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Page: Profile: Poetry
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Poem Specs
VxPoem ID: 42179
Category:
devotional
Posted: February 26th. 2012 2:01:33 PM
Views: 193 |
In Appreciation of a Lighter
by Iris "Isarma" Crain
Age Group: Adult
So often we hear that “one can tell the whole of the Mysteries and still reveal nothing.” Yet I have come to profoundly realize that one can (and does) experience the Mysteries on a day-to-day basis and still Life, The Great Teacher, reveals nothing unless we are ready to accept her teachings. I have come to this point of understanding many times in my life, but on this occasion it was in that in-between space of the morning, not quite still asleep, not yet awake, and my eyes flickered and absorbed the vision of my husband’s lighter on our bedside shelf.
Ancient man revered many things which gave comfort and purpose to their lives. In the Greco-Roman mythology, they say Prometheus stole Fire from the gods for all of mankind. For this life giving and selfless act of defiance, he was condemned to have an Eagle (or vulture, depending on the translation) gnaw at his liver for all of time. Not quite the hero’s reward we might think would be waiting for us should we take on such a task! But perhaps this was one of the Mysteries which Ancient Greece celebrated each year for nearly 2, 000 years until they were destroyed by the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius I by decree in 392 AD
Before mankind had any record of cultivated fire, the light, heat and transformative properties could only be gotten at great expense. Perchance the Sun refracted upon something just right, or a storm brought lightening to a wooded area and ignited a tree, or in even stranger circumstances, two rocks of earth brought together in just such a combination to spark in the presence of flammable material. Anyone who spent time as a boy scout or campfire girl in their youth knows it’s really not as easy as it sounds. So too with our ancestors, and so fire was held sacred, when present, all things were possible, without it, ruin came upon an entire village or countryside.
Even in locations where the sun is harsh, is fire necessary for life. Deserts can be cold at night, darkness all-encompassing, and the proverbial “things-that-go-bump-in-the-night” are usually things that slither, sting or bite. One of the most profound mysteries of the Christian culture is a fire which lasted beyond it’s normal ability. Fire purifies & cleanses, creates or destroys, has been portrayed as both sacred and profane.
So back to my husband’s lighter, my thoughts drift to the names we use in our group for it; domesticated fire elemental, fwee-fwee, flameage, or simply just “a lighter.” They are often to be found under school books, under the couch, or most often in my husband’s pockets (often the pants pockets in the dirty laundry hamper.) I think about the myths I’ve heard surrounding it – that one cannot use matches, lighters, or so-on in certain circumstances, that one should not extinguish flame by certain means. And still, the wonder strikes me how profoundly we under appreciate this simple thing.
To understand the Mysteries is to understand this – the Wonder, the Awe of the simple as the profound. To look at our world, and ourselves, with a critical eye, see “that which is hidden in plain sight.” To feel, in the core of that which is your essence, the amazing Truth of this reality we have created for ourselves. For by our thoughts, we create and *choose* a life which is either mundane and superficial or full of wonder, joy, and life. And so it is.
Author's Notes: This was too short to be an Essay, so I guess it goes here...
Author's Location: Golden Valley, Arizona
Author's Profile: To learn more about Iris "Isarma" Crain - Click HERE
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