The title of this page comes from the 3rd paragraph of Tolkien’s Ainulindalë from the Silmarillion. The purpose of this page is to find themes in my favorite Tolkien books that lend themselves to meditation or contemplation. It’s a way to use Tolkien as the basis of a spiritual practice. The art or music is also as much a part of finding beauty and wonder as the Tolkien text, so I will include some of this amazing art and music.
deviantart dot com/kuliszu/art/Ainulindale-168218819
1. Help unlooked- for.
I’ll list the p. number for my edition of the books. That may or may not match your copy. Silmarillion p. 122: ” ….all the Elves….were filled with wonder and with hope at the coming of their mighty kindred who thus returned unlooked- for from the West in the very hour of their need…..”
There are other occasions where this theme comes up of help coming just at the right time unlooked for and I will include them as I run across them while reading. The instruction for meditation would be to notice or remember the sensations that arise, or the feeling tone of the wonder and hope that occurs and let the story surrounding the arising of wonder and hope to fade. Be aware that one is noticing.
2. The cycle of music continues to flow round and round.
This is another theme that I will add to as I find supporting stories. It continues and expands the idea of hope unlooked for. Still p. 122 of Silmarillion. The elves of Belariand were in great need and thought that the returning Noldor were there to help out. The hope was great in the beginning, but turned out to bring more betrayal and strife because of the The Oath of Fëanor . And yet there were also amazing and good things that occurred because of the returning of the Noldor. The seeds of tragedy are within the the unlooked for help. The seeds of glory and triumph are within the betrayal and strife. Yes, it’s the YinYang symbol.
The contemplation or meditation is to stay in the middle of the musical themes as they cycle thru triumph and tragedy. In any other philosophy you will find this same teaching – to be centered and unphased by the expanding and contracting of life.
3. This contemplation really ought to be first, last and everything in between, because it’s essentially all there is to realize. The rest is just frosting and play. It began with asking a question: Why are there repeated patterns of experiences in one’s life? From where did they come? Can the patterns be changed or eliminated? For each person, the patterns are different, many and varied. But if one is still, one will notice that some are repeating over and over again.
That’s when the tale of the Ring came in to answer the inquiry. The One Ring of power was forged in ancient days. Only two choices were available for its final trajectory: the owner would claim power over all and everyone would be slaves and everything would be for the whim and use of the owner, or the One Ring would be absorbed back into its source and that would be the end. All of the middle of the story was leading up to one or the other outcomes.
Patterns of conditioning behavior are formed back in the ancient days at the beginning of human history. Who can say why, when or how. We don’t get to see that part of the adventure. But each person in their turn gets to play with, or suffer with a variety of patterns. Until what? Is the final trajectory the same? Until the pattern claims all power and everyone is a slave, or until the pattern is absorbed back into its source?
Does each pattern have to be taken back to its source? How many? How long will that take? Is there a One Ring, a one pattern that when returned to Source breaks the spell for all creation? This conclusion is my own and I don’t advocate that it works for anyone else. If anyone else finds the comparison useful, great. If not, that’s fine too. It has already made me happy to ponder and satisfied to have come up with the connection.
I am only a baby in the knowledge of Recognition Sutras and the Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra, but I know enough from working with them to understand that the final goal for both is to experience that the separation of self and divine is not a thing. There is no lasting I, me, or my and the essential nature is what infuses this bodymind, as well as all creation. This is the One Ring, or the One Pattern that includes all the other patterns. The pattern that is at the source of all suffering is clinging to the belief in a separate self. Letting that belief in a separate self dissolve back into itself is the same as allowing the One Ring to be returned to the source of its forging at Mount Orodruin.
The whole long adventure of the One Ring being forged, stolen, lost, restored, hidden, and then finally taken back to Orodruin takes thousands of years and flows through many characters coming and going. Did Bilbo or Frodo ask to be found and included in the story of the Ring? No, but also yes. They were chosen by the author to be part of that fantasy adventure story.
Does one choose which challenging conditioned patterns are cycling over and over in life? No, but on some level, probably yes. The divine is playing out an adventure story in each one’s lifetime, a hide and seek story. And
3.. Voice of Saruman.
4. Harp playing by Fingon to find Maedhros. Sam singing to find Frodo.
5. From Tolle video – becoming transparent. Frodo becoming transparent.
