Words as Wands

"As says St. James: "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Early had I learned that whatever is loved materially, as mere corporeal personality, is eventually lost. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it," saith the Master. Exultant hope, if tinged with earthliness, is crushed as the moth." -- Retrospection and Introspection by Mary Baker Eddy; Page 31, Lines 19-21, & Page 32, Lines 5-9

"The fundamental principle for growth in Christian Science is spiritual formation first, last, and always, while in human growth material organization is first." -- Retrospection and Introspection by Mary Baker Eddy; Page 49, Lines 11-13

"At best, and the word is perhaps questionable here, the 'healers' of the world may recognize the mind as the source of illness. But their error lies in the belief that it can cure itself." -- Psychotherapy: Purpose, Process, and Practice (An Extension of the Principles of A Course in Miracles); Chapter 2, Section IV, 5:1

There is some irony in the choice of topic today, since this blog appears to be constructed of words, and to have as its purpose the deepening of Awareness of Truth. The words themselves, as always, are irrelevant. Like all maps, they are not the territory they point to. They are symbols that have no value in themselves.

We cherish the words that make up our stories. Our stories are as varied as mankind, but not one of them is true. Our devotion to them simply means that here is a story we want to be true. For whatever reason, we have an investment in keeping our story alive, good or bad, happy or sad. Including our spiritual stories, which become elegant wands we wave to disguise our continued devotion to an illusory, individual identity who is becoming 'saved' or 'enlightened' or 'wise' or... fill in the blanks. We have all the right words, but they cover a deep well of nothingness. We feel momentarily comforted by the stories, but this comfort comes and goes, and so it is not real. What is Real does not come and go, and has no story. It IS.

As we read in one of the quotes above, the fundamental error of the illusory individual mind is that it can correct or heal itself with the right stories, the right words. Nothing could be further from the Truth. How can what is Real and Eternal have ever changed, or moved at all? How could it need healing? "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it" is one of the hard sayings of Christ. As long as we continue with a story, even a spiritual story, imagining ourselves as someone who isn't, but is becoming (I'm working on it, we say).., then we are trying to save an imaginary self, the self of the story... and so we very literally have lost our Life, our Truth, our Self.

When will we learn? When will we hear? Whatever we want to save can only be lost. Whatever we want to fix can only be broken. Whatever we want to find we will find, only to lose it again. The story has no end... its very purpose is a closed feedback loop, and continues to feed on itself and spew new stories with new characters, in this life dream or another. Samsara, the wheel of suffering, has no end.

One of my teachers said to me once, "Let what can be lost, be lost." Like Jesus saying, "Let the dead bury the dead." Reality has literally nothing to do with the story. Spiritual or not, the words we use as wands have no meaning except to deepen our descent into illusion. "Exultant hope, if tinged with earthliness, is crushed as the moth."

We don't need a spiritual story to wake up. We can see this through such examples as Byron Katie and Eckert Tolle, who both experienced Awakening by simply going as deep into their suffering as they could go. Go deep enough into any story (including spiritual stories) and their illusory nature becomes apparent. All we need to awaken is to cease to judge who and what and where we are, and to stop, to be still. No story will awaken us, no words are the talisman to do the trick. We have to stop, to be still, and listen to the Truth that is always here. The Truth is very quiet, and always available. And it needs no words or story. It doesn't need anything at all that you don't already have, right here and right now.

Words and stories, spiritual or otherwise, are not wands. And they can become obstacles to Truth if we use them as such. Like all illusions, they are nothing at all. When Mary Baker Eddy spoke of spiritual formation first, this is what she meant. To the illusory separated self, material growth and organization is foremost, even in the guise of spiritual study. The study of words themselves can never bring us to Awakening. Only direct experience of Self, in the Silence without words, will restore us to the memory of Oneness and Life Everlasting.

"There is no world! How can God's Son awaken from the dream? It is a dream of judgement. So must he judge not, and he will awaken." -- A Course in Miracles