Right of Access

One of the things I enjoy about living in Scotland is what’s called the statutory right of access. What that means is that people have the right to roam on private land. There are rules to follow which are mostly about respecting people’s privacy and not making a nuisance of oneself.

While we enjoy exploring scenery that is new to us, we also have favourite walks. Most of them are between three and six miles in duration. Each trip through familiar scenery reveals something different from previous journeys. Something is always changed; the weather, the season, the smells and the sounds.

In my spiritual journey I’ve always felt an affinity with the 23^rd Psalm. The way the poet brings to mind different settings and how they relate to one’s sense of God’s presence; close at hand, or somewhere in the shadows. It helps to know that there are movements, seasons and changing tones in the journey.

I would say that lately in my spiritual journey I have come upon a landscape that is similar to that of the hill walker traversing through private land. One has the right to be there, but it is not the right of ownership. One is passing through as a visitor, a guest at best and a foreign object at worst.

The way I of think of God’s presence in this particular stage of the journey is that God’s presence is perceived by the sense of God’s absence. That God does not seem close at hand these days is not a cause for worry. I’m not much of a worrier anyway. While I appreciate certainty and closure as a matter of temperament (INTJ, no matter how many times I have taken the test), faith and spirituality is one area I am content to leave open-ended and unfinished.

The word that comes to mind is “ineffable.” It speaks of the reality for which language is inadequate. It comes to mind occasionally as a mantra of sorts; ineffable, in contrast to so many things in life that cry out for an “effing” type of response. “Effing” by which we crystallize, contain and pass judgement upon so much these days. It’s good to know there is ineffability about certain things.

I like “ineffable” because it’s different from doubt. Doubt is okay from time to time in the low foothills or shallow valleys of the journey. Doubt helps to sharpen thinking and serves as a useful tool in defining the questions. But ineffable is just there, beyond, sort of. Which is fine, or another way of saying, “I shall not want.” One has the right to be there.

Take Care – John Mann

Comments

[nancy hitt]

Thanks for both the imagery and the distinction in vocabulary, John. "Ineffable" is actually pretty reassuring, and I hadn't thought in those terms for a while. At this stage of Lent/life, it's a good concept. It's also good to know that somewhere on earth people have decided to share at the same time they claim ownership of a particular piece of the earth. I'm not sure we could pull that off this side of the pond.