Education & Career Trends: June 21, 2024
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Life’s central note is its sacred nature, something we each need to rediscover and honour anew.
- Article by David Price, published on medium.com.
In previous cultures, everyday activities were imbued with sacred meaning, supported by rituals that connected us to the whole web of creation and its divine roots. As Vandana Shiva beautifully puts it, “Food is alive: It is not just pieces of carbohydrate, protein, and nutrient, it is a being; it is a sacred being … Food is not just our vital need: It is the web of life.” Food nourishes our souls as well as our bodies, symbolising our connection to the divine.
We are not here on Earth to be alone but to be a part of a living community, a web of life in which all is sacred. Like the cells in our body, all of life is in constant communication—a concept that science is only beginning to understand.
The Sacred in Nature
No bird sings in isolation and no bud blooms alone. Life’s central note is its sacred nature, something we each need to rediscover and honour anew.
“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.” — John Burroughs, Leaf and Tendril (1908)
“Magic is natural, for nature itself is magic.” — Paracelsus
If nature is magic, doesn’t that make us magical beings? Do you feel magical? Are your days filled with magic? Are your work, relationships, and obligations infused with magic?
Rediscovering Magic
Our rueful smiles betray us. Where has the magic gone? How did life become so routine and devoid of beauty and divine meaning? Have the gods abandoned us, or did we abandon them? What happened?
They say “God is dead,” and, indeed, our old religious traditions can’t meet the needs of this historical moment. We have a mechanical vision of the world that has overshadowed the old ways of imagining it. Yet, we still need that sense of divine magic behind everything, something that gives meaning to nature and our place in it. Without it, we are lost and depressed.
The challenge is that we’ve become too rational to accept the old stories. We need new stories that include our scientific understanding but also transcend it. We’ve become so literal and concrete that we can no longer imagine soul, beauty, or transcendent meaning. Our logic and words are confined to a very small vision.
The Modern Sickness
The atomisation of our lives, the sense of separation and isolation from the natural world, is a modern sickness. Feeling disconnected and isolated is inherently painful, and it’s hard to live in this culture without being affected by it. It’s pervasive.
We still need the sacred and we need a way to awaken our consciousness to it. Anything that closes the door to the sacred should be questioned. Anything that opens our eyes to beauty and the transcendent should be encouraged and cultivated.
A culture trapped in airtight explanations of life is not only lost, it’s dangerous. We need wonder and magic, the real kind, not cheap substitutes. Magic and magical beings are everywhere, but we don’t see them. We wear blinders that we don’t know how to remove. We don’t even realise our vision is obstructed.
I believe we are each called to rediscover the miraculous in any way we can.
Recommended Reading
Volume four of Meditations on Living by David Price, available on Amazon.
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Have you checked out yesterday’s blog yet?
How emotional intelligence makes you a better leader and team player
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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