The word “reverence” can have an almost old-fashioned connotation for the modern server, conjuring up images of religious adoration based on blind devotion and fear of God. But reverence, in truth, is a mixture of profound awe, respect and love. As such it would be a mistake to assume it is missing today, for it is more the case that it is simply changing guise and gathering around a more intelligent, less restricted view of the Divine. The human mind is starting to escape from the dogma that can only contemplate Heaven through the distorted lens of human desire, and which is humorously epitomised in Rupert Brook’s poem, “Heaven”. Here, in a pond, on a hot summer’s day, some fish are reflecting upon their destiny, concluding that:

… Somewhere, beyond Space and Time,
Is wetter water, slimier slime!
And there (they trust) there swimmeth One
Who swam ere rivers were begun,
.… And under that Almighty Fin,
The littlest fish may enter in.
Oh! never fly conceals a hook,
Fish say, in the Eternal Brook,
.... Fat caterpillars drift around,
And Paradisal grubs are found;
.… And in that Heaven of all their wish,
There shall be no more land, say fish.

For humanity, the notion of all its fondest desires reaching their apotheosis in heaven must be supplanted by a sense of wonder of all that surrounds us in this world and which openly reveals the nature of Divinity to those who have eyes to see. Developing this vision is no easy thing, though, and involves concentrated, meditative thought in order to see the quality, meaning and purpose that exist. Through the mastery of this art, we steadily enter another world – not heaven as traditionally portrayed – but an inner world of qualifying energies that bring meaning to life and all its forms. We begin to see the working out of a divine plan colossal in both scale and grandeur, and we are filled with reverence. It prompts us to express its beauty and goodness in our relationships with others – according them the love and respect that all sentient beings warrant as expressions of the Divine.

Reverence, then, is a two-way process that not only calls on us to witness the Divine, but also to express what we have evidenced through the joy of right relationships. Reverence sees both humanity and nature within the context of the greater chain of Being and moving towards a future of ineffable beauty and creative living. The mud and slime of this world then become “celestially fair”, yielding their hidden potential. New vistas of meaning and powers of redemption are thus revealed through the spirit and the art of reverence. This power can greatly enhance our Triangles work, bringing yet more Light and Love to bear upon this outer world.