Living a Balanced Life, Gawain Style

star

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which I am about to start teaching, we learn that Gawain has a shield bearing a pentangle or five-pointed star. The star is the symbol of a balanced life, and we can continue to use it today. The Middle Ages loved numerology, and the poem details the significance of the five points. Think of this as a public service message being brought to you by the number 5.

Although much of the symbolism is Christian, one doesn’t have to be Christian to profit from it. Each point represents a different aspect of existence and is broken down into a further five. The weave of the star indicates that all five are connected and that no point can be neglected if we are to be healthy. Apply the categories to yourself to determine how well you are doing and where you could use some work.

1. The five senses: These symbolize the world of nature and our natural body.

Do you open yourself to nature? Do you love and respect yourself as a natural being, including your sexuality? Do you eat well, sleep well, and honor your body. Where could you change?

2. The five fingers: These symbolize the world of action. Are you engaged in meaningful activities, at work or elsewhere? If not, what could you start to do?

3. The five wounds of Christ: These symbolize suffering and death. Do you step forward when you encounter death, having faith in a reality that goes beyond the individual self? Or do you, like the Camelot knights in the poem when the Green Knight enters Arthur’s court, shuffle your feet and look at the ground?

4. The five joys of Mary: These, the moments when Mary was most in touch with the divine (being visited by the Angel Gabriel, giving birth to Jesus, witnessing Jesus after the resurrection and as he ascended into heaven, and being assumed into heaven herself), symbolize the contact between our physical selves and the world of spirit. Do you find spiritual opportunities for yourself, whether in formal worship, meditation, art, or other means?

5. The five virtues: These symbolize the social principles that we should strive for in our interactions with others: beneficence boundless (generosity), brotherly love, purity of mind (including uprightness, integrity, and modesty), purity of manner (selfless behavior), and compassion.

Incidentally, on the inside of the shield is a picture of the Virgin Mary, who Gawain turns to for spiritual grounding. Non-Christians can think of her as a symbol of a nurturing life force.

When we are out of balance, something will show up in our lives to let us know. Gawain, as the premier knight in Camelot (in this version of Camelot), may well rate high in areas 2, 4, and 5. But he doesn’t do well when it comes to the world of nature (1), and he stumbles when confronted with death (3)—which is why he finds himself challenged by the Green Knight, a symbol of the natural world.

Monsters like the Green Knight (and worse) will show up when we ignore points on the star. For instance, if we fail to attend to our spiritual lives, we may encounter the Dark Angel Angst. If we neglect meaningful action—say, we retreat into endless and mindless internet surfing— Black Depression may descend upon us.

Periodic introspection can keep them at bay.  Gaiwan’s star shows us the way.

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