Epiphanomicon: Revelations & Epiphanies

Epiphanomicon

Revelations & Epiphanies: The Inestimable Powers of the Awakening Mind

Revelation Defined:

a. An act of revealing or communicating divine truth.
b. An act of revealing to view, or making known.
c. Something that is revealed; especially an enlightening or astonishing (shocking) disclosure.

Epiphany Defined:

a. An appearance or manifestation esp. of a divine being.
b. A sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something.
c. An intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) that is both simple and striking.
d. An illuminating discovery.
e. A revealing scene or moment.

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary / Tenth Edition

Probably best exemplified in the movie, The Rainmaker, when a young, deaf-mute Helen Keller makes the connection between speech and the physical world, epiphanies represent those all-too-rare moments when we gain insights into ourselves, the outside world, and the intimate relationship between the two. Which is to say, a realization that no real divisions exist as they might otherwise seem.

Epiphanies can only result when we surrender ourselves to our own ignorance and inadequacies. Great humility mixed with intense curiosity is a strong combination that must invariably lead to powerful epiphanies. Unfortunately not all life-changing revelations improve the individual or make the world a better place. As with all things, even epiphanies have their down side. But in general, we want to experience such events as often as possible. They enrich our lives and give meaning to the what was previously misunderstood or incomprehensible.

They are the very embodiment of what it is to be human.