Oneing and I-I

 “Oneing” is an old English word that was used by Lady Julian of Norwich (1342–1416) to describe the encounter between God and the soul. The Center for Action and Contemplation proudly borrows the word to express the divine unity that stands behind all of the divisions, dichotomies, and dualisms in the world. We pray and publish with Jesus’ words, “that all may be one” (John 17:21) Center for Contemplation and Action

I awoke this morning after a strange yet hopeful and “constructive” dream. It wasn’t until I read the quote above in the frontispiece to the publication Oneing that some meaning and consolation came to me. 

I had been talking about the Martin Buber concept of I-Thou with my therapist, when we began to explore I-I, one’s relationship with one’s self. It is an often overlooked relationship! And one which is often dismissed as navel gazing. Nevertheless it sprang from the story about Zusya and living into one’s true self instead of what others might think is the goal or what one might prefer.

In my dream which was very mathematical and architectonic, two columns kept knocking into one another or being separated. The columns were shaped like a capital “I”. In the dream I was involved in some kind of reconstruction of them, placing them and securing them in strong proximity to one another that they might support a greater structure.

Perhaps this dream of restructuring is my mind’s way of re-ligamenting and re-unifying myself! It may seem strange but the words which woke with me were: strong, secure, symmetric, unified, cooperative and, yes, beautiful. 

“Oneing” came to me later and the irony that divisions cease. I-I like I-Thou is conjoined in divine unity, supporting a community which is also one. 

My imagination took me to an architecture in time and in space!