"For some years my heart was proud, for as the beauty sank into memory it seemed to become a personal possession, and I said 'Iimagined this' when I should humbly have said, 'The curtain was a little lifted that I might see.' "
___ A. E. (George Russell, "The Candle of Vision"
Those who are trying to map the thresholds of vision, to pass beyond them into the mysterious hinterland of the unexplored spiritual terrain, know that they have to need the messages and visions that come. The recording of such information can be very valuable as a reminder and an encouragement in those times when the spiritual borders are stubbornly out of reach. But such records should never become territorial claims, proofs of purchase or evidence of our spiritual prowess. Exclusivism has no part in the work of mapping the terrain of vision.
The human failing of hubris, that spiritual pride which claims more than it has a right to, follows us from birth to death. To life the curtain is not to claim what lies beyond it. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that our spiritual explorations have never been commensurate with our geographical discoveries. At heart, we realize that there is no monetary profit to be gained from spiritual discovery and that those who indulge in spiritual materialism are merely poseurs, not the spiritually enlightened. The fruit of our vision is not for hoarding but for sharing; only when shared can it become a fruit that satisfies eternally.
"What are the borders between you and the spiritual realms most clearly discovered? What have you learned from your own visions and experiences during your lifelong discovery?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
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