Shards of the Divine

“The place on which you are standing is holy ground.” — Exodus 3:5

There's a story from Jewish mysticism about how the world was created. Vessels intended to hold divine light shattered, scattered, and formed the physical world as we know it. All of creation now holds shards of this divine light.

Shards of the Divine

Jewish mysticism tells a story about the creation of the world. Before creation, God's presence filled all existence. To make room for a finite world, God gathered divine light and placed it into ten vessels, each meant to hold and channel a different quality of the divine, including wisdom, understanding, mercy, and judgment.

But the light was too intense for the vessels to hold. They cracked, shattered, and scattered throughout the cosmos, embedding sparks of holiness into all of the material world, including every person, animal, plant, and object.

At the center of our being is a point of nothingness…. It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven….

— Thomas Merton

Each card is an invitation to find that spark in the ordinary — a sunrise, a stranger's eyes, or the feel of the earth on bare feet. To see the world with new eyes; to discover the heaven that's here on earth; to give thanks for our many blessings.