Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup

At last, a fairly non blurry picture of Abbott Suger's chalice. Exciting. I've taken dozens of shots, with the "real" camera as well as the iPhone. At last I am becoming steady enough to focus on the cup itself, not the plastic box in which it is encased.

I love this thing! It is so old. And its history is colorful. Here's a link to an article about it. Time bestows magnificence, a good thing to remember as I grow old. You could make a copy of this, get it accurate to the last detail. You could recreate it with a 3-D printer. But it wouldn't feel the same.

The last time I was at the National Gallery, there were other people in the room where the chalice is displayed - an out of the way gallery that most of the hordes avoid. The girl in the photo below was as entranced with the holy grail as I am. We had one of those fabulous encounters in which we connected rather deeply for a few minutes, then parted company without the slightest desire or expectation we would ever see each other again. While we both looked at the cup, we oooo'd and ahhhhhh'd about its beauty, how old it is. Her family got bored and went into the next room, but she stayed. We kept smiling at each other in wonder.

I suggested she try to take a pic from above, because the stone cup itself is incredible. The way the museum has it displayed is great for seeing the light radiating from the cup, but you can't see inside from the top, unless you're a giant.

I've learned a lot while gazing at this cup. It came to me the last time I saw it that any cup can be the holy grail. It's not about the vessel. If you seek the holy grail, when you drink - even conceivably from a paper cup full of Starbuck's coffee - you may take a sip from the sacred chalice.

If you do not seek the grail, which by the way seems perfectly fine to me, you can drink your coffee and get on with your day. No problem!

I am a life long seeker of the grail. Just like in the story, I get distracted, side-tracked, lost. I surely do. Also there are many days when I really want only the most mundane experience of thirst quenching.

Some days I yearn for a sip of the holy - just a sip. Those who get drunk on divine energy never manage it well. When I need a sip these days, I become conscious of what's happening. I pick up my water glass or coffee mug or wine glass and take a delicious sip. I remember my interconnection with the biosphere of this beautiful planet, also with the mysteries that can not be explained or grasped while in this form.

Oh those sips from the holy grail. They are healing, quenching at a soul level. They lend perspective, bring calm, hope and peace to my heart, much needed right now with the world aflame, or so it seems if you listen to the news.

Last time I was at the National Gallery I imagined I could breathe love into Abbott Suger's chalice. It felt like my breath swirled into the cup and filled it, even overflowing a little bit, or so I imagined. My breath seemed full of stars. Please don't ask me to explain how I knew that.

Feeling calmish in the midst of madness in the world at the moment. This historical period feels just like the 60s. I'm finding ways to be with the energy without freaking out. I am grateful. Shalom.

Pyx in the form of a dove. Also French. In the room with the chalice.