THE PRESENCE AND POWER OF ETERNITY

'For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place …'
Isaiah 57:15 (KJV).

There was once an Australian soldier and evangelist John G Ridley MC who preached a sermon titled ‘Echoes of Eternity’. Actually, he preached more-or-less that same sermon more than once, and perhaps many times. A copy of an audio file of one taped version of the sermon, preached by Ridley in his later years, can be found here. Ridley was a dynamic and powerful preacher. He painted the most wonderfully evocative word pictures ...

… Eternity … This word is a solitary word, wonderful word, just like a great mountain peak standing up and leaping above all its fellows and casting a kind of glorious shadow over the whole mountain range, an Everest of scripture, snowcapped in the purity of God. Eternity! Eternity! … Eternity. What a remarkable, uplifted, glorified word! Once uttered, because there is only one eternity, and the eternal God is in command of it. I seem to hear it coming out of the past like a distant sound of thunder, bursting with a clap in the present, and rolling on with mumblings and rumblings into the unknown future. Eternity. Eternity. How can you preach on eternity? Yet, if a preacher does not touch on eternity, he’s missing the great mountain ridge and glorious throne that God has given us in this verse, who inhabited Eternity. … [We] are travellers to eternity.

... Eternity, Eternity, I wish I could sound or shout that word to everyone in the streets of Sydney. You’ve got to meet it. Where will you spend Eternity? ...

When John Ridley preached this sermon in Sydney, New South Wales on what was perhaps the first occasion—this was way back in 1932—a man named Arthur Stace (pictured), who had been a soldier himself and who was a reformed alcoholic who had been converted to Christianity a couple of years earlier, was so moved by Ridley’s words that he went outside the church building and wrote the word ‘Eternity’ in beautiful copperplate writing with chalk on the footpath. He continued to do that on the footpaths of Sydney and even beyond Sydney and the State of New South Wales for about 35 years—some 500,000 times.

Now, Ridley and Stace had their own evangelical understanding of the word ‘eternity’. By the way, that word appears just once in the King James Version of the Bible, and it is in the verse set out above.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up with the word ‘Eternity’.

What is eternity? Well, as I see it, we are in eternity now. We are immersed in eternity. We live, move and have our be-ing-ness in eternity. Eternity is not a ‘thing’ we enter into at death. No. Eternity is now. Everything is contained within eternity, that is, the eternal now. All duration – or time – is total and complete in the now. There is an eternal quality about the now. It is forever new. The present moment has its unfolding in the eternal now for it is nothing other than that which presents itself before us in and as the now, which embraces past, present and future. It is in the eternal now that we have our presence.

For me, God is the eternal now—omnipresence. There is only one eternity, one eternal now and it is both the medium in which all things have their be-ing-ness as well as Be-ing or omnipresence itself.

You may or may not share my understanding of the word eternity. That is your prerogative. The important thing is not to wait until you die in order to experience its tremendous presence and power.

HOW TO CALM THE STORMS IN YOUR LIFE

‘There is a spiritual giant within you, which is always struggling
to burst its way out of the prison you have made for it.’

Dr Norman Vincent Peale. 

We all have ‘storms’ in our lives from time to time. Of course, I am using the word ‘storm’ largely but not entirely metaphorically, because many people have to endure storms in the literal sense as well. We hear about that all the time.

A ‘storm’ may take many forms, for example, sickness, death of a loved one, loss of a job, financial woes, emotional upsets (eg fear, anxiety, anger and hatred), and so forth. In fact, any of the problems and stresses of life is a ‘storm’, metaphorically speaking. Now, I am not advocating a simplistic, one-dimensional solution to ‘storms’. I try not to dispense cheap optimism. Life is very tough, and quite unfair at times. Depending on the nature of the storm, professional assistance will often be required to overcome the storm or simply 'ride the waves'.

The Bible is a collection of books on the subject of human psychology—both ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’, as we used to say—containing numerous stories depicting the human condition in all its many forms, some of them sordid and others quite lofty. All of the stories, and the events depicted in them, graphically depict various phases of human experience—the so-called human condition—as well as states of consciousness occurring or capable of occurring within our own minds. Those who seek to interpret the Bible otherwise, that is, literally, are, with the greatest respect, gravely mistaken, but that’s for another day.

