September 2005

“THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIRITUAL”

     The mystery of God is eternal. It is one in that many people spend years trying to explain. Some people think they have the answer. Certainly anyone who has access to any media has heard a priest, minister, rabbi, or imam who has figured out the secret to God. It may be comforting to finally have the Big Guy pinned down. This way, everything else seems easier.

     Yet even those who have had years of study are confronted by symbolism that is difficult to explain. The symbols of Revelation, the poetry of the Bhagavad Gita (the Hindu scripture), and the many meditations of devout Buddhists lead to deeper questions rather than pat answers. Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes (the Sufi mystics) were ecstatic in their relationship with God, but it was the mystery that they were enthralled in, not by finding answers to the unanswerable. People such as these find simplicity in just the comfort having faith itself, without having any need for explanation. In other words, "be still and know I am God".

     Those who believe in a Great Creator of the universe know that their relationships with this Spirit is real. But a Being that is vast enough to be a Creator defies our own limited beliefs. One can make judgments that God is exactly this or exactly that because some religious text says so. This may invoke a sense of finality and comfort in the person who meditates on them. But it is equally likely that God transcends any particular text that is written to explain Him (Her, etc). It is nearly impossible to describe the totality of love with words. Equally limiting is the language to describe a Holy Infinite. The power may be named nature, Allah, Christ, the Great Spirit, or the Higher Power. But no words can convey the name's totality.

     All text is only meant to be a guide. It is not meant as definition. It is up to each soul to go inside itself. Then, one can ask questions that he or she desires answers for. This will give rise to deeper questioning. In the process, the spirit gives rise to itself. Ignored and reviled in a materialistic society, through questioning, spirit takes the place of honor.