+
Does not wisdom call,
and does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries
out:
"To you, O people, I call,
and my cry is to all that live.
O simple ones, learn prudence;
acquire intelligence, you who lack it.
Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right;
for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
They are all straight to one who understands
and right to those who find knowledge.
Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold;
for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare
with her.
I, wisdom, live with prudence,
and I attain knowledge and discretion.
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.
I have good advice and sound wisdom;
I have insight, I have strength.
By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
by me rulers rule,
and nobles, all who govern rightly.
I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.
Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
My fruit is better than gold, even fine
gold,
and my yield than choice silver.
I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
endowing with wealth those who love me,
and filling their treasuries."
-- Proverbs 8:1-21
+ Wisdom is
often equated with the Logos or the Word. In Greek, wisdom is translated as Sophia. Isn’t it great that wisdom in this passage and
in other places is revealed as feminine? It makes sense, therefore, to address
God as Mother as well as Father, as Sister as well as Brother, as Daughter as
well as Son. God transcends gender. Wisdom transcends gender. Yes, wisdom is
feminine … and masculine … and
more. It is beyond our limited human understanding. But it is not beyond the miraculous,
mysterious and marvelous divine understanding.
This we can experience from time to time as we practice the 12 Spiritual Practices and grow in the
heavenly attribute of wisdom.
We still have a long way to go to bring the feminine dimension to
our understanding of the divine. But we
have made progress. That’s a wise thing
to do. So many of the heavenly qualities
pointed out in the powerful text above are
magnified when we bring our feminine sensibilities to them.
+ I would love it if you offered a guest post. And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek
Wisdom page. Maybe you can help. Send an email
with the subject “Wisdom” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.
