He said, "I seem unable to feel close to God." The Sage said, "Be close to anyone, anything. That closeness is with God."
*Brian K. Wilcox. "Meetings with an Anonymous Sage."
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Living in Maine for the past five-plus years, having moved from Florida - called the Sunshine State - I miss the sunlight during the long winter. As this morning in May, when winter fades, I walk out, stand outside, look up, and welcome the Sun to bathe me in its merry light. This is intimate. I relish, smiling, the feel of the sunlight I missed in the winter darkness and overcast.
Sometimes, I close my eyes and simply feel the Sun's touch. Before leaving, I sometimes place my hand over my heart, smiling. Sometimes, I bow to the light.
This closeness lifts the spirits. It cheers the heart, mind, and body with subtle delight. So does the Light... Spirit.
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We are formed to enjoy closeness, with our Source, with other beings, and with ourselves. There is, however, only one closeness.
The story of the Garden of Eden, in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, connotes this natural condition. The story depicts the universal sense of alienation of humans from sacredness. Additionally, "Eden" signifies the loss of delight in being alive - enjoying life - "Eden" in Hebrew, the language in which the Jewish Bible (the TaNaK) was written, is "delight."
Right away, after eating the forbidden fruit ("tree of good and evil," i.e., duality), the characters Adam ("humankind") and Eve ("life") see what they have done and realize they are naked. They feel alienation from their natural state, which was not before. They feel guilt and shame for the first time. Then sew fig leaves together to cover themselves.
Late in the afternoon, a breeze blows, and the man and woman hear the deity walking in the garden. They are afraid and hide behind some trees - the first time, the humans hide. Before, they concealed their natural innocence - denoted by nudity; now, they hide from their beloved Companion and Friend.
The story connotes the sad state of the human race - a species in-hiding from self and sacredness. And we have created many ways, some considered good, to hide behind. One can hide equally behind good or criminal works - the hiding is the same, only the "fig leaves" differ.
The creator calls out to the man and asks, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3.7-9, CEV). Does the deity know where they are? Does the god ask the man and woman to recognize the newly sad state? Does their creator feel sadness that these two, whom he shared a walk with daily in the early evenings, now hide from him? Have you ever felt someone you dearly love hiding from you?
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John Keble (1792-1866) expresses well the place of closeness to the Sacred in our lives. He, born in England, was the son of an Anglican rural preacher. After training at Oxford University, he was a poetry professor at Oxford for ten years. From 1835, Keble served as pastor at a small parish church in Hursley. The village had a population of only 1500 people.
His famous sermon in 1833, "National Apostasy," is credited with launching the 19th Century Oxford Movement. His hymn "Sun of my Soul" was part of his collection of poems The Christian Year, which he intended as a devotional companion to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. The collection was well-received, passing through 109 editions in Keble's lifetime. Proceeds from the book he used to maintain the ministry of his small church.
From a Christian worldview, the song speaks of a universal longing and need for closeness with That we call many names and worship in many ways. This closeness makes all the difference in our lives. It brings timeless freshness. In sacredness, we find rest within, even amid the storm bellowing all about us. This Sun loves us if we feel unloved by others and if we forget how to love ourselves.
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This Sun is of equal brightness in day and night. There is no need to hide. We can dance out into the Light. We can be embraced, held close, and hold close. This closeness is healing. We learn from this closeness that we are the same Love the Sun is.
SUN of my soul! thou Saviour dear, It is not night if thou be near; O may no earth-born cloud arise, To hide thee from thy servant's eyes!
When the soft dews of kindly sleep My wearied eyelids gently steep, Be my last thought, How sweet to rest For ever on my Saviour's breast!
Abide with me from morn till eve, For without thee I cannot live; Abide with me when night is nigh, For without thee I dare not die.
If some poor wandering child of thine Have spurned today the voice divine, Now, Lord, the gracious work begin; Let him no more lie down in sin.
Watch by the sick, enrich the poor With blessings from thy boundless store; Be every mourner's sleep tonight, Like infant's slumbers, pure and light.
Come near and bless us when we wake, Ere through the world our way we take, Till in the ocean of thy love We lose ourselves in heaven above.
*Use of photography is allowed accompanied by credit given to Brian K. Wilcox and title and place of photograph.
*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.
