"High above Munnar" Andreas Leo Urban
There is a secular world and a holy world, secular worlds and holy worlds. These worlds contradict one another. The contradiction, of course, is subjective. In our limited perception we cannot reconcile the sacred and the secular, we cannot harmonize their contradictions. Yet at the pinnacle of the universe they are reconciled, at the site of the holy of holies.
We cannot identify the abundant vitality within all living beings, from the smallest to the largest, nor the hidden vitality enfolded within inanimate creation. Everything constantly flows, vibrates, and aspires. Nor can we estimate our own inner abundance. Our inner world is sealed and concealed, linked to a hidden something, a world that is not our world, not yet perceived or probed.
Everything teems with richness, everything aspires to ascend and be purified. Everything sings, celebrates, serves, develops, evolves, uplifts, Aspires To Be Arranged in ONENESS.
"Orchard of the Torah" David Friedman Kabbalah Art
The excerpts above are from the chapter, "Living in the Material World" p. 153 found in -The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism- original translations, commentaries, and guideposts arranged by Daniel C. Matt who dedicated this volume "For Ana - On her tongue - a Torah of love -- Proverbs 31:26"
How would we not ALL be treating our fellow creatures, our own self and Collective Self much more kindly - and with greater understanding - if we would pay attention to the Mystic Heart in our Sacred Contemplative works the world round?
TASHUV-HEY
"Body and Soul become one in the place of Unconditional Love"
From The Gallery of Mystical Art - an exhibition of the works of Tzfat artist Avraham Loewenthal.
(This is an answer which came to me when I reflected further last night upon a blogpost by my friend, Akhtar Dar Wasim Sahib who operates My Page on the Web one of the many interesting and rewarding variations of blog-postings within a cluster at Republic of Rumi (go to the website and click on "blog" upper left) or go directly to his mypageonweb dot blogspot.com to see the "set-up" for the discussion here Thank you for the challenge of this your most recent, dear friend!)
This is a fabulous post. There is nothing such as secular or holy per se, everything is sacred on its own term. The body, soul and spirit are all but one, needing each other to create a life. Sun rises and sets, ascending with warmness descending with coolness, turning crimson to gold and then gold to crimson, creating an authority that it possess. Moon from sublimity of crescent evolves to the majesty of fullness, in between concaving and convexing but retaining the magic that it inspires. River waters ebb and flow and so the river runs with the stir and strength that it entails. These all and all other such analogies within each thing and between each and other is not a dichotomy but a wonder of creation. Man is a body, soul and spirit bind in a triple tie, a distinction that is only possessed by Man. This gives him a characteristic of creating, reflecting and evolving that is his sole prerogative. Animals, devils and Angels lack these attributes, as they are uni-cellular, having a body, a soul or a spirit. The completeness that Man has gives him the extra-ordinary vision that can see, feel and experience the reason of creation-LOVE.
ReplyDeleteYour comment is a fabulous poem so IF you want to configure any other line pattern and discuss a little, I'd love to post this as poem in a few days. Of course I will read and re-read many times.
ReplyDeleteThank You also for accepting this "other" tradition and "noticing" how similar to all worthy pragmatic, mystic, Sufi, poetic and visionary understandings this is...where Love and Compassion for Self AND Others rules...