More on the Portentousness of Reality

In my last post, I mentioned my belief (certainly not original) that the world and its events are significant in the most basic sense: they are signs that signify, speaking to us not only of themselves, but pointing also to realities higher and other than themselves. We may not understand the message, but it is there nonetheless.

Jeff Newberry, a friend from both church and the university, commented on the post, and I particularly liked one of his phrases: "for us as Christians, the unseen world 'bleeds' into the present..." That is, I think, also a good analogy -- still making use of the notion of permeation, but of liquid, not fire. It further reminded me of the E.B.B. poem I quoted, of which the following is another juicy chunk:

"But man, the twofold creature, apprehends
The twofold manner, in and outwardly,
And nothing in the world comes single to him,
A mere itself,--cup, column, or candlestick,
All patterns of what shall be in the Mount;
The whole temporal show related royally,
And built up to eterne significance
Through the open arms of God."

Here's a link to the whole thing. It's all good.

http://www.bartleby.com/236/86.html