Mythic Landscepes: The Ordinary as Mask of the Holy
The point of the first paragraph of this chapter is that the more common something is, the more holy it becomes. This assertion is counter-intuitive but it resonated with me because, as a Christian, I can see how it relates to the cross. The cross is quite possibly one of the most common symbols in the world, and pretty much everyone knows exactly what it means. To me, that makes the symbol even more holy. This goes to show that something does not have to be "special" in any way to be holy.
Later in the chapter, Lane says that Martin Luther insisted that God's glory could not be experienced directly by us. God's light is unapproachable. This is why God remains hidden by a "mask" (i.e. larva). The "larvae dei" are things that were created by God, which are masks too. Things such as the bread and wine used for communion have God within them. People themselves are "larvae dei" because they contain God too. This goes to show that the ordinary is often a mask of the holy. Because God is so holy, he reveals Himself to us in ways that our frail humanity can understand. His limitless and divine nature is something we cannot comprehend, so he tries to show himself to us through common objects that we are accustomed to seeing.
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