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'A Stream Being A Stream'
river de chute... easton, maine
Anna finally spoke. "It is all of you who are making a big deal out of it, not me. I simply don't think it's important."
*Susan Trott. The Holy Man's Journey.
Anna is the new disciple of the Holy Man, Joe. She is to succeed him as the monk on the mountain. Upon the return of other of Joe's devotees in Spring - for they would leave during Winter -, a conflict ensues over the custom of shaving the head. It was the tradition to shave the head bald.
Finally, the lawyer, Henri, speaks his mind. He states the obvious - hair grows back. The others join in, "You see, Anna. ... It grows back. You are making too much of a big deal out of it."
Anna responds matter-of-factly. She says, "It is all of you who are making a big deal out of it, not me. I simply don't think it's important."
Anna cannot deem shaving her hair is important. Why? For her, it cannot be important. She does not need to decide. She knows. She is the only one seeing from the heart.
Joe, having witnessed the devotees debate, agrees with Anna. He says, "I agree. Shaving heads is not important. And not shaving heads is not important."
* * *
A sign of growth spiritually is coming to value things differently than prior. What was once important is not anymore. What once was non-important is now. These changes occur naturally.
Included in this discernment is recognition nothing is essential but what is essential. Popular opinion and esteemed traditions are seen for what they are - often no more than a distraction from what matters most and relative. One has moved from allegiance to custom, group, and ideology, to seeing and living truth.
* * *
Gospel of Matthew 23.23-24 (NLT) - Jesus speaking -
What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees (lit., pious ones). Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law (or, teaching) - justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your [drinking] water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!
* * *
In the religious tradition of my upbringing, which was very strict, fishing on Sundays was taught to be a sin. Why? Persons could play ball on Sunday but not fish - interesting.
I visited my aunt's family in Lousiana. They were Catholic. On a Sunday, we loaded up to go fishing. We arrived at a lovely place to fish. They prepared their gear. I refused kindly. They tried to reason with me. I declined, telling them what I had been taught. They kindly accepted my decision and proceeded to enjoy the fishing. I missed out on sharing the fun of this trip.
This example may seem an extreme view to some - fishing on a Sunday is a sin -, but it was important in my childhood religion. I do not regret not fishing that day, for I acted in fidelity to what was true for me at that time. Yet, I am glad in this matter, and many others - in belief and practice -, many nonessentials have fallen away in the past decades. The nonessentials simply became apparent to me as nonessentials. It was not mainly a reasoning about them but a coming to know from the heart. By living from the heart, we come to see from the heart.
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*(C) Brian K. Wilcox, 2021
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse. The book is a collection of poems based on mystical traditions, especially Christian and Sufi, with extensive notes on the teachings and imagery in the poetry.
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