It was my morning at Mother Grove Temple today and I like to arrive early to put in fresh tealights, tidy the pillows and drapes and such. It was raining–for which I am grateful, to be honest. I came in the side door and started down the stairs. There was a steady dripdripdrip to my right and I hurried past.
The building that houses our temple is a funky old office building that was once a hospital. The temple is on the lowest level and the French drains are often blocked with debris. We have come into the temple to find the carpet soaked, the sofa legs sodden and a bookcase (and the books on the lowest shelf) ruined.
The temple was fine and I set up for our discussion. The third Sunday of each month is RE (religious education) Sunday. Today we discussed the nature of the Divine/s–a fruitful and wide-ranging discussion.
Before we got started I called the landlord’s office to let them know about the leak, which seemed to be coming directly from the roof/ceiling down the center of the stairway and onto the concrete floor. The maintenance man called me back and I gave him the rundown about the leak.
When our discussion was done, we moved the artwork that was standing on the floor to higher ground, just in case.
As I locked the office door, I thought of our discussion of the Divine/s and how we interact with them. How we honor the classical elements and see the Divine/s is all of them, and all of them is the Divine/s. Is the Divine in an old, slightly moldy building that once held births and deaths and the healings of life in between? Yes. A leaky building that floods sometimes, has a less than delightful bathroom, a wonky door, some resident ghosts and a Goddess temple in the basement? Yes.
Because, in my worldview, the Divine/s are everywhere. Like Elvis and Starbuck’s.
Especially in our much-loved old temple.
You must be logged in to post a comment.