WHERE WE FIND OUR GOLD

The great spiritual teachers always balance knowing with not knowing, light with darkness. In the Christian tradition, the two great strains were called the kataphatic (according to the light) or “positive” way—relying on clear words, concepts, and ideas—and the apophatic (against the light) or “negative” way—moving beyond words and images into silence, darkness, and metaphor. Both ways are necessary, and together they create a magnificent form of higher non-dual consciousness called faith. -- Fr. Richard Rohr's "Daily Meditations," September 1, 2014

Rohr's share this morning reminded me of back in the day when we used film with which to take pictures. The image we took with the camera first emerged as a "negative" which was then put through a process, i.e., developed, and became the final picture, the "positive" end result. It took both the negative and the positive to have a permanent picture.

Merging a negative opinion with a positive thought (a.k.a., changing our mind), is helped along by mentally relying on the power of  paradox...which today is my favorite place. How else can we explain Jung's contention that where we fall, where we fail, there is where we find our gold? Whoever fell or failed who didn't first thing curse the fall? We usually felt abandoned, alone...stupid, at least...for not knowing better, my least favorite admonition. And then, later, find that fall, that failure, to be the origins of a blessing beyond reasoning...the pearl beyond price.

I have read in many different books that ignorance isn't what we don't know, it's what we think we do know...and are dead wrong about, all the while refusing to open our minds to another view. 

That's where paradox can lift us over the hump. If we're right this minute sitting in the uglies, we don't have to believe those uglies are our gold...we just need to remember Jung wasn't stupid and he may have been right. 

Thank you.