Spiritual Metaphors That Work
What do I mean by spiritual metaphors that work? I'm referring
to the fact that the words are not the things themselves, and
are only tools. Using metaphors is one of the most powerful ways
to communicate an understanding of something, but they are tools,
and so we have to ask how well they do the job. We don't use
a hammer for bolting things together, nor do we use pliers for
sawing wood. We choose the tools that work best.
In the case of spiritual tools, though, what works best is
not entirely objective as it is with hammers and screwdrivers.
That's because the metaphors that we use are meant only to point
the way to a deeper understanding that is beyond words, and we
all relate to words in slightly different ways. The idea of a
"path to follow" might resonate with some people, while
"ascending the mountain" may mean more to another,
even though both point to the idea of spiritual work.
Even "work" is ultimately a metaphor. You'll find
that metaphors are a much bigger part of our language than it
appears. This is especially true when we get to spiritual topics.
Here are some more spiritual metaphors that you may find meaning
in.
Higher Self
The idea here is that what we call our "self" is
really just a shallow self, a collection of ideas, feeling, images,
habits and personality traits. Some part of us is beyond all
that though. We can call this the "god within" or "greater
intelligence" if we want too.
Again, the words are not meant to be important in their own
right. They are only tools that point to some aspect of reality
that we want to look at and understand. If we can see that there
is something more loving and intelligent in us that we can choose
to identify with when we act, then we can understand what is
meant by any of these metaphors.
Devils
It isn't popular any longer to talk about the devil. The idea
was often either used to excuse behavior (the devil made me do
it) or condemn people (the devil works through him - also an
excuse). But if we see it as merely a metaphorical understanding,
we can relate to the truth that we do listen to evil thoughts,
and if we listen often enough we do fall into the grips of these
"devils." The classic ideas of the devil which suggest
that he is a real and independent actor, and that he can take
charge of one's soul without regard to one's choices - that's
probably not useful. In fact, we might be better off replacing
the whole concept of the devil with the metaphor "lower
self." It is the "voices" of the lower self that
tempt us to follow them.
Up Is Good
It can be debated why up has always been associated with good
and down with evil, but it seems to be culturally universal.
We "rise above our lower nature" or we "sink to
the depths of depravity." Perhaps the idea of the perspective
available from higher up make this idea truly resonate with us.
We certainly can see more from the top of a mountain than from
a ditch. For whatever reasons, this is one of our more persistent
and satisfying spiritual metaphors.
Note: Watch the homepage for new pages about metaphors
in spirituality.
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