Life, Death, and Kingship

[qos]

I've been reading William G. Gray's The Ladder of Lights, and it's been a marvelous experience.

One of my ongoing fascinations in the area of spirituality and lore is the concept of the Divine/Sacrificial King. It touches my interests in theology, sovereignty, the hieros gamos, and more.

Gray had an unusual take on the subject that I wanted to post here "just because." My Buddhist friends may find this of particular interest, since to me it seems that he's talking about the bodhisattva nature/path.



This passage is from the chapter on Chesed, which is associated with Mercy and with the divine overflowing of abundance and generosity.


"We often think self-sacrifice is the greatest good we can imagine, but on a higher level it is even greater to remain expressed in self for the sake of other selves. The real sacrifice of a Divine King is not their death by crucifixion or other means, but their incarnation into a human body. Birth binds, and death liberates them from their self-accepted obligation. Strictly speaking, the Cross is the wrong is the wrong symbol to use for sacrifice. It should be the cradle. But then, we are looking at the whole Mystery upside down!"
(The Ladder of Lights, p. 137)


Without wanting to take anything away from the Mystery and meaning of the Crucifixion, I really like this perspective. Most of us are not going to be put in a situation where we're going to have to face dying for our beliefs -- but each and every day we have to choose what we're going to live for, and the manner of our living. For those of us who believe in reincarnation, this goes a step further to address the magnitude of the decision to reincarnate with an attitude of doing so in the service of others, when we could just as easily avoid the whole messy, often painful experience. Call it the bodhisattva path, call it living within and bringing about the Kingdom of God, it works out to the same thing: being devoted to the salvation/enlightenment/rising up of all, not just self.

I for one need that reminder on a regular basis.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_graywolf_/]

That is a very interesting perspective indeed, thanks for sharing!

[shadowandstar.livejournal.com]

I agree wholeheartedly.

The modern world seems to have lost any understanding of the sacred aspects of sovereignty. After I read your comment this morning, I started thinking about Henry V's meditations on "ceremony." It seems that modern rulers (hereditary or elected) are caught up in "ceremony" and power, not about the sacred obligations of stewardship.

I would love to see this concept explored more in Pagan scholarship.

[oakmouse]

Now consider that in the light of the great initiatory statement of the Western Mystery Tradition: "I desire to know in order to serve". The whole point of taking initiation is to be able to serve. If someone is in it for self-aggrandizement or to make themselves into a "god", they're on the wrong bus.

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

This reminds me a LOT of the material I've been reading in "Nature and the Human Soul" by Bill Plotkin. It's not enough just to create a healthier self, but we the self becomes healthier it naturally develops a deeper connection to the world around it, and a greater compassion.

[shadowandstar.livejournal.com]

Yes! That's very much what I've been getting from Gray's writing.