It is mentioned in the Talmud that we see things not as they are but as we are. This explains not only why men have trouble finding anything in the kitchen, but also why the moment you understand the law of karma, you no longer get irate about parking fines. The more you see, the more there is to see. The more you know, the more there is to know. For example, take the paradox of love. C.G. Jung, one of the greatest psychologists of last century, said that ‘true love’ doesn’t exist but is a reflection of an inner archetype made real. Paradoxically, the more we search for ‘true love’, the more we learn how to love ourself, and in doing so, allow ‘true love’ to flourish with someone else.Spiritual symbolism, where inner states are mirrored by outer events, is as old as humanity itself. Our mind uses physical objects (totems, icons and mantras) as means of representing our inner feelings and emotions. Thus, when we see an external object that closely resembles an inner symbol or hear words that resemble known inner dialogues with self, we impart these external sounds and sights as having supernatural, mystical or spiritual origins. That is, a spiritual message arising from a mundane source. The more symbolic our daily life is, the more imbued it is with symbols, and the more symbols and signs begin to appear in our everyday life.
St Francis of Assisi, always bent to the spiritual life, once heard the words ‘Go, and repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin." St. Francis interpreted this as meaning that he had to repair the church, and so this became the burning mission of his life. If another person had heard those words, they may have interpreted it to mean a need for psychiatric counselling or a backyard blitz. Few would have listened to those words as having a spiritual message. Even fewer would have heeded the implications of those words, or acted upon them the way St. Francis did. Thus it seems that spiritual symbols can be trivial or numinous, depending on the listeners ears, and with them comes a responsibility of acting upon the advice given....read more...
