A fascinating aspect of God is the way he finds you. He knows when and where you begin your quest for truth, even before you do. How this happens is a mystery; when it happens could be anytime, anywhere. Surprisingly often it occurs when you are touched by metaphor while reading poetry.
An image rich in quest metaphors ~ æssmith photo
Your reception of this divine discovery may go unnoticed or be shocking and immediate. It all depends on your state of being at the time:
- Anxious and confused? Discovery becomes a seed waiting to grow.
- Seized by purpose or wonder? Discovery is an awakening or epiphany.
- Distracted or unfocused? Discovery may take you suddenly into the presence of God.
Poetry is rich in metaphor, which has the power to reach you on multiple levels. It makes a comparison that is implicit and unstated rather than explicit and obvious. In this way it gets past all the defences you use to keep your world view intact. This is essential for growth of every kind and keeps you moving forward in your quest.
In his lovely, small book on praying with icons, Rowan Williams writes, “We are compulsive dividers, separators, and in these divisions we deny ourselves the life God is eager to give.” One of the most dangerous obstacles to peace and harmony in today’s world is our fascination with technology. By a variety of ways and means, technology
- shatters wholes into bits (and bytes),
- renders life into signs and too obvious symbols,
- reduces other people into objects and categories, and
- strips metaphor of its power by making it explicit.
Technology offers an imitation of life. Metaphor expands the real thing by making you part of a poem’s dance of meaning. It prompts you to make your own comparisons and multiply connections through life events and knowledge that only you possess.
One of the most famous poetic metaphors of all is The Tyger by William Blake, which begins
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night
Plate with The Tyger poem (and image) ~ William Blake (1757-1827); Wikimedia Commons
A high school English teacher might teach you about metaphor by linking the Tyger’s fierce eyes with the flames of a fire. Let your imagination roam free, and you can find many other links in Blake’s poem to awaken and inspire you.
Countless poems are inspired by spiritual themes and the deep faith of their authors. Blake’s work is a reminder that poetry doesn’t need to be especially religious to quicken spirituality. The same can be said of poets. Although Blake’s mystical gift was well developed and he was a spiritual man, he was no conformist when it came to religion. Yet through the power of metaphor his work still provokes divine discovery in the hearts and minds of its readers.
Without metaphor, life is flat and two dimensional, lacking depth and shadow. Poetry gives you a way to look beneath the surface of life. Through it you can enter into the deep nuances that lie within everything that surrounds you.
If you are new to the pleasures and promise of poetry, find a good anthology and read it every so often. Over time it will open up new ways of thinking, feeling, and seeing. Therein lies spiritual treasure and food for the quest.
Further reading:
In the many years I spent away from church and religion, I rarely looked at a Bible. Instead, a poetry anthology from high school allowed me to hear God’s voice. There was poetry from mediaeval to modern times, including excerpts from the King James version of the Bible, both the Old and the New Testament.
Charlesworth, Roberta A.; and Lee, Dennis. An Anthology of Verse. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1964.
Williams, Rowan. The Dwelling of the Lights: Praying with Icons of Christ. Toronto: Novalis, 2003.