Now, the story of Jesus calming the storm is well known, even to many not familiar with the Bible. The story is an allegory—never forget that. For starters, we have a storm over a lake. The reference to ‘storm’ is fairly obvious, but what about ‘water’, in this case, the Sea of Galilee where storms were, and still are, known to arise quite suddenly and unexpectedly from time to time? Well, in scared symbology ‘water’ is a symbol for, among other things, mental movement and, in particular, the emotions. In some contexts, water is a symbol of the human soul. Then there’s the ship, which may be seen to be a symbol of the human body. And we have a voyage or journey in the nature of a trial or tribulation. So many ancient and modern stories and myths involve a journey of discovery—self-discovery.

The story goes like this. Jesus had been teaching near the Sea of Galilee. Afterwards, he wanted a respite from the crowds so he decided to take a boat with the disciples to the opposite shore where there were no large towns. The Bible reports that not long after they sailed, Jesus fell asleep and a storm arose. Now, as already mentioned, the Sea of Galilee was known for its sudden raging storms. We read:

‘The waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion’ (Mk 4:37–38).

The first point to note, other than the fact that Jesus needed to rest just like the rest of us, is that Jesus’ sleep was deep and sound, even through the storm which was ‘already filling’ the boat. Yes, Jesus was asleep on the cushion in the stern of the boat. The disciples were filled with fear and apprehension, but they were smart enough to awaken Jesus. I will have more to say about that matter shortly. So, the disciples woke Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Peace! Be still!’ We read in the Bible that the wind immediately died down, the storm subsided and, what’s more, there was a great calm. Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’

The word ‘faith’ is much abused. I am not in favour of ‘blind faith’ or some sort of ‘leap of faith’ into the unknown. In a practical sense, faith, as I see it, means acting with courage, confidence and perseverance despite what may be going on around you or inside of you. Faith refers to a special kind of knowledge (no, not intellectual knowledge) and understanding that one can ‘ride the waves’, no matter what life dishes out. No wonder Jesus reportedly said, ‘You will know the truth and the truth will set you free’ (Jn 8:32, emphasis added). Faith is not synonymous with mere religious belief. I have seen many people of great faith, in the sense in which I am now using the word, who have no religious faith at all. True faith is knowing the truth about any given situation, and understanding that there is always a solution to any problem that may beset us. Faith is not wishful thinking. It sees the real and the ugly but knows that the power to overcome or rise above whatever may be the problem or issue is always available.

Now, within each one of us is something that the Quakers refer to us ‘peace at the centre’. Quakers cultivate such peace. We all should, whether or not we are Quakers. The ‘peace at the centre’ is calm and tranquility, even in the face of the worst storm imaginable. When a storm calms, say the words, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Saying those words will not make the storm away, but it will help you to get in the right frame of mind to respond appropriately to the storm, whatever it may be. Unless we are still, our response to the storm will be all wrong.

Know this—there is, within each of us, a ‘sleeping giant’. When we awaken that sleeping giant, we find the power to respond appropriately to any storm. This giant of which I speak is an inner potentiality. It is a power and a presence, the very presence of life’s self-expression in and as you, the person that you are. Here’s something else—this presence and power manifests itself as peace and calmness, even in the midst of trouble and turmoil, that is, in the storms of life.

You may not know this, but every character in the Bible—even the person of Jesus—is you, yes, you at some stage or other of your life and psycho-spiritual development. That’s right. Every character in the Bible, whether a real, historical person or not, represents a condition of consciousness and a quality—good or bad—of character or personality. And that goes for the person of Jesus as well, for he is the representative human being par excellence. He is every man or woman on the path of life—well, every man or woman who knows how to master the storms of life. The ‘Christ’ is symbolic of ‘peace at the centre’, the peace that passes all understanding, and the power that makes all things new. The ‘Christ’ is not a person but a principle, a state of attainment, and a presence. The ‘Christ’ is the perfect idea of what a man or woman can be and in truth really is. As such, it abides within each one of us as our potential perfection as well as inner peace and power. The New Testament speaks of ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’ (Col 1:27). Esoteric Christians refer to this inner presence and power as the ‘Christ within’, for it is not to be found afar off. Now, when we combine ‘Jesus’ with the ‘Christ’, we have a fully functioning man or woman under full sway of their inner potentiality and vital powers—the perfect human being in actual expression. No, I am not talking about accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and that sort of thing. That is a gross carnalization and literalization of what is otherwise a very important myth as well as being a misrepresentation and distortion of the true metaphysical position. We are all Christs in the making.

