Some Kind of Wonder-full…

How I see the Cross and other stories

As a preface to this post, I would like to underline that what follows is a snapshot of my ideas at this moment in time: a work in progress.  My ideas are highly likely change and evolve, therefore please do not hold me to them, as if they were dogma!

In mainstream Christianity, the crucifixion of Christ (on the Cross) and his resurrection are seen as factual events.  Jesus Christ is perceived as a divine figure, the (only) Son of God, who is put to death in order for the ‘wrath of God’ to be satisfied.  The deal here is that, in order for justice to be done, mankind need be punished for their sinful nature.  However, God is loving, therefore, a man without blemish, Christ, takes this punishment on our behalf.  We cannot have relationship with God until/unless this takes place; a God without blemish will be contaminated if it mixes with the impure.  Thus, Jesus, bridges the gap between pure and impure, enabling relationship.

I have a more nuanced view regarding this.  After all, King David appears to have had a very intimate relationship with God, without needing to pray through Jesus.  (I guess the side argument would be that he sacrificed animals – as a scapegoat – instead, however I find it unconvincing as it deals only with the tangible). 

What if, rather than being “the way” through to God, Jesus were a signpost pointing towards the mystical path to God.  He didn’t make the journey on anyone else’s behalf – that is for us individually to make by following the leadings of the Holy Spirit (or Inner Light) – but he showed us the means whereby: contemplation, compassion, non-violence.  Maybe he was divine; maybe he wasn’t.  Maybe the Cross is a myth; maybe not.  In St Thomas’ Gospel, the Cross is notorious by its absence; the stress is on the Kingdom of God in the here and now, and the responsibility of the individual to find it. 

What I find interesting in the story of the Cross is these three tenets: the Crucifixion, the Death, the Resurrection.  In a poem that inspired this post, Ron Whitehead announces his belief in, “the resurrection of hearts”.  What could this mean?  A struggle (the crucifixion) whereby something is put to death; the pause of the death; a rebirth (the resurrection) whereby the old thing is renewed in better shape than before.  This death and rebirth cycle is not just one single historical event – as would be suggested by the idea of “praying the prayer” and conversion – but a continuous, non-linear cycle. 

So what is it, in our hearts, which we need to continuously put to death?  From Zen Buddhism comes the importance of putting to death the Ego.  So what is this Ego?  I see it as the socialised self, as opposed to “the true self” – who you are when nobody’s looking.  Salvation, therefore, is a process moving away from self-centredness towards God/Reality centeredness.  Is the Ego bad in itself?  No, I do not think so; it is necessary for survival.  Alexander Technique relates to taking off the habits we have been wearing, as regards the use of our minds/bodies.  In the end, the true person will be revealed.  However, as a child, we imitate the usage habits of those around us, in order to learn how to survive in society.  It is inevitable; it is necessary.  Maturation, however, is a process of stripping these habits away.

For the process, we can look at some Islamic ideas.  Internally, we start of in a state of war (or “harrab”).  How should I behave?  Who should I be?  The person society expects me to be, dictated by the desire of my Ego to please?  The person capital “I” wants to be, again dictated by the Ego?  Or my true self, the little “i” containing its very own spark of divinity, dictated by the Inner Light.  The warring of these internal factions provokes a struggle (or “jihad”); “the true self” versus the Ego.  During this struggle, which echoes the struggle on the Cross between “good” and “evil”, we meditate to find a solution, a way through.  And the result?  Peace (or “salam”) which is related to the word “salima” (wholeness).  Just as in the Resurrection, everything comes together in rebirth and renewal. 

It is a process that we are continually reminded of.  The Hindu mystic, Patanjali, broke down that simplest of things, the breath, into three tenets: the inhale (or “puraka”), the held breath (or “kumbhaka”) and the exhale (or “rechaka”).  Again, these tenets echo the stages of the Cross: crucifixion, death and resurrection.  When I enter a Quaker meeting, I am in a state of “puraka”.  The held breath (or death) is that point of “emptiness” we achieve by stilling and inner silence; it leads onto “enlightenment” (a resurrection) whereby a problem will be resolved or new wisdom given. 

In his book, “Seven Masters, One Path”, John Selby writes the following regarding the “rechaka”:

“As you become empty of air, and also of your usual thoughts and sense of self, you will often experience you ego letting go its control of your mind, allowing a unique awakening-rebirth experience that comes of the next inhale” (p32).

That, to me, very much, symbolises the tenets of the Cross.

And we are continually reminded of it when we open our eyes to see.  Here are just three memory joggers:

1 Seasons

In autumn, nature struggles against the inevitable.  However hard “life” fights, the leaves fall, and “death” wins through.  Winter is the season of “death”, and it often feels like a never-ending Silence.  Yet it is only a pause.  In spring, Nature is reborn afresh as new shoots spring up.

2 The Menstrual Cycle

At the time of menstruation, the womb is torn in two, in painful agony.  There is a momentary pause after it is shed, followed by it being prepared, once again, for the possibility of birth and new life. 

3 Sleep

At the end of each day, we struggle with the desire to stay awake and the need to sleep.  Sleep itself comes: a pause.  And then, a fresh reawakening.   It is through sleep (the Death) that we are renewed. 

When our senses are deprived (as in a floatation tank), and we are in a state of non-doing, the Ego mysteriously falls away.  It is the work of the Divine; what happens when we just “are” with the Spirit.  Silence, meditation, and stillness – they are like the Death, the Sleep, the momentary pause needed to unveil “the true self”. 

Notes

So many people have contributed to my thoughts and ideas on this topic, and although I’m sure they have no desire for publicity, I feel I should honour them by name.

Brita Forsstrom

Ray Gaston

Firdaws Khan

Dana Lunberry

Tjelvar Olsson