𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄 ... 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆

 

In my days living in New York City I often visited the Steuben Glass shop on Fifth Avenue. The "Excalibur Sword in the Stone" rendering in that liquid glass always drew my eye. It's a desk paperweight and letter opener. Also, the gold Mouse atop a large wedge of glassy Swiss Cheese. The heart wants what it wants. I'll discuss the sword in the stone, but what the significance of that gold mouse atop the cheese is, don't know. "Don't bite off more than you can chew?" That fits. Probably more as well. But, we need to stay focused.

Just a little bit of history: The Steuben storefront there also featured a rectangular panel window insert with a concave [street view] window that gave the optical illusion of "no glass". Sorry, could not find a historic photo to share. If you were there, you know. 

Moving on ...

In a conversation with a close friend, and my sharing about the yogic process to unfold one's full Human potential, the motif of the Sword in the Stone came up. "Pull that sword out of that stone!" was the friendly encouragement. Translate: "Loose yourself from all those tight and heavy conceptual garments". All the conditionings in front of your innate natural potential(s). Of course, just how the F do you do that!?

Interesting too how in my chosen career with Dr. Ida P. Rolf Method Structural Integration — which is about balancing the body with the Gravitational field of the Earth — the originator Dr. Rolf so plainly spoke of how the work had to do with "being easy in your harness". As in, what's between you and what you want; and who put it there? Like any true artistic sculptor who say, just take away what's not it. Advaita Vedanta has some say in this domain as well. Well worth the look. Just when you think you got it, those Vedantists will be quick to remind that you don't.

As you probably know the myth of the Sword/Stone has this unassuming kid named Arthur who pulls the sword out of the stone, things unfold, and thus it all goes to signify his rightful claim to the British throne. 

I've been named "David" and, as you most certainly know, there's that story of Goliath and the unassuming innocent sheep herder kid who's good with a sling shot. Also, middle name "Daniel". My parents gave me a tall order and big shoes to fill. It's my belief that what felled that giant wasn't a stone from David's sling, but his pure innocence. Daniel too must've had that same vibe. Innocence. That just may be the lynchpin point of this writing. Innocence ... not knowing that you can't. Shout out and props to my brilliant and gifted Rolfer, Roshanna Evans; she treated me to a showing of "Being There" when it was in theaters in the day. Just adding, there's ignorant innocence and enlightened innocence. The movie is about the former. I'm for living into the latter. Human potential, after all. It is.

Actually, and obviously, there's more to the Arthurian legend. The sword he pulls from the stone breaks in apart in battle. [BTW what kind of putz puts a sword in a stone anyway? And, certainly not one worth its edge. Maybe a Saint? Read on, wait for it.] 

Back to the legend: Then the Lady of the Lake gives him the invincible Excalibur, signifying his rightful place on the throne. Now, with such a winner for a sword, how to rule is the question. Like we see in the news, the sword can be used to control the folk; or, it can be used to protect them. But not from some invented enemy. There's the true enemy, and we should live to see having that invincible sword in our "sheath". But do we know it? What am I talking about? It's not about answers, it's more about raising questions.

In light of all that we have to look again at the Steuben creation. It is named "Excalibur". OMG! I got it. That glass represents the stone, and the lake! Isn't that something? No wonder I've been so deeply moved by that sculptural metaphor. I'm thinking they might as well have come up with a fountain pen version on that same theme. "The pen is mightier ... ".

What's in a myth? What's in the myth for us, is more the point. A takeaway which we can use constructively in our lives. Interesting stories, surely. But, as something to contemplate as it relates to one's life, there's that too. And, that's what we're talking about here now.

In high school somehow I got turned on to metaphor and simile. Self-proclaimed myself, "Metaphor King". That's those Jesuits for you. My teachers. AMDG ... "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam". We inscribed those four letters on the tops and bottoms of ever dern page of homework. Among the many lessons, that may have been the biggest one. "For the Greater Glory of God." A standard for living ... for "LIFE"!

Okay, let's focus. Sword and the Stone.

And, the obvious question ... just how does one in fact pull out said sword from said stone?

