"A believed idea feels different from from an idea that is not believed . And that peculiar flavor of the believed is never in my experience without a special sort of imaginative enjoyment" This struck me as unique, yet there is another sense of the meaning C.S. Lewis goes on to describe "On the contrary though, we spoil a mythology for imaginative purposes by believing in it. Fairies are popular in England because we don't think they exist. The contemplation of what we take to be real is always, I think with a certain level of aesthetic satisfaction-a sort which depends solely on its supposed reality. There is dignity and poignancy in the bare fact that a thing exists" -Lewis. This is why mythology and spiritualism in my mind is more popular than rigid Christianity. " It looks as if the confusion between imaginative enjoyment and intellectual assent, of which Christianity is accused, is not nearly as common as people suppose" For to me it resonates within the myth, that which was told became incarnate (Jesus) or fact. A living breathing organism, no longer not bound by the constraints of time, space and matter, but fused the divine with the mortal, to share our fleshly fate. I mean is this not what we all wish for? Is this not why Harry Potter, Star Wars and Disney to certain minds become so fulfilling, there is an enjoyment of that which is uncannily and strictly imaginative which pleasantly suits our imaginations. This kind of free range imagination without rules and limitations is what we all inherently long for. The undoing of a particualar "unpleasant" curse is the very idea we so nobly agree as heroism, (beauty kissing the beast), the beast tells the princess of his life before the curse, of his noble splendor before he was damned to his hairy fate. What motivated her in this movie? Was it nothing utter than compassion? Michaelangelo was once asked as he chiseled a small chink in each statue, why are you not focusing on just one whole statue at a time. "Because he said, I'm trying to set the angel free in each one" Like the grand artisian himself, God visualizes a perfect angel inside all the covered up layers of sin, pride and narcissism, the real you is a hidden internal beauty. Another example of heroism that has moved me is Gandalfs fall in the mines against the Balrog, and his subsequent return stronger than ever. Darkness cannot quench out light however it would like us to
Now Gandalf going down with the Balrog demands more attention let
us take a closer more introspective look. Let us examine further some lines
from the book: "The fire seemed to die but the darkness grew. It stepped
forward slowly, and suddenly drew itself up to a great height, and its wings
were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in
the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone; grey and bent, like a wizened
tree before the onset of a storm {Gandalf re-opens his eyes} "A
balrog-a demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of
you....Run!" {the fellowship runs through a small doorway as Gandalf
shepherds them through} "Gandalf!" Aragorn yells, "Lead them on
Aragorn! the bridge is near! {They look across a wide space to a long bridge
spanning the gap between a hall and a cliff face. Away behind them the Balrog
roars again, as Aragorn moves toward Gandalf he is pushed roughly away,
"Do as I say!" {hurt and confusion register on Aragorns face} "Swords
are no more use here!" (Simon Peters ill fated use of a weapon and the
putting back of an ear resonates here). Back to the story at hand however, {The
Balrog rumbles again, foundations splinter and crumble, sending huge rocks
tumbling to the depths, around a great pillar in a fiery hall comes Gandalf,
leading the fellowship,a wall of flame whirls behind them} Gandalf: "Over
the bridge, fly!" {The fellowship flees. Gandalf does not follow, but
turns, looking into the wall of fire, a great form or black shadow leaps through
the flames, its eyes of white fire, great ash-black horns curling around a
bull-like head, it opens wide its mouth, rippling heat pouring out with a
rumble, Gandalf turns, running after the fellowship. A great, black, cloven
foot stomps down into the hall, bursting into flame. A narrow bridge of stone
appears in the fiery light and the fellowship crosses the bridge. Gandalf turns
to face the Balrog.} "You cannot pass!", "I am the servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor! The
dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun!" {The Balrog strikes down on
Gandalf, who parries the blow with his blade, shattering the Balrogs sword,
glowing embers run off the circle of light around the wizard . The monster
bellows at the wizard. Frodo gasps, Aragorn runs forward. {Gandalf clinching
his teeth} "go back to the shadow!" {The Balrog leaps forth with a
