We are One
Daily Passage
Reflections
Today Lady Wisdom is depicted vividly for us. A woman standing in the most frequented places, calling to us. Unlike the temptress, she is not hiding in the corners, but in the public marketplace. In this passage, she has a voice. She speaks!
And who is it that she is speaking to? The collective: the people in the marketplace, to all humanity (4), to her children (32).
And what is the message? She says it is a message of “unparalleled excellence and beauty” (6). She says that this is a valuable message, “more valuable than your prized possession . . . more valuable than pure gold” (10). She says her message is true (7), authentic knowledge (10).
And what is the purpose of this message? Lady Wisdom suggests that her message will “set things right.” She asks that those who hear her, accept her words: her words of correction. Her words are also an invitation to follow. She says, I follow the way of right living.
Follow me along the path . . . “ (20).
And why are we to listen to Lady Wisdom? She proclaims in the marketplace, that her words are true. She says that she lives with “prudence” and obtains “knowledge and sound judgment” (12). She claims that she will help us to live as we should live. Also, if we heed her words, we will benefit greatly. Our lives will flourish. She promises, “Riches and honor are the benefit of following me; so are lasting wealth and justice” (18). She extends, that she will “fill up” our lives until our “treasuries overflow.” And even more than this, if we follow the lifestyle she models, we will find “true happiness” (32) finding indeed “peaceful and satisfying life” (35). She argues that we should listen to her because she is the oldest of all beings. She is our elder, created before the “first sunrise,” before the “boundaries of the sea” were set, and before the “mountains were placed on their foundations . . .” (22 - 31). She also suggests that we should listen because she loves us. She notes, “I was especially pleased with humanity” (31). Her last words warn that if we do not listen and act according to this wisdom she imparts, we are courting death (36).
Wow. Death if we don’t follow. There is something about eternity in this passage. I don’t think it is meant as a punishment, but just a fact, a law of physics. There is eternity in her speech: her words are an elixir of life. If we tap in, we shall be evergreen. She is our wellspring, our source, our flow.
And who is this woman anyway? I think it is wonderful that she is a woman. This book was produced by such a male dominated culture (I don’t even think women were even allowed in schools at the time and place of this writing). The fact that this voice that is so very important to how we live and how we thrive is a feminine voice is amazing. A woman, the oldest of all creation and what a long list of credentials, and what a voice. Amazing!
Also what I love about this whole passage is how this text reveals just what it is that is important in our journey - this human journey that we are taking. Connection. Here, we are part of the all, we are humanity, we are children. Love. She was delighted in us. She calls to us and care enough to want us to be happy and to live abundantly. Happiness. This life that we live is not to be an unhappy struggle but one of happiness overflowing with riches. Eternity. Death is not our birthright. There is an offering of life here - it it is one that is not limited.
John Keats, in his work “Ode to a Grecian Urn,” describes how art captures the most delightful experiences in life. He relates how beautiful moments are suspended in time and enjoyed throughout the ages. In art, eternity is reached. He writes, “Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss, Though winning near the goal yet, do not grieve; She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,” (lines 17 - 19). In writing this poem, Keats was aware of his own failing health and his impending death. Unlike the lover on the urn, his death was near. He had tuberculosis and would pass as he watched his mother and his brother pass. Astutely aware of his own finality, the capturing of a moment meant so very much to him and was an inspiration to write profound poems that have inspired many. While I observe that his focus was on the value of art, I see also that he, with the recognition of the beauty of the moments captured in art, showed the understanding of the true value of the time of now. The past is gone, and the future is uncertain. This present moment is life, alive, and what is in this moment?
Standing in this moment with us, is the truth of who we are. We can recognize her because she is made of the same fire, the same divine nature as we are. Keats writes “beauty is truth, truth beauty-that is all you know on Earth and all you need to know.” How do we know what beauty is? Because it is truth. And how do we know what truth is? Because it is who we are at our most central core.
Wisdom speaks true and is not elusive. Wisdom is more valuable than wealth, and of wealth conducive.
Today I read and reread Proverbs 8. I read several translations of this passage. I came to see this Wisdom lady that I have been following closely since January 1st, not as an archetype of something I must attain, but as an aspect of who I am — and who you are. Older than the first sunrise and the first springs of water. Made before the boundaries of the sea were established and the mountains were placed on their foundations. She was there in the beginning of all things existing in purity and in joy, celebrating life.
Noted journalist Krista Tippet writes, “Everything that lives has its genetic code written in the same alphabet.” We are connected. With every breath we breathe, we send out a ripple into the universe and something is changed, influenced. We are so very important. We need to wake up to this: to our own beauty. This Wisdom walks the streets paved within our own hearts and calls to us. This is not a force outside, but our divine spark — within—present from the very beginning of time, a master craftsman shaping with God the foundations of the world. We are creators. With every thought we think, word we speak, and action we take, we make our reality. We are beauty; we are truth, we are lady Wisdom.
true
“Everything that lives has its genetic code written in the same alphabet.”
— Krista Tippett
Eight Affirmations of Gratitude
I am grateful for truth.
I am truly thankful for how easy it is to recognize truth.
I am so very thankful for the art that reflects truth and beauty.
I am thankful that truth is beautiful.
I give thanks for all life.
I am thankful for the abundant lifestyle that comes from seeking truth.
I am thankful for my connections to all that is.
I am grateful for all that I am.
Questions to Consider
What is truth?
What do I regard as beautiful in this world, and is it always true?
Is there anything that is hindering me now from seeing my truth fully?
Blessings
Thank you for joining me today. May you have a beautiful day, a true day today. May you discover truth and beauty in your core and be immensely blessed. Namaste.