Uncertainty
“Life is a luminous pause between two great mysteries, which themselves are one.” —C. G. Jung
This quote from Jung can be somewhat terrifying for some of us. Many of us crave a degree of spiritual certainty to bring us comfort with our current life. But the truth is that we cannot learn or grow spiritually without a measure of doubt. If we approach our spiritual existence with complete certainty, we close off any opportunity to allow ourselves to mature.
Mystery tends to be shrouded in doubt and uncertainty. I believe that the practice of Quaker worship is to let go of all we think we know and embrace a world of unknowing. Just sitting in the present with no need to think through anything. This perhaps brings us closer to experiencing the mystery without knowing it. We are part of the mystery, even now. But our rational faculties cannot define it. We are simply left to experience it. Hopefully it provides us with the luminosity that Jung refers too.
The testimonies may be simply our best attempt to navigate this “luminous pause” we call life. It may be the best and most loving way to engage the mystery of the moment.
Ooooh, this reminds me of my favorite Nabokov quote: “The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness. Although the two are identical twins, man, as a rule, views the prenatal abyss with more calm than the one he is heading for.”