Empty hands beyond the summit...

Something that can be seen as causing tension in the discussion of influences, and ultimate influences (Bible, Homer, Work), categorizing, and list-making, is the fact that these influences eventually have to be written on the heart and manifest as real will volition. Even the Bible. Certainly this can be seen concerning the Work.

The metaphor of the grail knight is useful for seeing this. They are Christian, yet you don't see any Bibles in the stories, or churches for that matter. They have the Bible written on their hearts, and church is all about them and inside them. They also effect the means of grace, the 'sacraments', as conscious shocks. This enables them to assault heaven, so to speak, in a real way.

So no matter how high and rare and valuable an influence it eventually has to be put aside. It has to be written on one's heart. We can see this with the influence called the Work. It is plain. Yet the Bible also speaks of this when it says they will no longer have need of instruction, but my law will be written on their heart.

There is a desire to focus on the influences themselves, the thing that contains it and delivers it, as a way to possess them and not lose them, but the way to truly possess them and not lose them is to posses them in the heart and volition. Even the Bible. (But you really have to get to them, and then truly get them into you!)

When I see it in this perspective I see that my goal to read the Bible complete seven times is the necessary aim; and I see that I've done what I have to do with the Work influence. I have it in me. I can see where the art of war and the laws of economy can be taken in more. Homer I have though (though maybe a complete reading of the Chapman translations would be a capstone on that). I've done it with music, and with athletics. Of course, faith and practice are the most serious and important by infinity. They are what all the others lead to... Bible and Work. Heart and volition... Empty hands, real-time doing and being...