Our fingers imbibe like roots

so I place them on what is beautiful in this world.

And I fold them in prayer,

and they draw from the heavens light.

Saint Frances of Assisi

I’m only on page 18; still in the introduction titled, “What Is It Like to Be a Fungus?”  I also read the prologue and noted the 121 pages of notes and bibliography.  This book is a considered scientific work; and yet, Saint Frances’ poetic prayer begins the epilogue and I have pondered for days the personal story that begins on page 14.

The author of Entangled Life, Merlin Sheldrake, tells a story about his friend, philosopher and magician David Abram, who was the house magician at Alice’s Restaurant (made famous by the Arlo Guthrie song). One evening, two customers returned to the restaurant after leaving and pulled David aside. They said that after they left the restaurant (and his magic show) the sky had appeared shockingly blue and the clouds large and vivid. Had he put something in their drinks?  This continued to happen (minus any nefarious questions).  After leaving the show, customers reported the traffic seemed louder, the lights brighter, the patterns on the sidewalk more interesting, and even the rain more refreshing. The magic tricks were changing the way people experienced the world.

According to David Abram, our perceptions work primarily by expectation. We use less cognitive effort to make sense of the world using preconceived images updated with small amounts of sensory information rather than engaging the work needed to form new perceptions. Our preconceptions create the ‘blind spots’ needed for David’s coin tricks to work. Eventually the tricks “loosen the grip” of our expectations on our perceptions. He concluded that the sky changed because the customers were seeing the sky in the moment rather than as they expected it would be. What we expect to see is different than what we see when we actually look. When we are tricked out of our expectations, we default to using our senses.

I believe we “see” with the whole of our lives and there is a gap between what we perceive and what is.  We don’t just see with our eyes— we bring our preconceived notions to the news, our neighbours, and even what we think is true.  How might we open to take in the beauty and sorrow with all of our senses including our heart, God in us.  

Cynthia Bourgeault writes that “…as the heart comes alive as an organ of spiritual perception, we are able to perceive the invisible kingdom of love that surrounds us—and live it into being.”  How do we nurture the Spirit of God in us that changes the way we see the world?

God in us—that heart that opens with gratitude, hope, and love, especially when we put our hands on what is beautiful in this world and fold them in prayer to draw from heaven’s light.