Descending Sinai
Briefing. My revision of the Sinai myth included Moses eternally travelling up and down Sinai – mediating a collaboration between the human community and god. My “Day 6” offering, presented at the festival, envisioned just one visit. Each day included such a journey and yielded one or more scenarios – clues to implicit myth and mythic revision.
Descending Sinai represents a return to waking consciousness, and the disintegration that occurs when one moves out of the Omega Point and back into the world of time, space, objects and entities. The challenge then became how to hold onto the essence of the Omega Point. That requires ritual that enacts and embodies the myth.
Recall that the first stone tablet had messages from the community, while the second one was blank, to be completed with hypothetical responses from one's god. During the descent, we were asked to draft our versions of Tablet #2. For this exercise, I composed a variation of the traditional Shema, one adapted to my authentic cosmology and morality, and integrated into a daily, celebratory ritual. Instead of pronouncing The Lord is One, my Shema pronounces All is One.
Master of Scenarios:
Your task is to complete Tablet #2
You thought this would be done for you?
No superheroes are going to save us
But take heart: we don’t need answers
We need hypotheses
We are each unique experiments of the cosmos
Yes, even you
All that is required is your honest participation
Share your offerings at festival
Drop yourself into the confusion
Tablet 2: The "Shema" Hypothesis
Son:
Our most important prayer ought to establish oneness
Sheldon Solomon:
Our most important prayer ought to address xenophobia
Son:
And cannibalism
Frank Tipler:
As the elevator descends
The Omega Point differentiates
Son:
It’s hard to hold onto this sense of oneness
It’s already receding
Joseph Campbell:
You need a new myth, a new ritual
Son:
Shema Yisrael L’Olam Echad!
Participants:
Listen, you who wrestles with the cosmos
The universe is one!
All is one, as if one!
Sc.
You approach the empty chair
With your cup of coffee
And merge with your Master of Scenarios
Music: “Shema (Revised)"
The phrase accompanies 'all is one, as if one'
Everyone:
Celebrate this day
Celebrate this moment
With reverence
Calm, quiet and still
Listen – as you plan your day of work and play
Listen – as you strive for meaning in thoughts and deeds
Listen – to the myriad voices of sentient life
As you wrestle with free will
As you sip your coffee
All is one, as if one
We place these words along our path
Love and compassion
Appreciation
Exploration
Experimentation
Learning and repair
Plan, do and reflect
All is one, as if one
We place these words along our path
