“An old Jewish tribe in a middle European Country faces crisis. They are about to be invaded; they look to the old venerated Rabbi for guidance and wisdom. The Rabbi said he had no immediate answer, but he knew how to find one: he went into the woods. He lit a fire. He said a prayer. God answered his prayer. The Rabbi told the people what God had revealed. The people did God’s will. The village was saved. That was the experience.
Following the experience, the second generation said: “The woods we cannot find, but the fire we can, light and prayer we can say.”
The third generation said: “The woods we cannot find, the fire we cannot light, but the prayer we can say.”
The fourth generation said: “The woods we cannot find, the fire we cannot light, the prayer we cannot pray, but the story we can tell.”
Perhaps Carlos Castaneda was accurate when he said: “Those who have no power must settle for tales of power. Talk is cheap.” For that matter, so is the use of chemicals to alter consciousness.
