Meditation
This season is often described as magical. The connotation here is that of a positive illusion, an alluring spirit which dazzles and delights. This is the magic of receptivity. In this poem, old Chung describes another magic, the magic of control. These magicians are the magicians of manipulation, the ones who delight in pulling the strings of misdirection from behind the veil of mystery. And what happens when the magician encounters real mystery, the mystery of the divine? All pretenses of power fade away in reverence. We are all magicians, staging our shows for a willing and sometimes unwilling audience. But the magic of the season is a call to throw off the magician’s cloak and humble ourselves before the majesty of true mystery. Give up control and see what the divine in what is most plain.
Todd Breyfogle
Denver, Colorado
