Monday: Life’s most powerful and transforming truths are not transmitted primarily through words, but through the medium of inspired image, symbol, and metaphor – in words, the arts, and our own imaginations. These inspired images reach into the deepest fibers of our psyches, stimulating our imagination, longings, and capacity for inspired choice. One well-known image comes to us from the account of the Last Supper in John’s Gospel.
Tuesday: One of the most beautiful images that come to us from the spiritual world is that of the disciple sitting at the feet of the Guru. From the Gospel of Luke, we are told that Mary, Jesus’ disciple, “…sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.”
Wednesday: Because today’s culture tends to eschew anything authoritative or hierarchical, today’s image — that of a king or a queen — might be disconcerting to some, yet it is necessary to a balanced, effective life.
Thursday: Our brothers and sisters from Eastern spiritual traditions offer us the image of the yogi sitting in meditation: spine straight and erect, head and neck aligned with the spine, hands resting on the lap, eyes closed and the body so very still. It is a regal, graceful image of internal peace, dignified stability and gentle alertness. This image represents something larger than a meditative posture. It is a way of carrying ourselves, engaging life’s challenges, and living in the world.
Friday: One of the most paradoxical images in any of the world’s spiritual traditions is that of the crucified Christ. I say this is paradoxical because in the crucifixion we have the marriage of God and chaos, God and suffering, and God and tragedy. The egoic mind wants to dictate where God can and cannot be found, but the image of the crucified Christ breaks through all such dualistic thinking.
To see the complete passages from this week, click here.
