In very ancient times it was once thought that an effigy in pure gold could come to life, and all manner of creations were forged, molded and sculptured in this shining yellow metal with the firm belief, and often realised, that the inanimate could become so imbued - and alike to Pinocchio, would be given not only flesh, but soul.
And when the world was more malleable than it is now, this was not distinct from possibility - even creations in stone would animate - although their natures may have been more akin to the trolls than the gods.
And this is where the original effigies began - characterisations were cast both small and large of spiritual beings as portals to the divine, that were not only representative, but a conduit to that figure of worship, be it of nature or of divinity.
What is now our Holy Communion was but a revolutionary change in a similar practice. However in this instance Christ Himself instructed:
You will find me in the wine,
you will find me in the vine,
you will find me in the bread
and in the grain field there stand I.
You need not make an image of me
for I shall live in you,
You need not make a duplicate
to live outside of yourself
for although we may hold hands
and walk together
I am in every living being.
Needless to say the statues became redundant with the appearance of our Lord; although in whimsy, or beauty, or artefact, creative moldings and designs would and could still encourage the nature spirits, the elemental beings, the fairies etc.
Yet they would not come alive, and were now simply as a doorway through to the imagination and beyond, connecting to beauty and other realms as well.
Yet these statues themselves were nothing but representations, whereas the living Christ reanimated us: the human being connecting through Him in us to a much higher and substantial reality.
Through Him we become reinvented, revivified, and so lively in spirit that our soul is connected to each brother and sister in nature, in kind, in love for this World that is His.
