The Everywhere Temple

​"​For a number of reasons it takes time to come to the level of trust and stillness. First, it is just because it is an unfamiliar state to be in. We may feel intuitively drawn to it but also a little scared of it, as we do when we find ourselves in a new country without the local language and without bearings. The Cloud warns us that beginners in meditation easily mistake the spatial metaphors of ‘in’ or ‘up’ or ‘deep’. It insists that the spiritual work is not done in any particular place. “But to this you say, ‘Where then shall I be? By your reckoning I am to be nowhere!’ Exactly. In fact you have expressed it rather well, for I would indeed have you to be nowhere. Why? Because nowhere physically is everywhere spiritually.” (Chapter 68).

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​Father Laurence Freeman, OSB​

 

 

I ​am always grateful for Father Laurence's accessible meditations of the "The Cloud of Unknowing," written by an anonymous 14th century mystic. I have never been able to find my way into the book. I am also grateful for this post because it reminds me of an experience I had in a grocery store this week.  Tyler and I were anticipating having some friends over for dinner, so I stopped at a supermarket to pick the proverbial few things one always seems to need when cooking.  While there, I spotted some yellow spider mums, and their bright cheeriness found their way into my heart and shopping cart.  When I arrived at the check out counter, the young female cashier picked them up to check their price, but then she simply paused and gazed at them.  She spoke softly: "They are beautiful, aren't they?" She then handed them to another young woman who was kindly bagging my purchases.  She enthusiastically added, "Thank you for bringing these to us!"  We then had a sweet conversation about the color yellow.    

 

I found this brief interchange both enjoyable and interesting. These two young women work in close proximity to where the cut flowers are kept.  Yet, in the busyness of checking and bagging groceries, their inherently free ranging senses are held captive by the routine and expectations of customers, co-workers, management, and daily living. I wish I could say I never experience this short tether, but I do, and often. Fortunately, we are given these moments when our boundaries suddenly disappear and we are nowhere and everywhere. Color and light break through, and eternity is revealed once more.