{"id":203,"date":"2012-08-29T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-29T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deb5aaba-eb47-4bf7-b188-1bab9a953168"},"modified":"2012-08-29T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-08-29T05:00:00","slug":"the-holy-man-and-his-shadow-a-story-of-redemption-in-three-parts-part-one-the-miracle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/?p=203","title":{"rendered":"The Holy Man and His Shadow, A Story of Redemption in Three Parts, Part One: The Miracle"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Holy Man and His Shadow, <\/span><\/p>\n

A Story of Redemption in Three Parts<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Part One: The Miracle<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Once upon a
\ntime a self-described holy man stood atop a great hill.  In his hands he held a weathered, black, holy
\nbook.  He had advertised that a miracle
\nwould occur on the hill early in the morning just after the sun had risen.  He had proclaimed it across the land.  Everyone from every faith was invited to come
\nand witness the miracle.  Once everyone
\nsaw the miracle he was convinced they would join his religion. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe people
\nwill be stunned,\u201d he said to himself. 
\n\u201cThey will be moved to tears and rocked to their core.  They will have their falsities demolished and
\nthey will stand in the presence of the light; the light of salvation.  They will understand the importance of faith.  They will become convicted of their own sinfulness
\nand beg for mercy.  And I will offer it
\nto them.  I will point the way to the
\nlight of lights.  I will be a living example
\nof purity of heart.  All who are moved by
\nthis great miracle will know the truth of all truth.  They will see that my way\u2014the way of the one
\ntrue light\u2014is the only way; the way that heals, and transforms; the way that conquers
\nevil.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

As he
\nexpected people began to gather on the hill. 
\nThey came from all walks of life and from every corner of the village,
\nand even from distant villages; for word had spread how the holy man was to
\nwork a miracle; one that would change the course of history; one that would
\nsave a fallen world.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The holy man
\nstood with his hands one on top the other with the bottom hand pressing the
\nholy book tightly to his chest.  The
\ncrowd grew and grew until the hill was completely blanketed with people.  The sun had risen and the holy man looked up
\nand smiled.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

He turned
\nhis gaze down upon the people assembled before him.  He raised his hands into the air and bid them
\nsilence.  A wave of whispers moved over
\nthe crowd and stopped at the shores of silence. 
\nNothing stirred.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChildren,\u201d
\nyelled the holy man, \u201cChildren!  I hope
\neveryone can hear me and what I am about to say.  We are gathered on this hill top to witness a
\nmiracle.  All who witness it will be
\nsaved, for they are the pure in heart. 
\nThey are the chosen ones.  They
\nare the ones belonging to the one, true religion.  They will be born again.  But watch closely and pray you are a beloved
\nof the light and can see the miracle.\u201d  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The crowd
\nwas now completely transfixed as each person pondered in their heart whether or
\nnot they might be holy enough to witness the miracle.  A nervous energy began swimming through them.  Nearby birds flew away and hid in the trees
\nas if a storm were approaching.  The
\nleaves on the trees in the valley below turned up their leaves as if to block
\nthe vision they were about to see from their faces.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The holy man
\nswept his eyes over the expectant, fidgety crowd.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey are so
\nyoung,\u201d he thought to himself, \u201cso much like cattle, so much like lost ghosts.
\nIt is a pity so many will be lost.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now
\ndear children, I will reveal the miracle.\u201d 
\n<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

