Reality Bites (Or Does It?)

Since I love what my momma calls "deep thinky thoughts," I've pondered the nature of reality since I can remember. It wasn't until I went to seminary over a decade ago that I learned that some of my personal theories were considered heresies. Imagine my surprise!



Apparently, I had entertained thoughts of pantheism. A pantheist supposes that everything is spiritual-- you know, everything --as in "the rock is spirit," "the tree is spirit" etc. Seminary education shored up in me a more traditional theistic belief that only God ["up there"] is spiritual, while all that is "down here" on Earth is not. Today, however, I find myself dissatisfied with both the "heresies" and with the traditional Judeo-Christian views on the nature of created reality.



What appeals to me most now is "reality" according to the mystic. Yes, there are critical differences in the mysticism of the Sufi, the Kabbalist, the Native, and so forth. However, it seems that none of the mystical traditions naively sprinkle glittery spiritual magic dust on top of the cruel reality of life on Earth. The mystic also does not conceive of a sharp divide between the Divine and the finite. Instead, the mystical claim is that after having experienced (however briefly or imperfectly) the Oneness of All That Is, reality isn't bad (the view of another heresy, the Gnostics), but that reality isn't quite spiritual either. According to the mystic, to understand the nature of Reality, one must look through the appearance of suffering, impermanence ,and death --- not with physical eyesight, but with spiritual vision.



My momma would roll her eyes and say, "Oh yeah, that's easy!" Of course, we all worry that acquiring spiritual vision is not easy. However, I don't believe obtaining true, mystical, spiritual vision is ultimately about hard work with furrowed brow nor is it about decades of intellectual pursuit. Spiritual vision cannot be earned by either of these means because its achievement must be accessible to all ---if it is the gift and will of a loving Spirit.



How then is the spiritual vision of Reality experienced? We must pray for spiritual vision that is aligned with the will of the Divine, and pray for it only. After our prayerful petition, we then are asked to meditate in inner stillness (Ex. 3:14). Spiritual vision comes some day, I hope, when we are open to it and when Grace has chosen us to receive it (not because we have earned it in any way).



And so, I am trying to stop getting God so I can focus solely on letting God flow through me. If I am inwardly still and empty, spiritual vision may one day fill me too.