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.