He turned to
\nthe people behind him and commanded them to part leaving a path along the
\nground.  Once this was accomplished, he
\nfaced the light and said to the people:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe miracle
\nis this\u2014the sun has risen and is at the perfect height to cast our
\nshadows.   Every one of you has a shadow
\ntrailing along the ground behind them.  Take
\na moment and look at your shadow.  Shout
\nif you see your shadow.\u201d  And there was a
\ngreat shout for everyone could see their own shadow in the morning sun.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou see
\nchildren, every one of you has a shadow, every one, that is, expect me.  And that is the miracle.  Look behind me oh sinful and floundering
\ngeneration and see I have no shadow. 
\nThat is the miracle and the sign for all of you.  If you can see this miracle then perhaps you
\nare one of the chosen ones; perhaps you can be redeemed. If you see my shadow
\nhowever, then you are doomed to hellfire.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The people
\nlooked behind the holy man.  They covered
\ntheir faces and wept; many fell to their knees and wailed for mercy.  Others tore their clothes and beat their chests.  They began hurling themselves down the
\nhillside screaming.  The holy man looked
\naround shouted, \u201cIf you see my shadow you clearly are not among the chosen and
\nyou should go home and beg for mercy, for you are all but lost.  The rest of you who can clearly see that
\nthere is no shadow behind me\u2014you, you dear ones, are the ones I have come for.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

And as he
\nspoke, the entire crowd dispersed down the hill, weeping, gnashing their teeth,
\nterrified. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?!\u201d he
\nshouted, \u201cNot one of you sees the miracle? 
\nNot one?  It is worse than I
\nthought!  Set fire to your village!  Destroy yourselves before the light
\ndoes!  Oh you sinful generation of vipers
\nand infidels!  Woe unto you!  This holy book was not written for you.\u201d  And as he shouted his vehemence he spun
\naround and as he did his shadow spun across the ground with him, for it was, of
\ncourse, there the whole time.  He turned
\naround and around shouting at the people descending down the hill until
\nsuddenly he stopped.  He couldn\u2019t
\nmove.  He was somehow rooted to the
\nspot.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is
\nwhat you wanted,\u201d said a voice behind him. 
\nThe holy man turned around as far as he could, but his feet wouldn\u2019t
\nbudge.  \u201cWho is there?\u201d he shouted and he
\ncaught a glimpse of a blue, oval shaped light behind him.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

And then he
\nfelt himself twist inside as the blue light moved to face him.  He suddenly felt torn and mangled
\ninside.  When the being of blue light stood
\nbefore him, he saw she was a child, angelic and luminous.  She was surrounded by a blue light shaped
\nlike an almond and the blue light radiated like the ocean, it spread like the
\nsky.  And she held something in her hands
\nthat resembled a long, black silk.  It
\ntrailed from her hands to the where his feet met the ground and from the book that
\nhe held in his hands.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The people
\nmoving down the hill stopped and looked up. 
\n<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho are
\nyou?\u201d the holy man shouted.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am the
\nmiracle,\u201d she said, and as she spoke she pulled the black silk.  And as she did it sent him sprawling to the
\nground.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are
\nyou doing?\u201d he screamed.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to
\nhelp,\u201d she said dragging him closer.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat is my
\nshadow!\u201d he shouted, \u201cThis is impossible!\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Soon the
\nchild in blue light had gathered up his shadow and drawn him to his knees
\nbefore her.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive me the
\nbook,\u201d she instructed, holding out her hand.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNever!\u201d he
\nshouted, \u201cIt is the source of my strength and light.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe once
\nupon a time,\u201d said the child still holding out her hand, \u201cbut you have
\nperverted its message.  Now the book is a
\npart of your shadow.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNonsense!\u201d
\nhe said and he drew the holy book into view. 
\nHe gasped when he realized the black book\u2019s shadow was part of the same
\nblack stream that she held in her hands.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

He handed
\nher the book, trembling.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

She took the
\nbook and then slowly began walking around him draping him with the woven shadows.  As she walked around and around him the
\ntighter the shadows became.  The crowd
\nhad gathered again and as they looked on the child completely tied the holy man
\nin his own shadows. Only the whites of his eyes were visible.  He looked like a kneeling mummy wrapped with
\nblack linen.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

