Plato's Cave
The caves in the banner image above for Awakening: A Center for Positive Living are in Antelope Canyon in Arizona. Antelope Canyon is a unique slot canyon where water over eons of time has eroded exquisite patterns that appear like waves of rock on the walls of the caves. At certain times of year the sun coming into the caves from openings above the slot canyon walls casts ethereal patterns of light over the smooth wavy walls of red and purple rock. It is breath taking.
Photos I have seen of the summer sun light coming in to the caves in Antelope Canyon reminded me the minute I saw them of Plato's Allegory of the Cave, from his conversation with his teacher, Socrates, and his brother, Glaucon, in The Republic. It is such an amazing story that speaks so poignantly of how the human race lived then and still lives today - believing what they physically see is reality; resisting the reports of people who have learned from their personal life experiences that there is a much greater Reality that speaks to Who and What we really are and how we can have so much greater and fuller an experience of our lives here on earth while we are here.
A Course in Miracles has a unique view of our physical world and physical "reality" that corresponds to Plato's Allegory of the Cave. The Course states "I have given everything I see all the meaning that it has for me", "My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world", and "Above all else I want to see things differently."
I encourage everyone to totally and radically question what you think reality is and do not be deceived or entranced by the physical world you think you see. A Course in Miracles tells us that "I have invented the world I see" and "There is another way of looking at the world. I could see peace instead of this." Our relationship to this world we believe is reality and vision is critical to our awakening.
Google "Plato's Cave" to get a fuller picture of the message from Plato because it is so applicable to our lives today and our process of awakening. Wiki has a good basic page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave and, of course, if it tweaks your interest, get a copy of The Republic and read Plato's allegory in his own words.
I had an interesting confirmation of my resonance with Plato's Allegory of the Cave and bringing my spiritual work forward in 2010 as I began this business. I was invited to guest speak on integrative medicine at Thomas University in Georgia. I ate supper with the professor, Dr. Terri Reese, before my presentation to her evening class. Dr. Reese told me at supper that she had a present for me that she would give me after class. After class she took me into her office and pulled out a tall dusty framed picture she told me seemed to be something she should give to me at this time. Someone had given it to her and it was just gathering dust in her office. I was blown away when I saw that it was a gorgeous photograph of Antelope Canyon! Spirit was giving me confirmation that I was on track with my spiritual work setting up Awakening: A Center for Positive Living. Dr. Reese had not seen the web site for my spiritual business and did not know how I loved Plato's Allegory of the Cave and had chosen an image of Antelope Canyon as the symbol of awakening from our human illusions of reality for my business!
