Saturday, March 1, 2008

The Door Into Aslan's Country

At the end of C.S. Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader, (the third book in the Narnia series) Aslan meets the children as a Lamb when they reached the end of the world. As they eat roasted fish they discover there, Lucy asked the Lamb, "Please, Lamb, is this the way to Aslan's country?"

"Not for you," said the Lamb. "For you, the door into Aslan's country is from your own world."

"What!" said Edmund. "Is there a way into Aslan's country from our world, too?"

As the Lamb told them that there is a way into Aslan's country from all the worlds, he changed his appearance into the Lion with whom the children were familar. He reassured them that he would be telling them all the time how to get into his country from our world. Aslan told the children that they had come to Narnia in order to know him there for a little in order that they might know him better in their own country.

This morning my daughter, Sarah, led me into my first experience with centering prayer. This evening I sense that it is one of the ways, a gift that "Aslan" gives us, to know him better in our own country.

Susan Price

5 comments:

living stones said...

Susan, thank you! This is a beautiful and creative connection. I think you're right--centering prayer is indeed "one of the ways, a gift...to know [the Lord] better in our own country." Thank you for sharing in this way. It is enriching and stimulating. I believe that as we "come to voice" and share and stimulate one another in this way, we grow in our ability to relate to God and the community of God's people. Thank you again!
--Rickey Cotton

living stones said...

Susan, You used a wonderful illustration from a familiar story to make beautiful connection with something we are all discovering is indeed a gift. Thank you for your sensitivity and sharing. (And I think I can hear a hint of how Sarah came to care about both literature and God.) Thanks so much for writing.
Anna

Unknown said...

That was a powerful statement about knowing God better in our own country! I like your entanglement with literature, spirituality and personal experience! :-) I see a shadow of the Wesleyan quadrilateral there!

Unknown said...

Lewis' imagination is one of my favorite places to go for thoughts on spirituality and faith. Thanks for sharing this perspective!

living stones said...

Thank you so much for posting! I enjoy creative connections so much, and I'm excited to hear your new experience with relating to God and Sarah.
Jennifer

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