Stones

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I’ve been amusing myself in the peculiar world of ‘hidden message’ theories. You know, where this group or that claims to hold certain knowledge, secrets if you will, that the ordinary person doesn’t get. To me of course, the lack of wisdom largely comes down to simply not paying attention to what God plainly tells us, but it is amusing for all of that to read some of the theories. What especially gets my attention, is when someone makes interesting observations, the sort of things that, while they don’t sell me on elitist claims to influence and position, still can illuminate a matter, showing a different perspective, like trying a new seasoning in a recipe.

Anyway, along the course of this intellectual buffet, I began to notice a strange iconism to humans. I was reading about this stone, which is supposed to reside somewhere in one of the palaces in England, sometimes called the Stone of Destiny, sometimes Jacob’s Pillow. Legend has it, that the Jacob of the Bible rested his head on that stone as he slept (don’t ask me why a stone should be considered a good pillow), and that same stone has been carried around for literally thousands of years, that Moses hit this rock to make water in the desert, that this is the rock on which Solomon was proclaimed king, and so on through history. If true, that would explain why English kings and queens are crowned while sitting on this stone. Talk about your lucky rock!

The Muslims are another case. Islam distinguished itself from other religions in the Arab world, by a strict prohibition against any sort of idolatry. That, in fact, is why there are no pictures of Mohamed, not to mention Allah. So, it seems strange to consider that Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, where it happens there is a mosque housing a large black stone. The rock was worshipped as an idol in Mohamed’s day, and for some reason is still important to Muslims, called the Ka’aba. Another rock important to Muslims is the Mosque of the Rock in Jerusalem, from where it is claimed Mohamed walked from Makkah to Jerusalem, and to the furthest reaches of heaven, all in a single night journey.

Don’t get too condesecending, though, if you want to laugh at that. Americans are taught to revere Plymouth Rock, our most famous monuments are carved from rock, and it’s a long-standing tradition that when a man is ready to commit to his love, he gives her a rock to wear – a shiny, really expensive rock, that serves no apparent purpose except to signal his love for her, and to keep jewelers employed.

Hmm..