Here's a clue to where this is going. It is said that the heart and soul of the Samurai is the "girdled" sword. I played Pyrrhus in my high school production of the Fall of Troy. I was in the Science/Latin track in school. That play is the Homerian classic where an overly zealous warrior wins a "Pyrrhic" victory. Like what the Zionist regime in Israel is going for in their God-inspired quest to rule their chosen territory(s). 

It's a product of my amalgamated learned lessons from schooling and in terms of life experience that I look at things from many angles. This, I believe, is an innate Human ability; but it's a muscle that needs to be exercised. I'm also enough of a scientist to not want to settle on any one thing, as the thing. Science is an ongoing inquiry into learning what it is. Settle on the current thing based on its verifiability and its usefulness. But ... but, don't hold on when new information comes to light. Okay?

Here's the famous depiction of where you stand in relationship to the Elephant has a lot to do with what you interpret. And, as you probably have also seen in the news, lots of argument over just what is an Elephant. Notice the blindfolds. Lesson: sticking to just one interpretation of anything can be blindness. Ignorance ... of other points of view. Again, see how it plays in the actual news ... Oh, Boy! 

At this point in the writing I can see that there are many permutations on this theme of seeing the different angles. The challenge is to select from among to make the point. I already like to "wramble" as a writing style. But, one writes for a reader, that's an angle to keep in the gestalt front and center. I'm not at the level [yet] where my reader following is so down on my shit that they gobble up whatever I toss out. Yet.

Okay. So the question is just what is the sword, and what is the stone. Symbolically. On the inner dimension. The one thing that comes right to mind in respect to this question is "somatic experiencing". Somatic Experiencing. It's the felt inner sense. In particular to this discussion, any feelings that are so established in the flesh of the body itself they read as "stone". Solid. Hard. Immovable. This can also relate psychologically to tightly held notions, opinions, preferences ... like that. Nothing wrong with any of that. Except ... Except when the feelings and the thoughts don't match the present reality, but act like fixed lenses through with the present reality is refracted by unconscious default. You know from "refracted". Listen to any pol for a stunning example. Seems the times are so refracted that we have to scramble intellectually to keep a handle on reality. The Reality, not some pol's say so what like we hear from the so-called elite ruling class. 

Admonition: When you're a stone setter [set in your ways stone solid] you are a dead ender. In other words, beware holding on to something that doesn't fit. You know, the Gate of Heaven is open to all, but it is very, very narrow. You can't get in with a load of stuff on your back. Verbum Sat Sap.

"Somatic Experiencing." It's somatic by definition from the understanding the body and mind are a unity. Feelings have their thoughts. Thought have their feeling. The point is that we have associated certain thoughts with certain feelings. "I feel like eating an Apple." "And, where do you feel that?" And, certain feelings with certain thoughts. We are responsible for the world we see. How we see it, that is. And, the kicker is this ... The World Is As You See It. Don't like it? Change your prescription. Not some Pollyanna rose colored glasses sort of thing. But, clear lenses which show things wiped clean of our self-made projections. 

How then does this have to do with pulling swords out of stones. The paradoxical solution is to stop the pulling. Don't let your wants hurt you is some received good advice. Let it be. Props on that to John Lennon. 

The interesting thing is that when you let it be, that posture allows space for whatever it is — a thought and/or a feeling — for such to evolve. As opposed to holding it tight, keeping it in place. There's that truism, the more you resist the more it persists. It may seem like an insurmountable challenge ... to let things be. But, with a little and regular practice on a daily basis, the point proves itself. Stick with it. Use that sword wisely. Live knowing how to use it, and at the same time not to use it. Be a legendary Hero!

Some interesting associated history: [Online search]

A historical "sword in the stone" belongs t Saint Galgano (Galgano Guidotti), a 12th-century Italian knight who thrust his weapon into a rock at Monte Siepi in Tuscany as a vow to abandon violence for a life of faith.

This unnamed sword appears first in Robert de Boron's c. 1200 poem Merlin. Young Arthur pulls it out to prove his rightful claim to the British throne. In major medieval texts like the Post-Vulgate Cycle and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, this sword breaks later in a duel against King Pellinore.

Excalibur: After the first sword breaks, Merlin takes Arthur to a magical body of water. Here, the Lady of the Lake gifts Arthur the true, enchanted blade known as Excalibur.