To find ‘peace at the centre’ is more than just finding inner peace. One finds power as well—yes, the power to triumph over any adversity. I will use another analogy. I live not far from the beach on Sydney's wonderful Northern Beaches and I love bodysurfing. I try to bodysurf as often as I can, even though I'm not that great at it. Now, some waves are fairly small such that you can just go over the top of them, as if you were a bobbing cork. Others are bigger, and you must go through the middle of them in order to avoid being dumped. Still others are even bigger, with some being so big that all you can safely do is to go right under the water and head straight for the sandy bottom. There you find stillness and calmness. You can see and sometimes hear all the turbulence above you, but you are safe at or near the bottom, and you simply wait until things calm down before you surface again. Then there are other waves which are just perfect for bodysurfing. Life is very much like that. One wave after another. The important thing is to deal with one wave at a time. Of course, the waves sometimes come in very quick succession. Life is also like that.

Bodysurfing at Warriewood, on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Yes, there is peace and harmony at the centre—and power, too. To use one final analogy, it's the power to climb over any mountain, or go around that mountain if need be, or simply go straight through the middle of the mountain. In order to know that peace, and find and use that inner power, you must awaken the ‘sleeping giant’ within you. Then you will have the power to overcome any adversity. Not only that, but the storms of life will not overwhelm you anymore.

‘Peace! Be still!’

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MINDFULNESS THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD

One of my favourite books as a child was one entitled The Magic Shell. 

In many ways this book is like another in my collection which I loved as a child (and still do)---The Red Balloon---in that the book consists primarily of photographs. The two books are very similar in other respects as well. Both beautifully capture, in a highly lyrical way, all the whimsy, imagination and free spirit of the child. In both books, the text is minimal; it is the photos that tell the story. In the case of The Magic Shell the photos were taken by the book's author, Nadine Amadio (1929-2009) [pictured below right], with a Rolleiflex camera using Kodak Tri-X film.

Nadine Amadio, who was married to the famed Australian jazz musician Ray Price from 1953 to 1968, came from a very artistic and musical family. She was an Australian writer, poet, journalist, arts critic, mythographer, photographer and film producer, with her works and interests encompassing fiction, biography, poetry, fine arts, art appreciation, music, mythology (myth 'is a life-force that combats the futility and potentially suicidal emptiness of a purely materialistic society', she wrote) and native folklore, editing, photography and  painting as well as scriptwriting and executive producing for films and documentaries. 

In 1976 Ms Amadio received a New Writers Fellowship from the Literature Board of the Australia Council. (To be technical, Ms Amadio was hardly a ‘new writer’ by 1976, for she had already authored and published a few books including Amanda and the Dachshund in 1965 as well as The Magic Shell in 1958.) For many years Ms Amadio collaborated with the distinguished Australian painter and close friend of hers Charles Blackman, my favourite work of theirs being The New Adventures of Alice in Rainforest Land. She published two books about Blackman and his work---Charles Blackman: The Lost Domains and Orpheus, the Song of Forever---and set up the Blackman Trust for his benefit. She was also close to many other prominent Australian artists and put together a book about the celebrated Australian Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira entitled Albert Namatjira: The Life and Work of an Australian Painter. There were several other literary and scholarly works of hers (for example, Pacifica: Myth, Magic and Traditional Wisdom from the South Sea Islands) but I will stop there. Suffice to say she was quite versatile.

