They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:9. (NIV)

THE LANDSCAPE OF THE SOUL
With thanks to Nathalie Trouveroy
for her guidance toward the meandering path

     Several years ago, at the memorial service for a beloved colleague, one of the speakers employed the term "the landscape of the soul." The assembly sighed in unison, at the implication of these words, and the thoughts they inspired. The layers of this metaphor seem endless. Different landscapes describe the inner lives of various individuals, some pastoral, others turbulent, some limned in bright colors, others monochromatic and subdued. A landscape can represent what appears, as well as the image of possible vistas.
     Artists produce landscapes for dissimilar reasons. Some lead the viewers' eyes to exactly what they see, while others invite the viewers to travel into the scene, and experience it at their own pace and viewpoint. The Chinese call this type of art shanshui, which translates literally to "mountain-water." Shanshui involves regimented principles. Paths appear, and should never be straight, because the meandering illustrates the layers of thought and spirituality. The path consists of earth or water, and must lead to a threshold. The entranceway symbolizes a mountain, the shadow it casts, or the way the peak pierces the sky. Lastly, shanshui requires a heart, or focal point, which defines the meaning of the painting.

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse.
who leave the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,
who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.
   Proverbs 2:12-15 (NIV)

     The soul constantly seeks truth and redemption. The sojourner in the above artwork, walking in the spring landscape, rejoices in renewal, and approaches the universal light ahead. A straight path would minimize the time of exposure to the surrounding beauty of nature, and, without conscious choice to reject evil, enlightenment and salvation have less meaning. The heart feels love, anguish, and despair; the colors wear different hues. Every soul stands wrapped in layers of emotion and thought. We exist between the water and the mountain, needing one for sustenance, and aspiring to the glory of the pinnacle.

Life's Journey

Gracious God, sometimes I see my life as an unsolvable puzzle. My days move along rapidly, but the people and situations I encounter seem to make no sense. I consider and weigh carefully the decisions I think I should make, but find myself doing something completely opposite of what I thought I had decided. Then a moment of stillness comes, and I realize that all these random strands are actually part of the beautiful tapestry that is the journey of my life, and I am so grateful. Thank you, God, for leading me in paths I might never choose, and for giving the journey of my life a rich texture. Amen.

Contributed by Carol
Sunday August 30, 2009
Liturgical Year B Week 40
Sunday Gospel Readings:
Lectionary 22 (Proper 17)
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost