"You, however, are controlled not by
the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you."
(Romans 8:9)
In the Genesis, it is mentioned that The
Lord created the heavens and the earth. This spiritual world of heavens is
parallel to the physical world belonging to the earth. We need to understand
this spiritual dimension which exists beyond what we can see. The spiritual
world influences and controls every person. The Bible describes some
interactions between the physical and the spiritual realms.‚’ There the angel
of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw
that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. When the LORD saw that he
had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses!
Moses!"’’ (Ex 3:2,4).
We may enter this spiritual world when we
live without sinning only with the help of God because no one can inhabit this
physical world without being tempted to do sins. Adam and Eve lived in the
spiritual world while being able to see and to communicate with God. People
have different views regarding the spiritualism and the materialism. Some of
them consider that the material realm opposes the spiritual space which is
nonmaterial and it's impossible to have a spiritual life while living in a
materialistic world. Some others accept the idea of abandoning the habitual
materialistic life in the society while needing to live a spiritual life. For
this purpose, they search for peace and solitude. Others think that, sometimes,
the spiritual seekers are not accepted by the materialistic society.
The attitude toward religion is different
being related to the philosophy of life. While having different experiences,
people adopt different spiritual paths according to their thinking. The
Christians pray to establish a connection with God through the Holy Spirit. The
apostle Paul prayed that the "eyes our hearts may be enlightened' (Eph
1:18). While living a materialistic life, the thinkers need a spiritual
direction. This necessity comes from the depths of their consciousness. A Tibetan meditation teacher, Chogyam
Trunpa, wrote about "deceiving ourselves into thinking we are developing
spiritually when instead we are strengthening our egocentricity through
spiritual techniques."
The religious and the nonreligious
tolerances are two extreme attitudes which are required in order to coexist in
this world of anxieties and insecurities. "The god of this age has blinded
the minds of unbelievers." (2 Cor. 4:4) .All the religions teach people
moral codes that influence the relationships in the communities and between the
communities. These moral codes have ancient origins dating back to 3100 BCE.
Judaic, Christian, and Islamic religions generated a surreal understanding of
the world and 2,000 years of conflict in the Middle-East. Many sensible persons
try to find their spiritual path because they understand their weaknesses and
deficiencies, or maybe because they cannot solve their problems, and for sure
because they are unhappy with their lives. Many people choose to take a middle
way in life in order to avoid the extremes and to live in harmony. This middle
way leads to Surrealism. ''The Surrealist artists sought to channel the
unconscious as a means to unlock the power of the imagination. Disdaining
rationalism and literary realism, and powerfully influenced by psychoanalysis,
the Surrealists believed the rational mind repressed the power of the
imagination, weighting it down with taboos.'' André Breton defined it as being
a"psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express -
verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner - the actual
functioning of thought." In his book, ''The Interpretation of
Dreams'', Sigmund Freud analyzed the meaning of the dreams and their
interconnection with the unconscious and ''his exposure of the complex and
repressed inner worlds of sexuality, desire, and violence provided a
theoretical basis for much of Surrealism.''
The Surrealist imagery is maybe one of the
most accepted artistic methods to inhabit the spiritual space. The artists use
''their own recurring motifs arisen through their dreams or/and unconscious
mind.'' I mention the bird alter ego described by Max Ernst, the ants that have
been included in the work of Salvador Dalí's, and the biomorphic imagery used
by Joan Miró.‚’ enlightenment is a state beyond the uncontrolled, agitated,
dissatisfied mind; a state of perfect freedom, everlasting enjoyment and
complete understanding of the nature of the mind.’’-Lama Thubten Yeshe The
prayer is credited with antidotal effect against guilt and blame in attempting
to make a specific conversation with God and to obtain the needed forgiveness
in order to move forward.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross said, "You will
not grow if you sit in a beautiful flower garden, but you will grow if you are
sick, if you are in pain, if you experience losses, and if you do not put your
head in the sand, but take the pain as a gift to you with a very, very specific
purpose."
Emanuel Swedenborg is the author of the book
''Heaven and Hell'', and he said - “there is a spiritual world and a natural
world within each of us” – “we are in the spiritual world as well as in the
natural world”.
We live between these two opposite extremes
and have the freedom to respond to any heavenly or hellish influence. The way
leading to the spiritual dimension is revealed through the miracles, especially
those miracles which are performed by Jesus, '' you may believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His
name." (John 20:31)
Jesus revived and appeared to Thomas, who
said, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where
the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
Jesus came to the apostle Thomas and said, "Put your finger here; see my
hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and
believe." (John 20:25-27)
REFERENCES:
The ‚’Bible’’
‚’ The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind’’ by Lama
Thubten Yeshe
‚’Spirituality and Materialism’’ by Lama Thubten Yeshe
‚’What Prayer Really Means’’ By Elizabeth Lesser
‚’The Spirit World Influences Every Human Being’’ by
DAN DELZELL,
‚The Fossil Trail: How We Know What We Know about
Human Evolution. 2nd ed.’ by Tatersall, Ian, New York: Oxford, 2009
Ardus Publications, Sybaritic Press, Prolific Press, Silver
Birch Press, HerEthics Books, and some others published the poems of Marieta
Maglas in anthologies like Tanka Journal and Three Line Poetry #25 also #39
edited by Glenn Lyvers, The Aquillrelle Wall of Poetry edited by Yossi Faybish,
A Divine Madness edited by John Patrick Boutilier, Near Kin edited by Marie
Lecrivain, ENCHANTED - Love Poems and Abstract Art edited by Gabrielle de la
Fair, Intercontinental Anthology edited by Madan Gandhi, and Nancy Drew
Anthology edited by Melanie Villines.
Her poems have been also published in journals like
Poeticdiversity, I Am not a Silent Poet, and Our Poetry Corner.
[MARIETA MAGLAS]
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