liquid light

leaving the bosom of our divine father and mother, the sparks descend through realms now forgotten. clothed in garments of skin and bone we emerge baptised through blood, into the light of material existence. this central gnostic myth teaches that the yearning we feel echoes our state of exile, as beings oblivious to the divine within as we seek g-d without. i am currently developing a regular practice of active imagination, which the ancient gnostics - as well as modern one’s such as Jung - used in order to explore the inner realms. the following is one such journey:

in my imagination i come across a stone slab on a forest floor, covered in roots and dirt. with great effort i drag, push & pull until an opening is revealed, large enough for me poke my head through. by the light of the outside world i make out a rough spiral stair, hewn out of rock and descending into black. hungry for the darkness i pull the slab aside further and looking quickly around, slip quietly inside and onto the beckoning step below.

while gently brushing the wall with my right hand for orientation, i descend the spiral for several minutes until finally, i reach bottom. the air feels hot and dry and the ground, soft. i get the urge to take off my shoes in recognition of it’s holiness. at this point i realise that rather than rock or earth, i am standing in warm sand. i look up and immediately notice a flickering light in the distance.

i slowly move towards it and by a subtle luminescence cast by the light, i realise a gigantic overhanging rock overshadows me. very soon i exit the cave and gazing upward, am transfixed by an immense night sky. something about the stars brings a sudden wave of forlornness, of homesickness for somewhere not of this world and long forgotten. however, i am soon roused by the sound of distant drumming and laughter.

….in a desert underground.