An Incarnation of God
Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian poet and storyteller, wrote beautifully that he was walking down the road one day when a woman, unknown to him, came up and knelt before him, asking simply and directly and with no further introduction if he would be the incarnation of God for her. There are strict laws over this in traditional Indian customs, and if one appoints another for this role, he or she must have no other relationship but that of worshipper to God. One must not become a pest, nor mix up other desires. With this safeguarding and understanding the two may undertake such a relationship in old India. Tagore thought quickly and decided that it was his duty to carry this role for the woman -- so he agreed. For the rest of the lives of these two people that was their agreement.
I have watched people in their interactions in our society and have longed silently for the language and the understanding and the collective backing in which one might give true proportion, depth, and dignity to a relationship in this manner. People here, no less than in traditional India, are capable of worship and worthy of relationship of that kind, though we don't understand it, we have no form for it, and, more often than not, we are seared by the intensity of it or invest it in other forms which are not suitable containers. Then we have the inevitable tangles so characteristic of our age.
1 comment:
I wonder if there was ever a time in our culture when children looked to their elders for wisdom? I realize this may not be exactly the kind of worship that you are talking about - but your entry reminded me of that missing dynamic in our culture. Seems we need more mentors - for young and old alike.
I was putting together a workshop on dreams when I found this blog. The phrase saying "share a dream from last night" caught my attention. So here is a plain and simple dream from last night. But, first a little background. I was researching the meanings of colors in dreams and ran across a statement saying the color gold is not often found in dreams. So, being the type that loves a challenge, I asked my Self to produce a dream with the color gold in it. It took three nights of asking for it to happen. The dream was of a single image. In the dream, I saw a red shoe with a single gold button on it...and that was it.
And now that I've shared that one, the one I had the previous night (in response to the same question) was one of the most unusual of my lifetime. In that one, I dreamed that I am inside a basketball gym. The entire gym, including the bleachers, basketball court, walls and ceilings is made up of shiny silver metal filters. In the beginning a man is playing in the last basketball game of the season. In the next scene, his son is playing in his last game. Then, again, the son of this son is playing in his last game. The dream continues until I awake with each son’s son playing in their last basketball game.
Well, thanks for listening. I enjoy sharing my dreams and collaborating with others for meaning. And I have a lot of respect for Robert and Jerry...
Thanks.
Meda Killgore
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