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Page Update:
Saturday, February 28th, 2004
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Fiery Free Life
Click for larger view
David Berry, 2003
Acrylic on canvas, 40" x 30"
“In the Fiery Free Life, all the frailties of the ego-life are completely consumed, and there is complete emancipation from all wants, desires and temptations. And the result of this Fiery Free Life will make the world understand that Meher Baba and everyone is One with God” (Lord Meher, page 3972).
The frailties of the ego-life are the essence of the human experience. It is only when we are startled away from ourselves that we catch sight of reality. Most religions recognize a profit or Avatar who delivers a message so profound and true that it shakes us to the core. The more open or desperate we are the more each jolt creates fissures in our accumulation of false ego and begins the process of burning it away.
In the painting, Fiery Free Life, there are slashes and splashes of color in chaos. Yet, we see a figure of Meher Baba vividly and clearly where it seems there should be none. There is no part of the world that is without God, and no place we can look without finding God’s likeness. The only restriction is the experience and biology that keeps us focused on one’s self instead of what is before our eyes. Calming the ego and transcending the distraction of our own mind allows us to naturally perceive what is right in front of us.
The air we breathe is an unavoidable part of our world, but we cannot experience it through perception. Our senses are designed to detect variation and differences, and air is a perpetual constant. It is only when we do not have air to breathe that it is most noticeable, but we do not have that option with ever present God. Through education we can begin to appreciate the limits of our false ego, and we begin to understand the reality beyond.
At first reality is unclear, and the picture is nothing but a mess of disassociation. Nevertheless, as time passes the image becomes clearer until it is unavoidably dominant. Once we begin the process of surrendering to God there is a presence in our lives that grows. It is a constant struggle to not fight back or follow the self-preserving instinct of the false ego, but as the frailties of ego-life are consumed it becomes less painful and more obvious to see God within the chaos - the reality beyond the illusion.
During the Fiery Free Life, November 15th, 1952 until September 7th, 1953, Meher Baba remained in relative seclusion, but where he traveled he washed the feet of the poor and bowed to gathered crowds, honoring the God in all. On the last day he made one of his most important declarations, the Highest of the High. Meher Baba emerged from the Fiery Free Life into the Devine Life.
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