Power

 

The Black Virgin of Rocamadour

“If I meet other people and criticize their weaknesses, I rob myself of higher cognitive power. But if I try to enter deeply and lovingly into another person's good qualities, I gather in that force.” Rudolf Steiner

Power, it is the defining challenge to human morality. 

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states “May you live in Interesting Times.” I am not sure how much of either a blessing or a curse this statement is, for those of us who have been living though the past several years, at least myself, I am at “interesting” threshold, I would like to be a bit bored for just a little while, just so we could catch our breath. I do not know anyone or any place on earth these days that is having a calm relaxed time. Everything is in a state of upheaval, sometimes I look back just a decade ago when a naked celebrity dominated the news cycle for weeks, now major developments happen hourly it seems, and celebrity gossip is so passé, I must confess I almost miss reality TV information, now who has time for tabloid anything? 

But what is going on really? It is hard to put ones finger on any sort of issue to understand why everything is so chaotic these days on a level we have not really seen in centuries to be honest.

As you know, I view art as a reflection of consciousness. I have found movies and cinema an interesting commentary on culture, sometimes almost in a prophetic way. Take the absolute block buster cable TV show a few years back that captivated the attention of the entire world for an entire decade, only to deeply disappoint ardent fans with it’s ending that no one could see coming and that we all felt we knew what was going to be the case.

The story, as is really true about most of human history, was a tale of power and what people do to obtain it. The show, based on fiction inspired by Medieval European history, had an extra added dimension of magic and dragons. Sometimes I wonder if we don’t have either right now, to be honest. The basic story was the same. That was the interesting thing for me personally, while the ending was so odd, it was actually a profound take on true power, that a paraplegic young man would become the high king of the realm. This was in my opinion, a deep statement on that old Bible verse: "The Meek shall Inherit the Earth."

In fact the verse, found in Psalms 37:11 in the King James Version is 

"But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in 

the abundance of peace."

As an American, what I have witnessed in my culture during the last decade or so is a naked grab for power through any means necessary, particularly from a certain political party that does not start with a "D" or an "I" or a "G". There are many ways to interpret current events, but what seems different to me this time is the lack of shame or desire to be sneaky about such activities. As we watch all sorts of uprisings, wars, religious strife and political shenanigans all about the globe, when it gets down to it, it really is all about power.

If one researches power, the word power is quite telling. One can find all sorts of quotes and research articles on the subject. 

What does the word "power" mean exactly. Obviously there are several dictionary definitions. The definition that is most pertinent to our exploration: Power is the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. In this context power can be seen as coercive or inspirational. And you could also see that power may be inspiring others to be coercive.

A book that influenced me deeply was written by Russian Anthroposophist Sergi Prokofieff. The book is titled The Spiritual Origins of Eastern Europe and the Future of the Grail Mysteries. Prokofieff grew up in the last vestiges of Stalinist USSR, and read German books by Steiner in his basement as such literature was forbidden during those times. Obviously, he lived with the specter of an atheistic government where religion was outlawed and punished. So it was fascinating to me when I read his essay on the problem with a theocracy. A theocracy is a system of government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, such a priests.

I thought, wow, one would think a devout Christian living under such persecution would welcome a theocracy. But Prokofieff put it into context. He referred to the 40 days Christ was in the Wilderness. This was the time right at the beginning of Christ’s mission on earth, where he was getting used to and preparing for his ministry. As some of you may remember, during his time in the desert, he was visited by the adversaries and tempted three times. These temptations were part of his preparation to deal with being human, and the temptations were the three great moral challenges we all face during our own earthly sojourn. Twice Christ was offered earthly power, and twice he said no to earthly power. Why would he reject earthly power? It would certainly make his job easier if he had the cooperation of governments, and certainly he and his followers might have not been persecuted or executed with such power. 

Why on earth did Christ reject earthly power?

Because earthly power is coercive and does not respect individual freedom. And, the old adage, absolute power (and I will put a caveat on this statement) absolute earthly power, corrupts absolutely.

What is earthly power? It is a power of the material, meaning amassing material things, material wealth, material coercive influence over other beings. It is control over earthly things, the control over things such as air, land, water, food and people.

When Jesus Christ was betrayed, it was because the person who turned him in to the authorities wanted earthly power to get rid of the Roman occupation. The person thought they could force the situation and cause an uprising, or better yet, the Son of God would wave a violent wand and vanquish the occupiers. He was shocked when things turned out differently, and we all know how that story ended.

But the main statement of Jesus Christ during the aftermath, when he was being examined, and actually mocked by Pilate as to where Jesus got his power, his reply was "My kingdom is not of this world."

The Black Madonna is an example of extreme otherworldly power, the power to inspire, the power of endurance in the face of all odds. These images have been a staple in Christian art since its inception, and have stood the test of time. Black Madonnas have survived wars, revolutions, fires, shipwrecks. bombs, from brokenness, of being hid for centuries. Even when they are burnt to ashes, the reappear in a new form from a new artist who fashions them from memory. But the greatest power of these Madonnas is to inspire humanity to love and see others as worthy of love.

Our Lady of Jasna Gora

The Black Madonna as a symbol of the soul of humanity is a reminder of what true lasting power is all about. There is no violence, no coercion, no wealth, no oppression, and look at what these images have done throughout the centuries. 

"The day power of love overrules the love of (earthly) power, 

the world will know peace." Ghandi

All things pass away, but love never passes away. 

That is true, moral, universal power.

Such is the power of The Black Madonna