Impossible Question

in search of answers
the pilgrim travels the road
no stone left unturned

Kim M. Russell, 2017

wooden cross somewhere along the Road to Santiago

My response to Carpe Diem #1132 ‘The wrong answer will indicate the right one.’ (Petrus)

We are almost at the goal of our pilgrimage: Santiago De Compostela. In this episode, Chèvrefeuille explains that Paulo and Petrus encountered a sacred cross that had fallen and broken. When Paulo shook his head and did nothing about it, Petrus ordered him to repair the cross, which is when Paulo had a spiritual experience.

In the extract Chèvrefeuille has shared, Paulo uses the Seed Exercise to bring the cross to an upright position. Sometimes we need such an impossible situation to understand how to deal with it and we remember what we did to resolve it. He says that we can compare this story with what is known as the impossible question, the koan, which is often found in haiku (and tanka): a question that cannot be answered except through an ‘aha’ moment of clarity.

along the road
poppies start blooming again –
the scent of straw

© Chèvrefeuille

a whispered prayer –
pilgrims on their way to Santiago
walking the Path of God
reaching out to their deepest thoughts
seeking the Light

seeking the Light
while chanting psalms or mantras
pilgrims on their way
enjoying Mother Earth’s beauty –
a whispered prayer

© Chèvrefeuille