Dialogue ~ 22

The Will to Know

In the New Testament, the text of John 6:38 says, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” Similarly, in Luke 22:42 it says, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done.”  

My earliest impression of reading these texts many years ago is that the crux of the matter as to whether one is able to do ‘God’s bidding’ has to do with an orientation of the human will.  

In terms of orientation, consider then for a moment, if I am trying to get to Place A from Place B, do I have to ‘about turn’ or set off in some ‘other direction’ from the one in which I am currently? What if there is ‘no way’ to get to Place A using the navigational apparatus that I have been using? Until I am able to apprehend that, surely it wouldn’t matter if I do an about turn, spin in a circle or stand on my head… regardless of any movement, speed or distance covered, I’ll be forever rooted in Place B?  

Notwithstanding, every religion, every wisdom text, every retreat on a hill has been broadcasting information since almost time began, as to how to get to Place A. The language might differ but the essential message is the same: atonement and purification; there are specific rituals which exist and are associated with ‘cleansing’ the body before entering holy temples or places of prayer. 

What is it about the human will that has brought about such a state of straying from or removal from God’s grace – does it have to do with anything which the human being has ‘done’ or is there something which the human still has ‘to do’? Perhaps puzzling over what’s missing from the picture is simply another way of trying to get to Place A, which doesn’t move me from my spot? 

‘Turn on the charm’ is a phrase which is coming to mind. What, like turning the dial of a channel to obtain a better frequency? Being my best self as in, ‘It begins with me’ or ‘be the change’ (to paraphrase Ghandi)?  

A quick google search for the definition of ‘charm’ indicates that as a noun, it is an object (amulet, talisman, mascot, totem, idol etc.) believed to have magical power, to ward off evil and to bring good luck. As a verb, it is the power of captivating, alluring, attracting, winning over, influencing, fascinating or delighting others.  

The definition of grace is given as a). smoothness and elegance of movement b). courteous good will (in Christian belief): the free and unmerited favour of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings c). period allowed for payment of sum due or for compliance with a law or condition d). a short prayer of thanks said before or after a meal e). bring honour or credit to someone or something by one’s attendance or participation. 

Do ‘charm’ and ‘grace’ go hand in hand? Are they the same? Why might I be inspired to ‘turn on the charm’? Isn’t that to imply that I am encouraged to do or to become something which I currently am not? 

In Greek mythology, there are three beautiful goddesses or ‘graces’ – Aglaia (elegance, brightness), Thalia (youth, beauty, bloom) and Euphrosyne (mirth, joyfulness). According to the Britannica website, these graces were associated with fertility. I can appreciate why that might have been so, given what these graces were said to embody and to be capable of bestowing upon humanity. It is especially interesting for me, given as in previous dialogues I have been exploring the messages of Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas with regards to ‘life’ and Rudolf Steiner’s communication with regards to bringing the ‘shadowlike’ human intellect ‘into life’.  

Remember that Steiner had said that early humanity received images of a clairvoyant nature which condensed into the intellect, this continuing until about the 4^th century A.D. (after which the intellect became shadowlike). Perhaps an image or impression of the three graces was one such communication, conveyed as it was to the human intellect and transmitted through time by way of improvisation and narrative? Extracting an essence from such, I am inspired to hold illumination, renewal and joy as being inherent within an attitude of grace. Truly, the three graces are torch-bearers for humanity, but how does one kindle their flame?  

Can it be that there was a time when humanity looked to their gods and idols, not so much from a perspective of putting them on a pedestal which would put them out of their reach or of creating a narrative of fear or apprehension; but as that which was capable of lifting a person to their highest accomplishment or actuality within themselves and henceforth into the world? Perhaps it was that to contemplate an image of the three graces was to search for and locate given attributes within the self – to experience gnosis, a forerunner of religion and which transcends time and place? 

What if that which has been referred to as an ‘orientation of the human will’ has less to do with atoning or purifying per se, than it has of enlivening or illuminating what is present? Simply being willing to apprehend: what does the ‘place of the skull’ represent? What is it that has to perish before something new can arise in its place? On that note, does anything die at all: or is it a case of there being not ‘one’ but ‘two’ as in ‘I am to you as you are to me: we are one’? 

So, to turn on the charm then: how does one go about ‘enlivening or illuminating what is present’? Perhaps it is to let go of an idea that something within me is missing or imperfect? I am not exclusively a saint and nor am I a sinner; it is more that I am both. Does acceptance of what I am imply that qualities such as passion, motivation or aspiration towards something greater or better than what is currently being experienced will lessen? No, but there is less attachment and it is attachment which has been acting as the mud in my mirror (shadowlike as Steiner might say). The place of the skull then, is a re-orientation of the will; not as in turning about or moving from what it is, but more like a seed that is splitting open or a child that is opening its eyes for the first time: it is a simple act and yet it is a magnitude of grace.

To return to what I had asked earlier, in that ‘do charm and grace go hand in hand’ and ‘are they the same’? The answer to those questions rests in whether a person comprehends what is being communicated through “…not ‘one’ but ‘two’ as in ‘I am to you as you are to me: we are one”.
 
Consider the text in Matthew 24:45, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?” with the text of Matthew 7:6: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces”. Finally, the text of the last judgment (Matthew 25:35), “… Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”.

Is it possible that the above texts are serving as endeavours to communicate a particular message which once they have been comprehended, bring clarity with regards to cognition and the condition of the human intellect? Further, they bring clarity to what Jesus was implying through his messages of the Kingdom being within a person and all around them?