brandished flaming whip}. {Gandalf raises his sword and staff together in the
air: "you-shall not-pass!" {driving his staff onto the bridge causing
a bright flash of white light to appear, {flaring its nostrils wide, the Balrog
steps onto the bridge causing the bridge to collapse from under it and breaks
under the wizards staff, the Demon plunges backward into the chasm still
wielding its glowing whip} Gandalf, now exhausted, leans on his staff, and
watches the Balrog fall, he turns to follow the others. {The flaming whip
lashes forth from the abyss binding his heels, dragging him over the edge}. (He
shall bruise your heal and you shall crush his skull comes to mind in
scripture). Gandalf now strains to keep his grip, Frodo rushes forward
"Gandalf!" (The great wizard wide eyed grasped the bridge. He stops
struggling "Fly you fools!" ( Gandalf lets go of the stone wall and
falls into the chasm, spreading his arms, the light of the Balrog glimmering
far below} Once again an allegory of Jesus arms spread wide to save)
"death is swallowed up in lght and victory, oh death where is thy
sting?" Jesus took that stand for us he is our white knight and savior,
our ancient protector of old. Now the term white light interests me, it is
something Jesus was clothed with and the more you understand paranormal events
the more you appreciate this awesome power.
Alluding to these events I wanted to mention after Jesus died and was buried his spirit was taken from his body. So very little if any of the anointing would have permeated those clothes, and that was only possible if some of the anointing had remained in Jesus bones. Anointing could have come from Jesus bones, for Elisha's could have raised the dead (see 2 Kings 13:21) But Jesus body had risen, no bones about it. So only a residual amount of anointing was probable on the folded burial cloth ( what I believe to be the highly controversial shroud of turin). That is why it is the only time His clothing is mentioned in scripture, when people did not clamor to touch it. In John 20 we read that both John and Peter looked at the strips but were not compelled to touch it because Jesus had risen. The spirit had left him. His spiritual clothing was taken-the Designer clothes had been taken from Jesus, the last Adam, just like the Designer clothes had been taken from the first Adam (1 Cor 15:45, Gen 3:7). Jesus when He was ministering on earth displayed another set of clothes that was revealed when "He was transfigured before them, His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them" Perhaps the transfiguration was merely 'an opening' of the disciples eyes to see the reality that was there there all the time? Perhaps Jesus clothes were actually white light? The disciples spiritual eyes were opened and they saw the spiritual reality that had always been there but hidden from their natural eyes. Just like Gandalf leading the way through the dark mines is Jesus "The light of the world" leading us to another realm. The sacrifice was the "going down with the ship" the sinking with the wily devil into the abyss to clear the way for us. For as Peter mentions "We also have the prophetic message, as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts".
Now there are countless other examples I could conjure up from the abyss of my memory but sleep lies heavy on me and my eyes grow bleary; one last analogy strikes me as pertinent however : Obi-Wan Kenobi's fall against Vader, in dramatic fashion the wise old Jedi accepted death as a gift to receive; that of an old friend returning to clothe him with power, thus being fused into a force like ether, no longer bound by limitations "strike me down and I will become more powerful than you ever could imagine". Many Pagan myths tell a redemptive story with several key aspects going awry. If you are a Christian you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong all through. If you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the whole world is simply one huge mistake. If you are a Christian, you are free to think that all those religions, even the queerest ones, contain at least some hint of the truth. When I was an atheist I had to try to persuade myself that most of the human race have always been wrong about the question that mattered to them most; when I became a Christian I was able to take a more liberal view. But, of course, being a Christian does mean thinking that where Christianity differs from other religions, Christianity is right and they are wrong. As in arithmetic—there is only one right answer to a sum, and all other answers are wrong; but some of the wrong answers are much nearer being right than others. "For when I became a Christian I was free to believe there was some truth in every religion but it was not the truth" -Lewis
