Thursday, January 11, 2007 at 12:12am
The shape of God
Column: Our Place in the Universe
We work with the substantial,
But the emptiness is what we use ...
At the beginning of this year, empty with promise, I was told, "It's not about you."
It's been a rainy month. The labyrinth takes on the shape of my footsteps as I follow the path I've trod hundreds of times. I am praying about how those who love us shape us — and how we shape our loved ones in return.
Trudging through the mud reminds me that I was fashioned out of the clay of the earth, molded into the form of the Creator. Yet, it is only when this vessel is empty that the Beloved can fill it with the spirit of life, light and love.
We mold clay into a pot,
But it is the emptiness inside
That makes the vessel useful ...
In the very first earth literacy class I took, I was told that in this vast universe I was the center. And, in an ever-expanding cosmos, you are the center—and you and you and you! Each one of us is the very, very small being at the center of a very, very large and ever-expanding universe.
Looking outward offers a vista of ever-greater expansion and space. Looking inward, into the molecules and atoms and swirling particles of matter, an emptiness, cosmic in proportion, is evident. If I truly am the center, it is a position both awe-inspiring and humbling.
It is also a place, a position, that can be very, very fear-filled. It is our connections within that emptiness that keep us anchored in sanity and courage. Many of these connections have been missing for a long time. We can read about the lack of connection with creation, and how that has made us anthropocentric. But walking around and around the concentric circles of the labyrinth, I see that it is not being the center that has created the problem. It is what we have come to fill the space with.
There is a space between the nerve cell ending and the muscle cell — a synapse. It is within this space that a connection is made that allows for life, for movement, for growth and change, and further connection. This same kind of energy connection exists among all elements of creation. It exists within our self — mind, body and soul — and between each one of us as the family of humankind.
Our family is where we learn about connection, shaped by those we love and who love us. I asked myself, what have we done with that connection? What have we done to each other? Brother killing brother has been part of our heritage from the beginning of recorded history. What is inside our homes connects us with what truly matters.
We fashion wood for a house,
But it is the emptiness inside
That makes it livable ...
It is the emptiness of open arms filled that creates a hug. It is the freedom from fear that creates courageous possibilities. It is the out-breath of giving that creates an emptiness waiting to be filled by an in-breath of receiving. It is the child's endless curiosity and openness that create a knowing and a connection with what she explores. With this connection we are able to remember love, our birthright, and our family bond with the whole of creation.
I realized that to take on the shape of the Beloved I must be empty and I must be filled. With that thought I became convinced more than ever that it's not about me. The day brightened with endless possibility and the shape of things to come.
Thirty spokes are joined together in a wheel,
But it is the center hole
That allows the wheel to function.
— Lao Tzu
— — —
Anne E. Ulvestad is a free-lance writer residing in Maryland. She has her master's in earth literacy, and is available for public lectures, group presentations and rituals on Spirituality and the Environment. Anne can be reached at {email anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com}anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Anne E. Ulvestad
But the emptiness is what we use ...
At the beginning of this year, empty with promise, I was told, "It's not about you."
It's been a rainy month. The labyrinth takes on the shape of my footsteps as I follow the path I've trod hundreds of times. I am praying about how those who love us shape us — and how we shape our loved ones in return.
Trudging through the mud reminds me that I was fashioned out of the clay of the earth, molded into the form of the Creator. Yet, it is only when this vessel is empty that the Beloved can fill it with the spirit of life, light and love.
We mold clay into a pot,
But it is the emptiness inside
That makes the vessel useful ...
In the very first earth literacy class I took, I was told that in this vast universe I was the center. And, in an ever-expanding cosmos, you are the center—and you and you and you! Each one of us is the very, very small being at the center of a very, very large and ever-expanding universe.
Looking outward offers a vista of ever-greater expansion and space. Looking inward, into the molecules and atoms and swirling particles of matter, an emptiness, cosmic in proportion, is evident. If I truly am the center, it is a position both awe-inspiring and humbling.
It is also a place, a position, that can be very, very fear-filled. It is our connections within that emptiness that keep us anchored in sanity and courage. Many of these connections have been missing for a long time. We can read about the lack of connection with creation, and how that has made us anthropocentric. But walking around and around the concentric circles of the labyrinth, I see that it is not being the center that has created the problem. It is what we have come to fill the space with.
There is a space between the nerve cell ending and the muscle cell — a synapse. It is within this space that a connection is made that allows for life, for movement, for growth and change, and further connection. This same kind of energy connection exists among all elements of creation. It exists within our self — mind, body and soul — and between each one of us as the family of humankind.
Our family is where we learn about connection, shaped by those we love and who love us. I asked myself, what have we done with that connection? What have we done to each other? Brother killing brother has been part of our heritage from the beginning of recorded history. What is inside our homes connects us with what truly matters.
We fashion wood for a house,
But it is the emptiness inside
That makes it livable ...
It is the emptiness of open arms filled that creates a hug. It is the freedom from fear that creates courageous possibilities. It is the out-breath of giving that creates an emptiness waiting to be filled by an in-breath of receiving. It is the child's endless curiosity and openness that create a knowing and a connection with what she explores. With this connection we are able to remember love, our birthright, and our family bond with the whole of creation.
I realized that to take on the shape of the Beloved I must be empty and I must be filled. With that thought I became convinced more than ever that it's not about me. The day brightened with endless possibility and the shape of things to come.
Thirty spokes are joined together in a wheel,
But it is the center hole
That allows the wheel to function.
— Lao Tzu
— — —
Anne E. Ulvestad is a free-lance writer residing in Maryland. She has her master's in earth literacy, and is available for public lectures, group presentations and rituals on Spirituality and the Environment. Anne can be reached at {email anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com}anne@ourplaceintheuniverse.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Anne E. Ulvestad