Love and Submission

Marriage union
is union of spirit.
The union of two,
in Holy Communion,
sanctified by the spirit.

It is a binding
both holy and secular:
two people as one,
sworn publicly by their vows
of in-dividuation.

To be bound as one,
conjoined in flesh and spirit;
and not divided;
espoused as one together,
in holy matrimony.

To be bound as one;
to live their lives together;
a scale in balance;
a yoke that is not easy;
a burden that is not light.

There are examples
of different types of binding.
Some are quite lasting,
despite many obstacles.

Others passionate,
to the point of disaster.
Love as labor lost
by lack of one’s submission
to one’s other sworn partner.

Eros and Psyche,
while divinely inspired,
by thrust of arrow,
challenged by their destinies
to be bound in union.

And Mark Anthony,
in love with Cleopatra,
a forlorn goddess,
the two so smitten by fate,
that led to tragic downfall.

A tragic ending;
both committing suicide;
the Queen of Egypt
and the brave ruler of Rome;
defeated by their misdeeds.

King Edward, The Eighth
abdicated from the throne
for a divorcée;
with Great Britain in turmoil;
the Church of England, as well.

Protagonists,
Romeo and Juliet;
forbidden lovers;
both spurned by family feud;
loyal yet to each other.

Under submission
by family obligations.
They must be parted!
“Parting is such sweet sorrow…”
The twain; they must bid their farewell.

These two, and others,
yoked together painfully,
by arrow of fate,
burdened to find suffering;
in their secular congress.

“My yoke is easy,”
in paradox, said Jesus.
“My burden is light;”
speaking of his commandments,
in the Gospel of Matthew.

He, too, would suffer,
but rise again in glory;
as risen savior;
unburdening our burdens,
to lighten our earthly yoke.

Saint Paul, himself, said,
concerning love and marriage:
“Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ loved the church,
and gave himself up for her.”

“Wives, submit yourselves
to your own husbands, as you
do to the Lord”
Ephesians Five, Twenty Two,
about reverence to Christ.

Paul, as apostle,
himself chose not to marry;
in life as hermit;
fully in service to Christ,
and spiritual worship.

Nature of spirit
requires separateness;
to be set apart
and used as holy vessel;
as a Christ-like sacrifice.

Nature of marriage.
What does Tao have to say:
As a union,
it requires compromise
of yin and yang in balance.

Yoga of marriage
requires life-long pursuit.
Yoga of marriage
is submission to ‘The Way’
of remaining in balance.

Art of submission,
in courtship and marriage, is
juxtaposition:
energies of yin and yang;
potential and kinetic.

A profound mystery
is holy state of marriage:
Sanctification…
recorded in Ephesians,
as sacrificial practice.

Form of submission;
a command to be holy;
even as Christ is;
a sacrificial gesture,
for sake of our completion.

Form of submission,
of the partners in marriage;
in body and mind;
and by sanctification,
for spiritual cleansing.

As act of mystery,
the alchemy of marriage
is a submission,
profoundly transformative,
binding both; ‘til death them part.

Love and submission,
in battle with each other;
two soldiers at war,
in love; and in their marriage;
for their better and their worse.  

Love and submission,
like a horse and a carriage;
both yoked together,
traveling on life’s journey,
for the betterment of both.

Love and submission;
dialectical forces
that need compromise;
for harmony and balance
in holy matrimony.

The Tao of marriage
is the Tao of conjunction;
of the opposites,
working alchemically,
for harmony and balance.

In analysis:
Submission at the highest
involves both partners.
Obedience to the spirit
for balance and harmony.

Marriage union
is union of spirit.
The marriage of two,
in Holy Communion,
sanctified by the spirit.