The Wheel That Turns in Us

The Five Qualities and the Five Powers That Turn the Wheel

One Who Awoke to Wisdom

One night as I traveled through the land, I set up camp under a large and magnificent tree. The light of the campfire illuminated the boughs overhead. Its roots were high on the land and I sat upon one as a bench.

As I watched the flames, I thought of the wheels I saw in Peter and myself. What were they? How did they work? They turn and they see, but as to what they were and how they work I could not say.

The light of the fire flickered in the bark of the tree, and I saw the form of one who awoke to wisdom sitting there. His golden skin caught the light with lustrous glow. His black hair pulled up in a top knot. A great serenity flowed from him, and peace filled the air around him.

“Greetings, wise one,” I said with humility, “My name is Mary, what is yours?”

“I am Siddhartha,” he said. “I sought the path to end suffering. What troubles you?”

“In my friend and myself I saw wheels that struggled to turn. I do not know what it was or how it turned. Water flowed from a deep reservoir within when they started turning. Do you know what they are?”

“What you saw were the great wheels of life that turn in everyone. The reservoir is the five spiritual qualities. The flowing water that turned the wheel are the five spiritual powers. Both sets have the same names, but one is cultivated within to make one strong and clear, the other is practiced in the world to carry us along the way. They are the nature of the wheel of life and the power to make it turn.”

“Do the five have the same name for both?” I asked.

“They do.”

“Can you teach me?” I asked, “So I might teach others.”

“I will,” he said.

The Trust We Test

“The first quality and power is faith, but this is not a mere belief but the confidence that comes from testing and practice,” he said with great equanimity. “When you receive wisdom from another you trust, but you do not yet trust it yourself, you receive it with faith to test and see if it is good.”

I listened to what he said, and pondered it in my heart as the Blessed Mother taught me. “This sounds to me like emunah, the faith gathered in awe and hospitality, then savored in the life of the people. In times of grief, strain, and struggle, we hold it in the silence and winnow it down as the wind blows away the chaff. Then something new is born in us and we trust it to walk with in this life, then we greet the transformation as it flows out from us into the world.”

“This going forth that you mention is the passage of faith into the second power which truly tests it,” he said. “Faith controls doubt, not because it is blind or demanding, but because it is tested and found to be a truth that helps us in life. Faith is the trust in practice we develop over time. Through its power the wheel begins to turn, but it is not enough to keep it spinning.”

I marveled at what he said, and I grew in faith.

The Fruit That Testifies

“The second quality and power is effort. Here the faith is put to the test in the world,” he said. “This is the right diligence open and visible to the world. Faith began the turning of the wheel. Should an idea live only in your head, it has no practical use. A thought that cannot be enacted cannot change you.”

I listened to what he said, and pondered it in my heart. “This sounds like ahmahl, the work we do in the world. We know that faith without works is dead, so we show our faith through our good works. These works are the fruit of the tree of life that testify on our behalf that we are from the one who works compassion and healing into the world. This effort waters the wholesome seeds within us so they may grow and arise into the vitality of life.”

“This living faith that you mention is the passage of effort to the third power, which sees and knows all things,” he said. “Effort controls laziness, acedia, the desire to remain in place so nothing either good or bad can happen. Effort spawns many effects into the world and they will be what they are. So long as the action is wise and moves you toward compassion and awakening, then the effort is holy and good.”

I marveled at what he said, and I grew steadfast.

The Eyes That Open

“The third quality and power is mindfulness. Here we hold the mind in the present moment, being aware of what is happening now with no thought to the past or the future,” he said. “Mindfulness is a great healing power, and a great strength along the way. Being rooted in the present moment allows the mind to rest and see things as they truly are. It grows from the effort that last turned the wheel, accepting into the moment all it comes with so the eyes may be clear.”

I listened to what he said, and pondered it in my heart. “I am reminded of the presence of Father Abraham and Mother Mary whose constant prayer is hineini, Here I am. It reminds me of the teachings of Christ not to worry about the future, what the day may hold, what we are to eat or what we are to wear. I have seen the strength in this power in the way Mother Mary ponders all things in her heart.”

“This is the presence you describe. It controls heedlessness and prevents people from wandering astray, for they can see the world and life clearer with all the complexity it holds. Mindfulness is a way of seeing, a way of living, and a way of being. It also brings with it all the powers of life and the body to the moment and to the focus of its vision. It calms the mind and soothes the heart. It turns the wheel so life may be lived honestly and sincerely.”

I marveled at what he said, and I grew mindful.

The Focus That Clears the Path

“The fourth quality and power is concentration. Here we focus deeply on the nature of what is,” he said. “Concentration embraces the still calmness of the mind. Concentration brings breakthrough. It clears the path and removes the barriers to equity and compassion.”

I listened to what he said, and pondered it in my heart. “The closest I think I know to this is Kavanah, which is the focused intention we carry into action and prayer. Kavanah is the way we clarify our mind and intention so we reach out beyond ourselves. It keeps us focused on the task at hand and the work we are called to do.”

“Concentration controls distraction,” he said. “Its power is deep focus that sees only the matter at hand without extraneous details worming their way in. As mindfulness gives rise to concentration, concentration guides us to the fifth power, turning the wheel as it moves.”

I marveled at what he said, and concentrated on the words.

The Sheet Cut Away

“The fifth quality and power is wisdom. This is the insight that cuts through fear, despair, anger, and discrimination,” he said. “Wisdom cuts between reality and the fear and wishes we project upon it. Here the eyes are open so we can see clearly and know what is and what is not. The faith, once received with trust, has been tested with effort, mindfulness, and concentration, and now we have achieved wisdom. We have a truer guide to lead us down the path.”

I listened to what he said, and pondered it in my heart. “I hear the nature of Chokmah, Lady Wisdom who spoke through the prophets and sages. It brings to mind the work of the Assembler who tested all things and sought the path to the good life. This wisdom is a sword that cuts through lies so the truth might be free. It is not a violent strike. It is like cutting through a sheet hung up to block our view so we might see.”

“It is a sword of insight,” he said. “Wisdom controls ignorance by showing more of the nature of reality with each revolution around the wheel. Wisdom turns the wheel and hands itself back to faith to continue the turning of the wheel.”

I marveled at what he said, and grew in wisdom.

The Wheel Within Me

I looked within and saw my own wheel turning, and the five powers driving the wheel in its motion. Then something awakened within me. I realized that viriditas is a faculty and verdure is a power.

The five spiritual qualities and powers worked within me to till the soil of my heart and bring about the greening I sought for so long.

Blessed souls, awaken to the work of the soul so you might be liberated to see the truth and follow the way. Do not rest in faith, but bring your faith to life through effort so you might find mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. Then turn the wheel and keep rolling.

This cycle is the work of the journey that changes us and gives us strength to carry on.

I turned to thank him, but he was not there. I smiled and thanked him anyway. Gratitude is the root of compassion and the heart of wisdom which gives thanks for the world as it is.

Blessing and blessed is the light of the world that gives us wisdom.

Viriditas. The greening power. Hildegard knew it. The forest knows it. Creation’s Paths: A Creation Spirituality Primer is for everyone who has ever felt the divine moving through roots and rain and refused to call that feeling anything less than holy.