this step may involve reflecting on how their tradition describes the character of ultimate reality.

For example, many religious traditions describe the sacred as:

  • compassionate
  • forgiving
  • life-giving
  • oriented toward restoration rather than punishment

You may consider whether the image you carry reflects these qualities.

Integration

Before finishing, ask yourself:

  • What shifted during this reflection?
  • What surprised me?
  • What resisted change?

There is no right answer.

Just notice.

Now going forward through the week – return to this exercise and ask:

“Does this response reflect compassion and restoration?”

Why This Exercise Works

This practice integrates three powerful dimensions of human experience.

Psychology

Our emotional images of reality shape how we experience life.

Moral imagination

Imagining compassion activates empathy and ethical awareness.

Reflection on belief

When people compare their inner images with their deepest values, transformation often occurs naturally.

Over time, practices like this can move people from:

unexamined assumptions

to

conscious and life-giving understanding.

Facilitator Notes

If guiding others:

  • Avoid arguing beliefs during the exercise.
  • The goal is awareness, not persuasion.
  • Many people carry deep emotional images related to authority, religion, or morality.

Gentle repetition allows people to gradually reshape their inner perceptions.

Encourage participants during the week to ask:

“Does this response reflect compassion and restoration?”

Especially in moments of conflict, shame, or anger.