Reconciling Distinctness and Oneness

How do we reconcile the individuality and distinctness of things on the one hand, with their ultimate Oneness on the other? Fearing pantheism, some traditions would emphasize the distinctness and ignore the unity. Other paths, wary of the suffering and division caused by the unenlightened billiard-ball self with which we are all so familiar, view individuality as illusory. Yet other seekers, like myself, see the value in holding BOTH distinctness and oneness in creative tension with each other, while at the same time tipping the balance in favor of a more all-encompassing Oneness. For us, the best way to reconcile these opposites is through myth, which - as Joseph Campbell so wonderfully pointed out - is highly skilled at paradoxical modes of thinking. As I traveled around the ethereal, magical, mystical landscapes of Yellowstone this past weekend, I found myself naturally inhabiting this mythical, paradoxical realm of the spirit.

One such myth begins with individual creatures existing as echoes of a single love-word spoken by the Source, known in some traditions as "The Beloved." Here, the overarching Unity of the cosmos consists in the fact that every creature exists as an echo of a single love-word spoken by the Beloved. However, the myth also imagines that as each echo arises, it returns to the Source - surprise! - with FRESH words added on - ones the Source could not have spoken - and in a BRAND NEW voice! Here we might imagine a masculine voice returning in the form of a feminine echo, or vice versa! As an echo, each individual creature might almost be considered illusory, yet it somehow - wonder of wonders! - ALSO possesses a distinctness and uniqueness that enable it to resound in a completely DIFFERENT voice! In this part of the myth, the oneness of the Source remains the primary reality, and the seemingly individual echo-creatures exist simply in order to impart a sense of awe, wonder, and surprise to the reality of the One.

However, as it turns out, Oneness is not ultimate either - at least not in a monistic sense - for in actuality, the Source eternally LOSES Itself in blissful ecstasy and empties Itself out into the world before It is even able to speak the word of love! And yet - and here is the mystery - echoes of that never-spoken word somehow arise, ANYWAY!

Here, neither Unity nor distinctness is ultimate, and we human beings are called to inhabit the intriguingly liminal space located IN BETWEEN, which is actually a more all-encompassing Unity! Carl Jung called this the "reconciling third," while medieval Christian mystics like William of Thierry referred to it as the "Holy Spirit," the "mutual love of Father and Son, COME ALIVE as a third Person," to use traditional language. Jewish mystic Martin Buber understood that Spirit is located neither in the "I" nor in the "Thou" but in between the two. More non-theistic traditions like Zen call this the reality of "Not One, Not Two," while Tibetan Rinpoche Chogyam Trungpa refers to it as "crazy wisdom." Whatever we want to call it, this liminal place "in-between" - the space WE human beings are called to occupy - is indeed a wonderfully magical reality! :)

Photos: Yellowstone National Park, WY, September 5-6, 2015