Wisdom 14: Superstition
Monday, December 9, 2019
Castor and Pollux
I am thinking of the image of each of us as we put to sea each morning when we rise, to sail through the waters of the day, hoping to return to safe harbor at night. Some of us are more skilled than others at navigating the waves of life, but when the storm clouds brew above us and the sea churns beneath us . . . who among us is not tempted to reach for a personal talisman as a security blanket to see us through? When we sail with God, our expertise does not matter because even a person who lacks skill may put to sea.
Notes tell us that verses 6 and 7 refer to the Ark of Noah and the wood of Christ’s cross: For even in the beginning when arrogant giants were perishing, the hope of the world took refuge on a raft, and guided by your hand left to the world the seed of a new generation. For blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes. These wooden objects save, because they are instruments of salvation that come directly from the Father.
John Peter Glover: St. Elmo’s Fire
It is difficult to give up our folk customs which give an immediate but false sense of security. It may be frightening to put away old habits that lead to a temporary reprieve from worry; but then is it not even more frightening to embark on life’s tide each day without the master pilot in our ship? Is it better to appeal to these short-lived superstitions . . . or turn to God who upholds us infinitely?
Psalm 107 – Some sailed to the sea in ships . . . They reeled like drunken men, for all their skill was gone.
Mark 4:37-42 – A violent squall came up . . .
The Morning Star
Meeks, Wayne A., Gen. Ed. HARPERCOLLINS STUDY BIBLE (NRSV). New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1989. Print. (Meeks)
To learn more about the mythology of Castor and Pollux, click on the image above. To learn more about Castor and Pollux and the Gemini constellation, go to: http://astroprofspage.com/archives/677
For more information on the phenomenon of St. Elmo’s Fire, go to: http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/st-elmo-fire.htm
For more about the Morning Star, click on the image above , or go to: http://www.futilitycloset.com/2009/10/03/the-morning-star-paradox/ or http://www.johnpratt.com/items/astronomy/eve_morn.html
http://www.johnpratt.com/items/astronomy/eve_morn.html or
Written on November 23, 2008. Re-written and posted today as a Favorite.
The Noontimes 
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