Daily Meditation: Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Talisman - an object we give power to, through the way in which we consider it

03/22/2016

Given a flower by the young girl he loves, a boy places it between the pages of a book. After a short while, of course, the petals wilt and fade, but what does it matter? Each time he gazes at this flower, it seems to him that his beloved is smiling at him and telling him a thousand things. He places it against his heart and touches it with his lips; for him it is a talisman which opens the doors of heaven. He is filled with joy, he feels inspired, and he becomes a poet. But as time passes, his relationship with this young girl no longer seems so ideal. He now scarcely notices the flower in the book. It no longer speaks to him, as if it had become empty and dumb, and finally one day he throws it away. What has happened? The flower is still there; it has not changed, but the young boy has. It was he himself who once made a talisman of this flower, and it is he who has withdrawn its power. The conclusion to be drawn from this example, is that an object in itself is indeterminate. It is our way of perceiving it that can transform it into a talisman.