Science can tell us how the physical world functions and help us in many material ways, but it cannot wrestle with life’s existential challenges, such as life’s purpose, morality, suffering, death, and so forth. For these deeply human issues, we need stories and myths that nourish our hearts and sustain our spirits. Chief of these soulful stories within the Western tradition is King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table. As we revisit this legend this week, I urge you to see King Arthur as representing you and your own journey.
Arthur was the son of a great King and Queen who ruled Camelot. When Arthur was a young boy, an evil uncle murdered his mother and father, leaving Arthur to narrowly escape with his life. He survived by his instincts and wits as a street urchin, retaining only a few vague memories of his parents and murky notions of his royal heritage. He had no real clue of the destiny awaiting him.
All of this should sound familiar. We too come from a royal lineage; we are children of God, made in God’s likeness and image. We too have experienced traumas and inequities at the hands of dark forces. We too live our lives largely in a state of ignorance as to who we really are, identifying with egoic images that distort our true identity. And like Arthur, most often we do not have a clue about the glorious destiny that awaits us. With these ideas in mind, consider what Yogananda tells us: “How long will you remain a rational animal? No more this age-old dream of a rational animal. Wake up! You are the intuitional child of immortality.”
Beloved Divine God,
You lay your kingdom
At my feet
With incomprehensible love.