When she had
\nfinished, she turned to the people assembled and said, \u201cNone of you saw the
\nmiracle because there was no miracle. 
\nHis shadow was there the entire time. 
\nDo not despair; you are good and decent people.  Do not burn your villages and believe you are
\ndoomed to hell.  The Creator did not
\ncreate you in order to destroy you. 
\nThere is only one amongst us who may very well be doomed.\u201d  And she turned to the holy man.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have
\nhurt these people,\u201d she said to him.  His
\neyes were wild with fear.  \u201cWhat shall
\nyou say to them?\u201d  She removed the
\ncovering around his mouth giving him a chance to speak.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo not
\nlisten to this devil!\u201d he screamed, \u201cShe is a monster and a charlatan.  Somehow she has done this trick to me.  If you listen to her you will all burn in
\nhell!\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The people
\nmurmured and whispered to one another.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhosoever
\nwants to be saved, let him untie me from this humiliating trickery.  Step forward one brave soul and save yourself
\nfrom hell fire.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

No one
\nmoved, expect to get closer to the child. 
\n<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome,\u201d she
\nsaid, \u201cyou have suffered enough.  Come
\nand bathe in the light.\u201d  And she opened
\nher arms and the blue light spread like a blanket of cool water around
\nthem.  They moved in closer and gasped in
\nwonder at the relief and refreshment of her cool, majestic blue light.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFools!\u201d the
\nbound man shouted, \u201cYou are lost to the true light now!  You are lost!\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The people
\ndrew closer to the child and as they did her embrace only widened gathering
\nthem all in.  And as they gathered she
\ngrew into a woman of such beauty and wisdom that everyone wept in astonished joy.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo not let
\nus go,\u201d the people said to her.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will hold
\nyou as long as you desire,\u201d she said smilingly, \u201cfor I am the Comforter.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will
\nbecome of him?\u201d one of the people asked her.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe will
\neventually die and be eaten by the birds,\u201d she said sadly.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t there
\nanything we could do?\u201d A young woman asked her.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is
\nalways hope, beautiful soul,\u201d answered the Comforter, \u201cwhat would you do?\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The young
\nwoman thought a few moments and then stood up. 
\nAnd just as the Comforter had grabbed hold of the holy man\u2019s shadow, she
\ntook hold of a streamer of blue light emanating from the Comforter, and began
\nwalking towards the holy man.  Soon another
\nperson took a streamer of blue light and moved towards the bound man, and then
\nanother and another, until the entire crowd began walking around him with
\nstreamers of radiant blue light.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe forgive
\nyou,\u201d each one said as they lifted and shook the blue streamers around him
\nsending him cool, refreshing wind–wind of water and of light, wind of the
\nheavens and the sea, wind of the earth and of the darkness, wind of their
\nhearts to his.  The Comforter wept as she
\nwatched their outpouring of mercy.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you
\nacknowledge the wrong you have done?\u201d the young woman asked who had begun the
\nparade around him.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd are you
\nready to make it right?\u201d spoke a young man nearby.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you
\nready to truly look at yourself and to stop judging us?\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The holy man
\nopened his eyes, for he couldn\u2019t help but close them and feel cooled by their
\nwaving of the blue light around him.  He
\nheard their questions.  Tears formed in
\nhis eyes.  After a long time he spoke in
\na soft voice.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou are kind
\nchildren,\u201d he said, \u201cso kind, but alas, so misguided.  This demon woman has you convinced I am the
\nenemy and that she is way to the light. 
\nYou are all, dear children, being tricked by the devil.  I do not need your forgiveness, for I have
\nacted only out of love for you.  I have
\ndone no wrong.  You may all take your
\nbanners of light and leave me to die.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The people
\nwaving their banners of blue light wept. 
\nThey turned to the angel in blue, their Comforter and said, \u201cYou said
\nthere was always hope.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is,\u201d
\nshe said, \u201cbut the hopeless one must embrace it, or at very least cling to a shred
