|
Cathedral in the Pines
In the Southwestern corner of New Hampshire, United States, near the town of Rindge is the Cathedral of the Pines. It is a non-denominational national war memorial for all the American war dead. Once a year Spiritualists get together there for a dedication, and I was pleased to get the opportunity to go.
The Cathedral is set atop a hill. The pine trees stretch far up into the sky. As you walk under the tall pines to take your seat you can feel the quiet peace that surrounds the area. At the edge of the hill is a wide altar made of natural stones which looks out over the wooded valleys below. It is breathtaking - a very special place.
On the grounds there are various displays commemorating those who died in military service. While on my way to the museum I was stopped by this beautiful granite monument to the Ten Commandments. The graphic here doesn't do it justice. The monument was erected in 1962 by the North East Regional District Fraternal Order of Eagles in remembrance of our departed brothers, auxiliary sisters, and veterans. The North East district covers Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
In the museum I found something interesting that I would like to share with you. I saw a small item that was a little bigger than a pen and had a bulb at one end. It was made of some type of dark/black metal. The bulb was looked like a hollow circle made up of four bands, and at the top where the bands came together was a point that extended out a bit. I have no idea of which religion it belongs to, as it wasn't indicated, but the description said that it represented the five Energy Wisdoms:
Discriminative Wisdom
Equalizing Wisdom
Mirror-like Wisdom
All Accomplishing Wisdom
Pure Absolute Wisdom
Isn't that wonderful!!? Thinking about this took me back to Zen philosophy. I remember reading about the seekers who were forever coming up to the masters as they were going about their daily business and asking questions like "What is Zen?" My belief is that the masters may have used the Energy Wisdoms in their answers (but not consciously). The Energy Wisdoms make you think about what wisdom really is. It's very deep - something to meditate on.