Nakedness, Home Protection & Ripe Fruit — GoT Logion 21
breathe in + breathe out
*
logion 21
Miriam said,
Then tell us, Master,
what are your students like?
How would you describe them?
He answered,
“They are like small children
living in a field not their own.
When the landlords return and demand,
‘Give us back our field!’
the children return it
by simply stripping themselves
and standing naked before them.
“So then, I must also tell you this:
If a householder knows for sure
that thieves are coming to steal his goods,
he will keep careful watch before they get
there to prevent them from tunneling
in and taking his possessions.
You, too, from your beginnings,
must keep a watchful eye on the cosmos,
so that thieves cannot
find a way to get to you.
Pay attention then.
Any outside help you look for
they will try to seize first.
May there be someone among you
who truly understands this.
“So listen carefully,
if you have an ear for this!
When the fruit was ripe,
ready to burst,
the harvester came quickly,
sickle in hand, and took it.”
**
Reflection:
Stripping in a field not your own.
Preventing thieves from tunneling into your home.
Harvesting the fruit when no longer green but before it splits.
Nakedness.
Watchfulness.
Decisiveness, timely in action.
Naked. Attachment and non-attachment. Children — wise beyond their years — who know that everything here is borrowed. Simultaneously liberated and trusting, impoverished and surrounded and filled with abundance. Let go and stand.
(Side note — This first image is a cool counter-story to the shame and covering up of Adam and Eve in the garden…)
Watchful. Seeking and finding that wisdom that is already present within — even “from your beginnings.” Not relying upon “outside help,” where the lies of scarcity and co-dependence leave our small and separate selves believing we are not enough — that there is never enough. Do not be driven from your Home by comparison and the need to compete. Discern and protect the Treasure within you.
Decisive, timely action. Acting when the time is right. Wisdom and courage to wait and to not wait too long. All grown from a deep attentiveness and connection to What Is.
As students, this is who we get to be and become.
Here’s two more nuggets and an encouraging word.
First, Miriam is the one who poses the question. Miriam is believed to be Mary Magdalene. While much of imperial Christian history paints this Mary as a prostitute, and often in a way that dismisses her, Mary or Miriam, in early Christian tradition, and certainly in this Gospel of Thomas, is portrayed as one of Yeshua’s most (if not the most) excelled students. She is a student of mystical wisdom and key leader of the early Christian movement. Her story speaks powerfully into the moment we find ourselves today. She will show up in more logia to come. If you’re interested in reading more on her, consider Cynthia Bourgeault’s “The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity.”
Second, often when this Gospel of Thomas text uses the word “cosmos,” it is referring to an ancient Greek use of the word implying the physical, human designed and ordered world, not so much the mystical or Carl Sagan cosmic we may associate with this word today.
Lastly, what a time to hear these words! Pandemic. Disruption and suffering on a global scale. Apocalyptic. Now.
Now the time is ripe. Now is a time to be and become a student of deep Wisdom (which reveals itself through a diversity of means and voices). Now is a time to learn to let go, to connect to and protect the Fire within, and to compassionately and courageously act.
Let’s continue to support one another through this unsettling and sacred time.
Peace and breath and the eyes and ears that know our Enough be with you this week
*
Lynn Bauman’s translation and commentary are the primary source for these Gospel of Thomas reflections.
