“When the air is filled with the brightness of the sun, the beauty and the wealth of the whole world are revealed, and the eyes of men become enlightened and rejoice in the manifold diversity of colors. And so it is, when we are onefold within ourselves, and our power of understanding is enlightened and the Spirit of Understanding shines through it. Then we can become aware of the high attributes which are in God, and which are the cause of all the works which flow forth from Him. Although all men may understand the works, and God through His works; yet no one can truly understand, neither in their appearance nor in their reality, the attributes of the works of God as they are in their ground, save by means of this gift. For this teaches us to seek out and to recognize our own nobleness, and it gives us the power to discern the virtues and all practices, and the way in which we should live without error in accordance with eternal Truth: and they who are enlightened by it can dwell in the spirit, and can, with enlightened reason, rightly apprehend and understand all things in heaven and on earth.” ~John of Ruysbroeck
Worldly Wealth and Beauty
The wealth and beauty that Ruysbroeck is talking about aren’t found in banks and beauty salons. H is talking about the beauty and abundance of Nature, not the synthetic version created by men.
The false beauty fades and has to be replenished with chemicals and surgery. The wealth of money and stocks has to be kept growing or its value in comparison with the overall material wealth of the world drops. Yet foolish people get trapped in the game and illusion of pursuing such wealth and beauty.
The beauty and wealth of the whole world are found in fields and gardens, on mountains and in the sea, in the wild places unchanged by man. It is true that such places are not really from God since the physical realm is the creation of the Demiurge, yet they are closer to the original creations of God than are the manmade treasures and edifices found in cities and museums. And their value is certainly greater than that of money and stocks. Many seem to forget that the only value money actually has is in buying the things that make up the wealth of the whole world. If you hoard the money and don’t buy things with it, you are just letting it go to waste. It is like putting a dam in a clean, flowing river, and turning it into a stagnant pond. And the wealthy who do that wonder why people dislike them for making stagnant ponds of wealth, when a flowing wealth could do so much good in the world, even that false manmade wealth. If nothing else, that money can be used to protect nature and wealth of the whole world, but few rich people see it that way. Continue reading “Wealth of the Whole World Seen in the Sun”