The Oracle of Delphi Myth…a Lost Tale

         For the Greeks, only the Olympian Gods are wise, everyone else is a searcher. Yet all seek the riddle of life

         In the temple of Delphi, one could receive opportune  maxims to guide one’s destiny. 

         The Delphi Queen of mystery, Sophia,  would not tolerate arrogant simpletons who attempted to pester her with petty questions. For that intrusion one would be instantly exited.  Be aware that in her presence only one of two questions are allowed.

         You enter and await. Soon fire balls explode, cymbals ring, & clouds of perfumed mists issue forth, then She emerges.

         As you stand distraught and trembling before her Highness, She would melodiously proclaim: 

 ‘Why do you come?’

         Remember, only two utterances qualify for her presence. You  implore:                              

                                     ‘I seek wisdom’

                                       or

                                      ‘Who am I?’

     Her devastating reply to either:

         ‘Know Thyself’… and She vanishes.

         Unknown to many scholars, as well as seekers, her inclusive words are actually half her auspicious reply and remain a conundrum for the implorer for years.

         How do I get to know myself? For that task, the seeker must first start with  the obvious, by actively knowing and embracing the world at large: her creation. As you get to know the rhyme and reason for things, you slowly discover the who that you are.               

 Ah, practical engagements with the world precede and usher in self-knowledge. The act of knowing yourself first mandates lengthy involvement in Nature and society. You savor reflecting upon your endeavors.  Acute discernment  can now grow as you discover and appraise your needs, ambitions, faults, talents, disappoints, rewards, and enterprises.                                                                                                                       One day you come upon meditation which surprises since it is an intelligible act but not a discursive activity. You sit poised in inner darkness, remembering a special sound, disinterested before the uneven flow of ideas, images, feelings.  With practice you gradually sense a feeling of tranquility and a calm emancipation from your normal and hectic preoccupations. A certain breadth of being at ease  enables you to return to the world, refreshed with surprising  insights. It dawns that you are more than your personal history or resume. You ponder: what else can I become or be ?

         Life continues. Unexpected moments of astonishment occur more frequently. Evolving in your daily awareness is the subtle fact that you are falling in love with the manifold of reality. Anxieties and fears fall by the wayside.  Intuition strengthens. Contemplation increasingly beckons.  

         Years later, an irresistible yearning stirs to return to the Temple. Older, more savvy, you stand once again before the Queen of the Cosmos  but now with an ease of solemnity.                      

         She appears amazingly the same as before:

                      ‘Why have you come? … do you not know who you are?’

         ‘Was that a twinkle in her eye’, you muse, but you can only reply:     

                                    ‘I am grateful’

         Her gaze widens upon you awhile and smiles:    

                        ‘Since you know thyself, Oh, traveler of the winds,                                                      you possess the wisdom of the Gods.

         As she vanishes in a swirling haze of mists, you catch her eerie voice echoing in the distance:

                 

                       ‘Fare thee well, the Universe is yours…’

         With that, life’s riddle is solved.

                                                                                         

 The Wanderer