So many things tell us stuff about so many other things. All we have to do is look around and listen.One of my new favorite "images of God" in the physical world is the simple compass. Here's a fun page written by a guy named Marshall Brain that shows how a compass works. We've all heard about the magnetic field that runs north and south around the earth. Strangely enough, according to Mr. Brain, no one actually knows why the earth has this magnetic field. Here's what he says:
No one knows for sure, but there is a working theory currently making the rounds. As seen on the above, the Earth's core is thought to consist largely of molten iron (red). But at the very core, the pressure is so great that this superhot iron crystallizes into a solid. Convection caused by heat radiating from the core, along with the rotation of the Earth, causes the liquid iron to move in a rotational pattern. It is believed that these rotational forces in the liquid iron layer lead to weak magnetic forces around the axis of spin.Fascinating.
I love the simple stuff that remains a mystery to science.
This appeals to my mythic self because it's a beautiful way of thinking of the Spirit of God in us. That there is this "true north" instinct inside us that, given a few still moments, reorients us in the direction of true-north, which we might shorten to say "tru-th."
The simple notion of magnetism in general, and of true north in particular, speaks to us of the gentle, patient guidance of the Spirit within us. No compass ever told its operator which way to go. It simply points. No compass ever lied to its operator, but circumstances can certainly cause it to vary.
God was so creative when He hid Himself within his creation like this.
O Lord, my God
When I, in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds
Thy hands have made...
Jon, Get this. There's a town near Platteville called Shullsburg. There's actually a place you can park your car or rather stop it and put it in neutral and your car will start rolling up hill. Folks think it has something to do with magnetic fields. I looked it up on the website and there are other anomolies just like this.
ReplyDeleteCool! I hope they never figure out exactly why it happens. Next time we're all in Platteville let's go roll uphill.
ReplyDeleteI know a few people who seem to roll uphill, too. They're the adventurers who God has asked to push back the frontiers.
I've always loved thinking about a compass in mythic terms, especially since I had an MRI a few years back.
ReplyDeleteThey explained to me that an MRI works by basically turning your body into a compass. They put you inside this huge magnet and get all your cells pointing one direction, then they hit the thing real quick, reversing the polarity of the magnet, and causing every cell in your body to realign to the new magnetic field. Some of your cells respond quickly, and some slowly, and it is by measuring those response rates that they can construct an image of the different members inside your body.
And ever since then, each time I look at a compass, I realize that I, too, am pointing north, even though most of the time I have no inkling of the invisible reality that is always around me.
And if I am really astute, I might even get an inkling from time to time when things change suddenly, based upon my response, of what is really inside me.