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By Tom DeLiso
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Theater had its beginnings in Ancient
Egypt. It emerged from ritual practices and often dealt
with the Egyptian gods, birth, death, and rebirth. One
play performed annually at Abydos from about 2500 bc to
about 550 bc dealt with the death and resurrection of the
god Osiris. It included mock battles, processions, and
burial ceremonies. |
Despite its beginnings here however, theater
in Ancient Egypt never quite developed beyond ritual, pageantry,
burial ceremonies, and commemorations of dead pharaohs. Greek
theater evolved a bit further than Egyptian theater. It went
from people sitting on the ground to the open-air theaters of
ancient Greece, which held some 20,000 people. These structures
became the prototypes for amphitheaters, Roman coliseums, and
modern sports arenas.
In Medieval times theater was still held
outdoors. The early church introduced dramatic ceremonies to
counter pagan rites that remained popular throughout Europe.
Also dramatized episodes from the Bible made biblical stories
more earthly and understandable. Gradually, performances moved
out of churches and into marketplaces. Lay performers replaced
priests, and scripts became more complex, mixing serious
religious subjects with more traditional everyday themes. As you
can see these early theatrical themes helped the common man to
put into action their religious, spiritual beliefs, and even
call attention to the everyday necessities of life.
Theater can serve many purposes: to be
entertained, to provide new insight and understanding about
personal life, or even the examination of political and social
issues. Throughout history theater has often reflected the
society in which it takes place, giving people the opportunity
to step back from what is going on in real life and look at the
issue from a more distant perspective. (This examining of the
play from a more distant perspective is very important and I
will shortly revisit this idea in a new way.) In many repressive
and authoritarian regimes theater provided entertainment to
distract audiences from the brutal conditions under which they
live or to serve as lessons in the virtues of the ruling powers.
In more advanced and peaceful cultures theater examined the
everyday aspects of life in new ways and allowed these aspects
to be seen in a new light.
Theater depends largely on interaction with
an audience. The audience for theater assembles as a group at a
given time and place to share in the performance with the actors
and all the surrounding elements of light, sound, music,
costumes, and scenery. The audience affects the performance by
providing the performers with immediate feedback, such as
laughter, tears, applause, or silence.
You can draw some similarities and
connections between theater and everyday physical existence.
From a metaphysical perspective theater reminds humanity that
life itself is a big stage from which one day everyone will
awaken, a long continuous play where you write your own script,
produce it, and even act in it. From the point where you are now
this may not seem so because you are inside your life-play. Just
as while the actors in a theatrical presentation are immersed in
the play, they are largely unaware that they are acting. So too
you have become unaware of the play you are in because your
focus is on the presentation.
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In an out of body state, or a dream, or
even after death you awaken from the play and step into
the larger framework from which your life force comes.
Just as when the play is over the actor returns to his or
her regular life. So too when your life-play is finished
you will return to your previous life in the greater
nonphysical universe. When that happens the play that was
your life will seem like the dream. |
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You will think back and even look at your
life like a grand adventure where you got a few moments to play
a certain part of your entire being in a unique way. You will
then examine this play and realize the great truths it presented
about yourself and where your strengths and weakness lie. Such
is the way of physical evolution.
I have often said that physical reality is
the great teacher. It is that and more. It is a small part of
your entire being that you are exploring at the moment,
uncovering its secrets and its gems, which you can examine,
hold, and develop. Without this focus and the face that hides
behind the acting mask you wear, you would not get the benefit
of this self examination. The knowledge of who you really are
would get in the way of who you are exploring at the moment.
Think about the play and the actors. If they constantly thought
about who they were off stage while they were acting, would
their performances be any good? Would they come to know their
parts intimately? Most likely not. So now you see the real
purpose why your memory has been set aside of who you are in the
greater nonphysical reality and why you have placed yourself
into this seemingly singular life. It is not part of some hidden
plot to keep you from expanding and growing; it is in fact the
opposite. It gives you time to look at and examine a part of
yourself that you could not look at so closely any other way.
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You are both the actor and the audience
in this play called life, and you can often get a glimpse
of this in a dream where you become the watcher and the
actor in the dream at the same time. Life is no different.
You are the actor of your life, and you are also the
audience and you have surrounded yourself with others like
you doing the same. |
They become your audience as well and you
become their audience. It all is part of the grand play within a
play where everyone you write into your own play is also writing
their own play. It is theater taken to its extreme in a wondrous
and complex interaction that could not be experienced any other
place or way.
There is no doubt that theater is an integral
part of human culture today (television shows, movies as well).
And perhaps the reason why so many people like these
mini-adventures so much is because it reminds them that life too
is a play, that life has meaning and direction. Nothing is
haphazard about your life. You have planned it, wrote it, and
are acting in it. As such, you can change that play's direction
just as easily as a writer can write in a new part or direction
in the actor's role. Even better because you are the one in
control of the script. If you do not like something than write
yourself something new, change the part you are in now to
something else. It can be this easy.
Theater and life! They are not much different
if you think about it. And if you try to remember this as you go
about your day it just may make things a little be easier.
Wisdon’s Door Website
The Modern Teachings of Hermes Trismegistus
www.wisdomsdoor.com
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