Up and Down

[Stylites]

• “. . . He came down from heaven.”
• “He raised His eyes towards heaven. . .”
• “You won’t be lifted up to heaven, will you? You’ll go down to Hell!”
• “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”
• “Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended?”

I find these directions interesting, that heaven is thought of as above. There could be natural reasons for this view, such as those living on the surface of the earth while the dead are buried beneath. The ancients viewed God as in the sky, bringing life-giving rain down to fertilize the receptive Mother earth and thereby growing crops. In terms of domination, those who are higher up have a better defense against attack from below, and then there’s the whole use of “higher” and “lower” in grading the status of people. There’s the “higher” nature of man, and the “lower” appetites as well.

This use of up and down, higher and lower, is so very common in our world, I’m just interested in other’s comments.

 

[Fink]

Being confined to 3-dimensional space, i suppose they`re the only metaphors that we know of that fit.

Theyre OK as long as we dont take them too far; and try to apply them LITERALLY to the spiritual “realm”. That seems to be a problem with a lot (maybe the majority?) of folks who think that spirit occupies space.

From the physical/material point of view, it`s good to have those terms, because we worship God with our bodies; and can stand, kneel, be prostrate etc. In a way, that reinforces the importance of our material side.

 

[GEddie]

Also, it’s because we are vertical beings; our feet are on the ground; our heads raised toward Heaven. Feet are considered the “humbler” part of a human being, while the head is honorable and exalted, since this is where the more specifically human functioning takes place.

In the same way that the “stuff” of our human life lies at our feet; whereas the breath that keeps us alive is around our heads (noses); it would seem that the more admirable aspects in our life would be associated with space above our heads.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[Stylites]

Also, it’s because we are vertical beings; our feet are on the ground; our heads raised toward Heaven. Feet are considered the “humbler” part of a human being, while the head is honorable and exalted, since this is where the more specifically human functioning takes place.

In the same way that the “stuff” of our human life lies at our feet; whereas the breath that keeps us alive is around our heads (noses); it would seem that the more admirable aspects in our life would be associated with space above our heads.

ICXC NIKA.

That is a very pithy observation, Eddie. We are vertical beings. We stand erect against the pull of gravity, which is forver tugging at us, inclining us to fall down. We look down upon the corruption of the earth and look up at the ethereal wonders of the celestial sky.