Earth & the spirit of Embracing the Mystery

One of the differences that I have recognized between the modern way of life and some ancient ones is the way questions are dealt with. In our modern lives, questions are more of problems-to-be-solved. The journeys we form around them is about finding the right answer, solving the problem. In these journeys, destination or the answer is the source of meaning and energy. This is the mental model that our economies, educational systems, other social structures and relationships are formed around.

In this model, we have experts and teachers who know the answers to our questions. We have companies who are solution-providers and consultants. We have knowledge measurement systems that are based on how correctly the questions are answered. Groups and communities form around problems-to-be-solved. When someone asks us a question, we try to come up with an answer right away. It’s as if questions are problems to get rid of as soon as possible. And from that point, we define our ‘success’ as the state in which our problems are solved.

But when you look deeper in some other ancient cultures you can observe another way of dealing with the questions. For example, when I study the literature and history of the Persia I can see that there is a common inquiry behind all that has come through that land. It’s as if the land itself has been sitting there with a question for all her life. “What’s behind all this?” she has been asking over and over, not being satisfied with any answer. It’s as if she is actually embracing the mystery, the secret of secrets, rather than craving for a concrete answer. And the history of the land is formed around people who have given voice to that spirit through culture, architecture, poetry, dance and philosophy.

In this model, the question is the journey itself. The musafer (journeyer) embraces the mystery in every step. This way of journeying is fundamentally different from the destination-oriented model that has formed our modern lives. In a destination oriented journey, we are all engaged with our thoughts about how to reach faster, and what to do after we reach. The focus on the destination takes away our attention to everything else that we meet on the way. But, in an embracing-the-mystery journey the source of our attention is shifted.

We pay attention to the inner and outer environments in every step. We notice the birds flying in the sky, the shape of the trees, the music of the wind and all what they reflect from our inner world. We start to recognize the angel in each other’s eyes. We connect to our souls, and to the soul of the universe.

When we embrace the mystery, the quality of our seeing, listening, and basically the quality of our whole being changes. We get in touch with more subtle layers of messages that could be listened to. As if our whole body-and-soul becomes an ear. And when we step into that world with full hearts, we might be surprised to see that synchronicity is not just a few random events that happen from time to time. In that level, all what happens is nothing but synchronicity.

It seems to me that disconnection from the earth goes hand in hand with disconnection from the spirit of embracing-the-mystery. I have come to believe that our mother earth lives in that spirit. She is a mystic, not being in rush for any answers, but lives her questions and embraces the mysteries of the universe. And for us to start apprenticing to the spirit of Embracing the Mystery again, earth herself holds the mastery.

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