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Now, some 15 years later, that empty chair remains impressed on my mind. To some persons, such a domestic rite would seem silly, naive, old-fashioned, even deluded, as well as, provide an excuse to speak ignobly of those superstitious religious fanatics, ignorant and behind-the-times. Yet, is that really so?
The world, even based on findings of reasoned science, is filled with an ordinary, everyday magic most humans in prior ages never dreamed possible. Sages of the East, however, have spoken of this living Nature and the way Life dances for thousands of years ~ one example, through teachings of Tantra. Hindus have referred to Maya as the illusion of nature, through which Brahman (God) hides, so to be found; everything both hiding Grace and seducing to Grace. Likewise, Indian sages have taught Lila (also, spelled Leela; lit., play, sport, drama; by extension, "God, or divine, play"), which is this movement, or dance of life ~ recall, how particle physics point to a world in constant movement, subatomic particles dancing, time and space and all appearing in it relative and blinking in and out of existence faster than we can see. And, the Eastern Church fashioned an understanding of the Trinity, early in its history, as Father, Son, and Spirit dancing together. As I noted, yesterday, God is God-ing. Everything manifesting is moving, from millisecond to millisecond created, absorbed back into Life, and recreated. Creation, then, is Creation-ing, is Creat-ing, and all nature is a revealing ~ so, Revelation.
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Christianity began with Jesus on-the-move, unpredictably, showing in this walking and inviting others to walk with him the way of Spirit (lit., breath, wind, spirit), of Tao (the Way, with the dance of opposites in harmony, yin and yang): the Word wording, spontaneously. Then, the Jesus movement, first a spirit movement within Judaism, became the religion of Christianity, and later Christendom (imperialistic in structure and polity). A spirit movement became a religion of doctrine and, especially Protestantism, a religion of the Book. Indeed, it was some 300 years after the death of Jesus that we have a first record of the books to be included in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, and even then disagreement remained over what was to belong ~ even to this day, there remains a variety of different collections called the Holy Bible.
This is one example of how we humans tend to reduce movement as Revelation to something located in time and space, something we can get-hold-of, place in a form, in matter, and even worship with utmost adoration. This is a natural tendency, neither good nor bad, yet much religion has identified the Word wording with words, and this is a reductionism, and, then, fussed and fought over words in the name of the ever-revealing Word, a Word that was prior to all holy books and all teachings. Is this not, then, ironic, and telling?
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