The Magic Shell is a book of 60-odd photos and captions photographed, written and arranged by Ms Amadio. The photographs depict a Sydney of the late 1950s, both the central business district itself ('wide streets and narrow streets, along with hundreds of double-decker buses') and the northern beaches of Sydney, where I now live, in particular, Palm Beach ('White sand stretched for miles and miles and all the while the sea came rolling in, breaking on the shore in a mass of foam'). There are also photos of what we Australians call ‘the bush’, in this case country (rural) New South Wales. All the photos freeze in time and space an era, and a place, that for the most part have gone. Ditto The Red Balloon.

The Magic Shell is about a small boy’s ‘magical’ journey from the country, where he lives on a farm, to Sydney to visit his Aunt Marie at Potts Point, through Sydney's central business district ('even more wonderful than he had imagined'), to the wonder of the sea at Palm Beach ('all so vast, so blue and so wonderful'). On the book's inside front cover, the author has written these charmingly evocative words:

This is Sydney. …

It is a big city full of tall, new buildings towering upwards and quaint old buildings nestling in their long familiar places. Like all big cities, it is filled with people---the rich and the poor, the seeing and the unseeing. And there is always something special to be seen in this city: perhaps it is the harbor, edged by gardens and coves, docks and ships; perhaps the narrow, straggling streets, packed with surprises; or maybe the long golden arms of beaches stretching to the north and the south. Many strange and enchanted things have been known to happen in this city. And sometimes there comes a stranger who, especially if he is very young, sees it for the first time and is filled with wonder. …

Yes, life is full of ‘strange and enchanted things’, if only we would experience them as such. Even the seemingly drab, commonplace, ordinary and familiar can be, and in truth are, a source of great wonder and enchantment. Children are expert at seeing this. Sadly, adults are not. Somehow, in growing up---in many ways I hate those words---most of us lose our capacity to appreciate the wonder and mystery of life. We must become like a ‘stranger’ if we are to see things as if ‘for the first time’ and ‘filled with wonder’. As one great teacher expressed it some 2,000 or more years ago, we must 'change and become like little children' (Mt 18:3 [NIV]). 

While at the beach Mark, the boy in the story, explored the rocks by the water’s edge and the rock pools:

The rocks were full of mysterious little pools. Tiny fish were swimming around amongst the bright pebbles, starfish and large spiky shapes that reminded Mark of porcupines. Every pool had new and exciting things to discover and Mark ran eagerly from pool to pool, wondering what he’d find next. He hoped he might find his magic shell but he only found small ones with shellfish still living inside.

In due course Mark found that elusive ‘magic’ shell---a ‘great shining shell’. 'It was more beautiful than any shell he had ever dreamed of.' Mark put the shell to his ear and ‘the sea gave him her own song.’ The author writes, ‘Now he would have it to listen to always. It was indeed a magic shell.’

I loved this book as a child, and, now aged 60, I still love it. I will not part with the book. 

The book is no literary masterpiece--it doesn't purport to be---but it does has an unmistakable charm and quaintness. As I re-read the book this morning it occurred to me that Ms Amadio had captured, both in her photos and text, the essence of mindfulness, not to mention the essence of childhood as well. Yes, the author captured that wonderful ability, which we all need, to see things as they really are, to appreciate events and occurrences, and the small things of life, as they are unfolding. Such is the ‘magic’ of life. It is nothing supernatural. It is something very natural---so natural that we take it for granted and fail to see it. The wonder and mystery of life lies in its very ephemerality and transience. The fact that one day we will lose it all---whatever 'it' may be---makes life all that more special.

Life is indeed filled with wonder and awe. The child, so it seems, is intuitively mindful. In becoming adults we were taught---conditioned---to analyse, criticise, judge, compare and interpret. In so doing, we lose much of our innate ability to see and experience things as they actually happen. That is a very sad thing. The regular practice mindfulness enables us to regain that joyous, childlike ability to see things for the first time and filled with wonder.

May you find your ‘magic shell' today.

The photographs in this post (other than that of Nadine Amadio)
are from The Magic Shell (Sydney: Ure Smith Pty Limited, 1958).

Copyright © The Estate of the Late Nadine Amadio.

The photograph of Ms Amadio is by Peter Morris.

All rights reserved.

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