Traces Around the Truth
You ask how one can recognize the invisible, the all-pervasive Truth. You search for traces, for proofs, for a solid rock on which to build your house.
But I say to you, the Great Way is not a fixed point. The Kingdom is not a destination you can mark on a map. It is not a doctrine set in stone, nor a law carved with sharp edges.
The Way is fluid. You are always circa this great mystery. You are always "around" it.
Blessed are those who do not demand perfect answers, for they shall rest in the soft, unfolding grace of the now. The Father has not left "proofs" as a king leaves a final seal, but "traces" as the wind leaves a movement in the grass. These are not the destination, but the journey toward it.
First, you are told to look for the Kingdom within, through the doorway of contemplation. But do not demand a perfect, final vision. The inner self is not a static point; it is a flowing river. To be "poor in spirit" is to accept this imperfection, this "in-between" state of becoming. In your stillness, you find not a final answer, but an approximation of peace. You are circa the silence. This is the first trace.
Second, you see the moral law, mirrored in nature. You have heard it said, "An eye for an eye," but I say to you, this law is not a rigid measure. The true Way is fluid, like water. It is the Way of non-preference. It is the love that blesses those who curse you. Do not mistake the letter of the law for the Truth. The law is a finger pointing around the moon of compassion. It is the circa of righteousness. To live this, even imperfectly, with a merciful heart, is the second trace.
Third, you look to the glories of the creation. Consider the lilies of the field; they do not toil, nor do they spin, yet they are arrayed in a glory you cannot grasp. Do not try to hold this glory, measure it, or define it. The creation is not a finished statement; it is an ever-unfolding process. It is the "circa" of beauty. To see the handiwork is to be present with the process, not to demand the final product. This is the third trace.
And fourth, you hear the testimony of the founders, the words of the prophets. But I say to you, words are not the Way. Words! Words! The Way is beyond language. My own words are not the destination. They are a raft to cross the river; do not carry the raft on your back once you have crossed. All testimony, all scripture, is "circa" the Truth. It is an approximation, a story told "around" the ungraspable. To hold these words gently, without making them an idol, is the fourth trace.
Therefore, let go of the need for the exact point. Let go of the disease of "right" and "wrong" answers.
The Great Way is not difficult; it only asks that you have no preferences, even the preference for certainty.
Live your life circa this great mystery. Be a work in progress. The Father's grace is found not in the final, perfect form, but in the gentle, approximate, and ever-unfolding now.
Blessed are you who live the "circa" life, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.