let's celebrate this flesh on our bones
pull me close and fill me with joy
and in your darkest lashes
i find the hopes of early childhood
the water lily lives a duel cosmos
of sun and cool current
in the evening i will disappear
to spend the night in the water
at daybreak i am reborn
my hair damp with desire
"you are my eternity,
i am so glad you came"
this cherished guest that
brings a close to our chapters of
winter, and brings the swans
with their summer heat.
March 20, 2009
March 8, 2009
the personal universe
God, being omnipotent, is absolutely sovereign. his control over reality extends to all aspects, including abstract and necessary truths. the truth that God is good has its substance entirely within God’s choosing - moreoever, the ideal of goodness is also his own invention and exists because of his affirming the property of goodness.
one might say that all of existence depends upon a person, though that person is not human. additionally, all of existence is the result of his preference, though that preference is of a wholly other character than humanly preference. God’s uniqueness arises from his ability to prefer a particular reality above all other realities. God himself is in complete control of abstract elements, though he may not control the necessary truths derived from those elements.
as such, we most nearly resemble God when are active in actualizing our own preferences according to the freedom he has given to us. to arise and ascend above the baser human nature and craving is to discover every detail of our preferences and then act them out with consideration and inspiration.
because reality is personal and the result of a personal preference, there is room for argument. this is the central nature of intercessions - a disagreement with God, an emphatic challenge to God that says ‘reality ought not be as it is.’ this is a necessary conversation as the reality of earth has been delegated to humans. without intercession and disagreement with God, we accept the fact that earth remains outside the realm of heaven. one of the greatest forms of intercession is the fulfillment of self, of the development of selfhood, of individualization. the second greatest is commitment to others and to the betterment of the physical world.
we pattern ourselves after what we behold - often we desire to become only abstractions of humans, obsessed with abstract spiritual truths. but who has the courage to become a personality as God is a personality? think of his personhood - burning, pulsating, swirling at the center of being itself, antecedent to existence, unique, preferential, all the while choosing this one existence above all others. who has the skill, ability, and grace to fly to such great heights of specificity.
we are to be like small children, always imitating this absolutely personal being, not in exact likeness but in self-determination and commitment to communication. assertiveness is not only a survival technique, but an expression of hope. the ability to mold our reality, to take responsibility of our spheres, to dream and to do, these form the essence of personhood. immediately after waking from a dream or returning from reverie, our souls are met with both a great sadness and a great joy - sadness at the fact that reality is not as we wish but great joy knowing that it is within our power to approach our dreams. joy again at the fact that there is room for argument, that we may in sorrow cry ‘this should be different!’ and then joyfully find that in the vastness of existence there is a person who listens to our cry.
one might say that all of existence depends upon a person, though that person is not human. additionally, all of existence is the result of his preference, though that preference is of a wholly other character than humanly preference. God’s uniqueness arises from his ability to prefer a particular reality above all other realities. God himself is in complete control of abstract elements, though he may not control the necessary truths derived from those elements.
as such, we most nearly resemble God when are active in actualizing our own preferences according to the freedom he has given to us. to arise and ascend above the baser human nature and craving is to discover every detail of our preferences and then act them out with consideration and inspiration.
because reality is personal and the result of a personal preference, there is room for argument. this is the central nature of intercessions - a disagreement with God, an emphatic challenge to God that says ‘reality ought not be as it is.’ this is a necessary conversation as the reality of earth has been delegated to humans. without intercession and disagreement with God, we accept the fact that earth remains outside the realm of heaven. one of the greatest forms of intercession is the fulfillment of self, of the development of selfhood, of individualization. the second greatest is commitment to others and to the betterment of the physical world.
we pattern ourselves after what we behold - often we desire to become only abstractions of humans, obsessed with abstract spiritual truths. but who has the courage to become a personality as God is a personality? think of his personhood - burning, pulsating, swirling at the center of being itself, antecedent to existence, unique, preferential, all the while choosing this one existence above all others. who has the skill, ability, and grace to fly to such great heights of specificity.
we are to be like small children, always imitating this absolutely personal being, not in exact likeness but in self-determination and commitment to communication. assertiveness is not only a survival technique, but an expression of hope. the ability to mold our reality, to take responsibility of our spheres, to dream and to do, these form the essence of personhood. immediately after waking from a dream or returning from reverie, our souls are met with both a great sadness and a great joy - sadness at the fact that reality is not as we wish but great joy knowing that it is within our power to approach our dreams. joy again at the fact that there is room for argument, that we may in sorrow cry ‘this should be different!’ and then joyfully find that in the vastness of existence there is a person who listens to our cry.
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