Wednesday, May 20, 2009

God in a Cornfield


Very near my home there is a place where, in every direction as far as the eye can see, there is nothing but row after row of corn. No house, no tree, no fence, there is only one flat acre after the next of corn. When we first moved here from DC, my children thought it was really funny that I would yell, "Corn!" when we came to that spot. But in this place I can glimpse the infinite power of the divine, and yelling, "Corn!" is my way of sharing the joy.

The first time that I flew past the Himalayan mountain range, someone asked, "Which peak is Everest?" to which the flight attendant replied, "The tallest one." It was impossible to determine which was the tallest one up there. It seemed as if our plane was a gnat flying among sperm whales. We were not above the mountains looking down, but flying between them. The enormous size and distance between the peaks made no sense to the ordinary scale of my life.

In every country, there is a place so beautiful and divine that it requires pilgrimages. Places like the Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls and Ayers Rock. It is in places such as these, that sense of the infinite is unmistakable. There is also such a place in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. When the traffic light changes there, people pour into the intersection like ants descending on a drop of ice cream. I find it interesting that I feel that same small alone feeling beside an infinite divinity, in that immense crowd, as I do when I float on the ocean and look up at the stars. (Please click on the link, it is amazing.)

It is in these places that I put my ego into perspective and know that I am one with all that exists.

17 comments:

  1. I know what you mean. Thanks for the link. I was amazed at how long the people were in the street. Almost like they would need something more than the light changing to clear them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for explaining the feeling about flying over the mountains... I can see the mountains around me right now after reading that!

    Oh, and, uh...I get lost in those types of intersections...lol

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loved the idea of a gnat among whales. It gave me a great mental picture of your flight. And the great locations on our earth! However, that mass of humanity at the crosswalk would scare the socks off me. I freak at crowds. Probably will have to be on calm drugs to visit Asian cities. Liked the corn fields though.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Loved the corn and the kids comments! Warm words....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for evoking that feeling of being a part of the cosmic wonder! The calm and reassurance that comes to us when we realize once more what we are part of!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So true...I have had those moments too. I remember hiking to the top of Half Dome and realizing that I could not comprehend the infinite...also The Grand Canyon. Beautiful expression here...I feel like taking off to the hills!!! <3

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow. And they didn't even rush. Yes, that is amazing as are the natural wonders. I feel a strong need to be infused like that, to breathe deep the devine and to know.

    ReplyDelete
  8. There's a "vortex" near the Ganges in Benares that feels like that. What a beautiful post, Butternut.

    I love it that you used to shout "corn"!! The field looks so calming and peaceful. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. How wonderful that you yell 'corn' to share your joy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Higher forces give each human being opportunities for inner expansion throught physical life. One has choices to grow or not. Each thing you sense and experience beckons a new degrees of self-awareness. Some people are more likely to awaken to the truth by taking physical pilgramages. Yet, awakening occurs within wherever you are ready. Perceived time is irrelevant to soul.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Funny how my post today also finds faith and a powerful symbol of belief and God.

    ReplyDelete
  12. WOW...that street crossing scene was incredible. I love the vastness of the corn field and the feeling of "infinite" that arises from that. Wonder things to ponder tonight for me :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Breathtaking isn't it ?
    I am always in awe of God's work.....
    A wonderful picture to start the day :)
    Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Here from David's with congrats on POTD nod. Excellent, beautiful thoughts! ♥

    ReplyDelete
  15. I sometimes think that one day, the earth is going to shake itself just to get all us ants, our bridges and buildings and dams off her back.
    Feel like an ant pretty much of the time.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I came over from authorblog. Congrats on the Post of the Day Award!

    ReplyDelete