Daily Meditation: Monday, June 27, 2011

Snail - gives us an idea of the relationship between God and the universe

06/27/2011

God is everywhere in the universe he himself created. And yet he is separate from the universe. To shed light on this notion, we can use an image, that of the snail. The snail’s body is tender and soft, while its shell is hard. At first sight, the snail seems to have nothing in common with its shell. Yet, the snail itself secreted it, and the shell has gradually grown, because the snail’s etheric body, which penetrates the tiny cracks, has pushed the particles of matter apart. The snail is separate from its shell but secreted it itself and made it bigger. And in the same way, God is not the universe, but he created it as a fluidic emanation of himself, which then condensed to form worlds, constellations and galaxies. To keep the universe evolving, God tirelessly continues to permeate it with his life. So the universe, which is alive, transforms itself as a result of the life of the Lord, but the Lord is a separate entity. He is everywhere in the universe but not one with it.