The gaps are the thing. The gaps are the spirit's one home, the altitudes and latitudes so dazzlingly spare and clean that the spirit can discover itself like a once-blind man unbound. The gaps are the clefts in the rock where you cower to see the back parts of God; they are fissures between mountains and cells the wind lances through, the icy narrowing fiords splitting the cliffs of mystery. Go up into the gaps. If you can find them; they shift and vanish too. Stalk the gaps. Squeak into a gap in the soil, turn, and unlock-more than a maple-universe.
The essence of the quote emphasizes the importance of "gaps" in our lives and experiences, suggesting they serve as essential moments for spiritual discovery. These gaps are likened to pure, untainted spaces where the spirit can awaken and realize its true nature. They embody the unreachable aspects of existence where deeper truths about ourselves and the universe can be found. By venturing into these elusive spaces, we are encouraged to explore what lies beyond the ordinary and familiar, revealing profound insights.
Dillard describes these gaps as metaphorical fissures in nature that can lead us to a greater understanding of the divine. They are fleeting and difficult to find, urging us to actively seek them out. The quest for these gaps transforms our perception and allows us to unlock new, expansive realms of understanding, symbolized by the metaphor of an entire universe concealed beneath a surface layer of everyday life. This highlights the interplay between effort and revelation in our personal and spiritual journeys.
