THE FIRE OF THE SPIRIT

Lighting candles is a act of prayer as the beauty and warmth of the flame brings life as well as light to all.

Since the beginning of time there has been a search to understand our world, our heavens, and our own human nature. I can imagine a ancient cave man returning to his home and as the family sit around the fire he tells them of the adventures he has had in the world beyond theirs. He would tell them of the big animals and how he learned to hunt and capture food for the family.

Our stories are important and we have lost something when we do not take time to light the candles and eat together and listen to stories.

I am trying to read the scientists view of the cosmos with all their cold hard facts. They examine the evidence and from this they create a view of the world.
I find it numbs my brain and leaves me worried about the future. If one thing like the distance the earth is from the sun changes we could be completely destroyed by fire. We are using up too much of our natural resources and we desperately need to prepare and plan for the future generations. Today is beginning with light in the sky and fresh air to breath and food for out tables and ways for us to communicate with each other.

Scientific endeavor has given us much knowledge and yet all the knowledge in the world cannot light the fire of the spirit within us. We need stories that connect us to our past and to the deepest sources of spiritual inspiration that fuel the flame of courage and hope. I have no answers to a friend going through dark times except you will get through this in time. I know that in the past I have known times of darkness and despair and the humbling act of prayer helped me to believe that there can be many rebirths in our lives.

"While early theories of myth as primitive science could not tell the whole story, purely psychological accounts of myth miss the point that some myths arose from the rapt attention to the movements of the natural world." Without a connection to the sacred that is a holy flame; all the discoveries of the origin of the universe, the origin of life and the evolution of humanity will never be enough to keep the fire within us alive. This I call the fire of the spirit that inspires us to reach for impossible goals and dream those daring dreams.

The invisible world of atoms and electrons and D.N.A. and germs and viruses do not explain to me the mystery of the lungs that breathe all night and the heart that gives beating and the ears that still are sensitive to noise. We take our body to the doctor and he may be able to cure our pain if he is able to find the cause. They use modern technology to look inside our bodies to see what is cause malfunction and disease. And that is good.

I refer back to my reading in "The Constant Fire" that stresses that scientific narratives have the capacity to find the facts but also to act as hierophanies, to serve as gateways to an experience of the sacred, which also has amazing possibilities to create healthier minds and bodies and souls.

Along with the material benefits of the scientific world view is the realization that we need wisdom from the words of the past and the experiences of others. All cultures have mythical stories of hero's and gods and floods and storms and fire.

"Myth likely represents some cultural memory that remains of these experiences."
From this a moral relevance is formed. There have been many discoveries made to encourage progress and make our lives better.

Love is still the most powerful force in the universe.

The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was a powerful act of love. Jesus, is the reason I find that Christianity, with all its human errors still is the most awesome spiritual reality for me!

We are fearfully and wonderfully made with an image already imprinted upon our hearts.