The above passage from the Gospel of John (1:14) about the Word becoming flesh, is well known. Many people believe that it points to certain events from the past – perhaps a very distant past. We are not going to analyze these views here, however. Instead, we will try to demonstrate how this text has relevance to our current reality; to the lives of modern people.
Take the Logon magazine as an example. Actually, we could use several other examples to illustrate this idea, such as some websites, a couple of other magazines or even social media, but Logon seems very suitable for our purposes.
One may wonder if Logon actually has a specific purpose in its activity. We can assume that many people do find texts within it that are to some extent, interesting. It is also true that it contains texts that the average reader may find difficult to understand. Their subjects are so diverse or abstract, that it is not easy to grasp any clear or obvious general key message. So, does it all make any deeper sense?
We will try to penetrate this conundrum by referring to the technique of divisionism – a technique created by Impressionist painters and further developed by post-Impressionists. It’s main characteristic was to apply paints with spots of ‘pure’ colors in such a way that when they are observed from a distance, their combinations give the eye the impression of seeing the complementary colors or their shades desired by the painter. In this way, the artist attempted to create the visual effect of vibration and luminosity that could not be obtained by the accepted normal practices of simply mixing colors.
So, if we look closely at the works painted with this method, we see basically only a chaotic collection of multi-colored ‘spots’. It is only by observing these works from a distance that we can perceive the intended image more clearly. So, let us now treat Logon as such an image, and look at it from different perspectives.
How should we choose the correct distance? Firstly, let us imagine that each article is only one spot in a colorful composition that is being created. At the beginning, it is still unclear what its final shape will be, and some ‘spots’ may appear unsuccessful, or to not possess nice colors. Others may not appear to match or fit into the composition.
What could this composition, created by Logon, be? Is it not just a random collection of personal impressions, ideas, and information that have just popped into someone’s mind? Of course, but that does not mean that something meaningful does not arise in this way So, let us try to find some sense in this.
Each article, written by an individual person, is to some extent, an expression of that person’s state of being, state of consciousness and life. So, you could conclude that Logon somehow expresses a state of consciousness of a certain multifarious community of people. All authors try, more or less consciously, to convey what they understand inwardly, using their own insights and education to portray these ideas.
Logon can therefore be seen as an expression of individual interpretations of messages received by the authors. Sometimes these messages are individually unique, but sometimes the same idea is the focus, only expressed differently, as it is easy to understand that the same information can be expressed in various forms, just as artists can paint the sky or the same scenery in their own unique way.
How can we be certain that there actually are messages being transmitted to us at all? It seems that people have always sensed the existence of certain impulses directing the functioning of the world. We know these by names such as ‘Word of God’, ‘Fate’, ‘Providence’, ‘Destiny’, the ‘Plan of the Logos’. They are also sometimes referred to as ‘blind chance’, the ‘calculus of probability’, the ‘laws of physics’, the ‘principle of natural selection’ or ‘evolution’.
Modern experts in information theory and geneticists tend to believe that the amount of information contained in genetic structures that has been identified so far, is still not sufficient to encode the entire complexity of living organisms. But there are also huge ranges of emotional and mental experiences which are not confined to humans only. So, it is logical that there must be another source of information that influences the development and sustainability of life on earth. Genes for instance, can be viewed as elements of a material manifestation of that source; as the way in which ‘the Word becomes flesh’.
From birth, all humans are invited to collaborate with these impulses, known as Gnosis, which in essence means the cognition of the right knowledge. Part of this knowledge reaches us in various ways: through contact and communication with other people, viewing films, reading books or articles in Logon for instance. But it can also come to us from within ourselves, in the form of insight, intuition, inspiration, etc., that seem to appear just when we are ready to receive them. People perceive this inner knowledge in different ways, and react to it according to their own state of life – on different levels as it were.
Is there a correct way to respond to such impulses? Yes, but it can be different for each of us, as it depends on the exact nature of information that should take shape in us by obtaining more solid mental and emotional forms. Because it is in us that this information – the Word – becomes flesh, taking on more real, perceptible shapes. It can be expressed through various types of art, scientific discoveries or even in the form of physical activity. For instance, in keeping with their own tradition, many tribes of indigenous peoples of Australia wandered periodically along strictly designated routes. In this way they expressed their deep contact with these impulses, embodying them, that is, making them real for themselves and others.
But let us return to Logon, and view it from a more objective position, as if from a greater distance. Because the ‘spots’ themselves, even all together and perfectly composed, do not yet create an image. What is required for is a mind that looks at the entire composition and can produce the intended impression. This effect is not just a collection of the perceptions of single articles and their inter-relationships, but a wider, more complex and deeper impression, full of vibrancy and luminosity – as is the case when we apply the technique of divisionism.
This observing mind is created by all of the readers of the articles. Each reader contributes to the creation of the appropriate image in a very individual way. The impact of this image on people, felt intuitively by many, increases with each new ‘spot’ and with each new added perception of the already existing ‘spots’. It will affect humanity as a whole, changing the nature of our world, as has happened many times throughout history.
It will also affect individuals, motivating them inwardly to seek the Truth, and increasing their level of understanding of what is happening around them. Thus, through people, the Word becomes flesh and dwells among them. We can see Its glory in as much as our ability to perceive the knowledge It carries, allows. This ability depends on the degree to which our mental faculty is free from personal, family, and cultural stereotypes. It also depends on how much our thinking is complete and raised to an appropriate level of perception, because only then can we see the Word in its fullest form; only then can we see God more clearly, and behold ‘His Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace and Truth’.