\nof it.  Then it can flourish into
\nsalvation.  We cannot force him.  Some are bound very tightly by their
\nshadows.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSee there!\u201d
\nthe holy man shouted, \u201cShe lies!  SHE
\nbound me with my shadow.  It was not me
\nwho put myself like this.  It was HER!\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The people
\nlooked from him to the Comforter and said, \u201cIt is true.  We saw you. You did this to him.  Why?\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am the
\nComforter because I manifest the truth. 
\nI make visible what is painful to see. 
\nThe truth and the pain however, are the healers, and they must be seen
\nand experienced to be able to perform their healing work.  He has been tied and bound by his shadow and
\nthe shadow of the book for many years now. 
\nIt was my hope if he could fully see and experience the truth of what he
\nhas done to himself by becoming so self-righteous and evil in his thoughts of
\nthose different than him, that he might see himself for what he truly is, and
\nbegin to change.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLies!\u201d he
\nshouted.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cComforter,
\nplease forgive us for our doubts, but it seems your making the truth manifest
\nhas doomed him to die.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDear ones,\u201d
\nshe said, \u201cyour doubts and questions are good, and there is nothing to be
\nforgiven.  And no, I have not sealed his
\nfate.  He did by calling you here and
\ndriving fear into your hearts.  He
\ntricked you.  His shadow was there the
\nwhole time.  His own deep hatred of
\nhimself has done this to him.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut you
\nhelped,\u201d said a young man, \u201cand you are supposed are the Comforter.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am the
\nComforter,\u201d she said, \u201cand as tragic as this is to believe, he is comfortable
\nright now.  This is the way he would
\nprefer things to be.  His own self-hatred
\nruns so deeply that his only comfort is to isolate himself from you and to
\njudge you for being infidels and unbelievers. 
\nYour gesture of kindness to carry the light to him was beautiful, so
\nbeautiful.  It is the thing that seals
\nyour fate in heaven, but if he will not look at himself, he will die here and
\ndie believing he is right and everyone one of us is wrong.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t there
\nanything else we can do to help him see himself?\u201d asked a young woman.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeautiful
\nsoul,\u201d said the Comforter to the young woman, \u201cWe have done all we can.  The rest is up to him.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe is
\ndelusional,\u201d shouted the holy man.  \u201cShe
\nis a murderer and an agent of the devil. 
\nFlee from her and untie me.  If
\nyou follow her and leave me here to die, you will all be murderers and cast
\ninto hellfire.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome of us
\nare afraid,\u201d said a young man to the Comforter, \u201cwhat if he is right?\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDear one,\u201d
\nshe said, \u201cI make you do nothing.  You
\nare all free to do as you wish.  But you
\ncan never free him.  If you unwrap him
\nnow his shadows will only grow stronger and tighter around him later on.  Search your hearts and your own shadows and
\nfind the truth for yourselves.  I will
\nalways be with you helping you see.  You
\nmust choose for yourselves.  My loves, I
\npray you follow no one except your own conscience.  You may learn from one another and travel
\nwith one another, but follow your own soul and song.  For everyone\u2019s journey is different.  They may all lead eventually to the same
\ndoor, but give yourselves the gift to follow the path you must follow that
\nbrings you there.  And know that even if
\nyou do not see me, I am there illuminating signs along the way.  I am within you and around you.  And at your journey\u2019s end, I will hold you
\nfor as long as you desire.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

And with
\nthat she was gone.  And the people stood
\nin silence as the bound holy man shouted at them and berated them for being
\nfools and sinners.  And as he continued
\nto shout, they began, one by one, to walk down into the valley, and back to
\ntheir simple and holy lives.  They had
\nlearned much about themselves on this day of miracles, and they were silent as
\nthey went, pondering it all in their hearts.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

Copyright Joseph Anthony of the Wonder Child Blog<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Holy Man and His Shadow,  A Story of Redemption in Three Parts Part One: The Miracle   Once upon a time a self-described holy man stood atop a great hill.  In his hands he held a weathered, black, holy book.  He had advertised that a miracle would occur on the hill early in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewonderchildblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}