Chapter 75 The Third Way

There was a third way. Not the keeping. Not the warding. Not the locking or the sealing or the painting or the carving. The third way was the deep's way, the way of the ground, the way of the foundation, the way of supporting the world without asking for anything in return, the way of being the earth beneath the feet of every living thing, the way of holding up the sky and feeding the roots and making the world possible. The third way was the deep's nature. The deep was the ground, and the ground was the foundation, and the foundation supported the world, and the supporting was the deep's work, and the work was the keeping, and the keeping was the door, and the door was open. And the third way was the keeper's way. The keeper did not defend against the deep. The keeper did not ward off the deep. The keeper did not lock the deep out or seal the deep in. The keeper watched. The keeper listened. The keeper tended. The keeper kept the door open, not as a defense but as a welcome, not as a wall but as a threshold, not as a line but as a bridge, and the bridge was the keeper's way of saying to the deep: come in. We have been keeping the door for you. We have been waiting. We have been listening. And now you are here, and the door is open, and the house is yours. And the third way was the deep's way of being in the world. The ground bore everything above it, and the bearing was the deep's work, and the work was the keeping, and the keeping was the door, and the door was open. And the deep was here, and the deep had always been here, and the deep would always be here, and the here was the keeping, and the keeping was the door, and the door was open. And the deep spoke, and the speaking was the third way, and the third way was the deep's nature, and the nature was the ground, and the ground was happening, and the happening was the deep, and the deep was here. The third way was the deep's way. Not the keeping, which was the keeper's way. Not the warding, which was the great-grandfather's way. The third way was the way of the ground, the way of the foundation, the way of supporting the world without asking for anything in return, the way of being the earth beneath the feet of every living thing, the way of holding up the sky and feeding the roots and making the world possible. The third way was the deep's nature. The ground held the world as it had always held the world, and the holding was the deep's work, and the work was the keeping, and the keeping was the door, and the door was open. The third way was not a path. It was a state. The state of being the ground, the state of being the foundation, the state of supporting the world, and the supporting was the deep's nature, and the nature was the deep, and the deep was here. The third way was the deep's way of being in the world. The foundation rested beneath everything, solid and patient, and the resting was the deep's work, and the work was the keeping, and the keeping was the door, and the door was open. And the deep was here, and the deep had always been here, and the deep would always be here, and the here was the keeping, and the keeping was the door, and the door was open. The third way was the way of the keeper. The keeper did not defend against the deep. The keeper did not ward off the deep. The keeper did not lock the deep out or seal the deep in. The keeper watched. The keeper listened. The keeper tended. The keeper kept the door open, not as a defense but as a welcome, not as a wall but as a threshold, not as a line but as a bridge, and the bridge was the keeper's way of saying to the deep: come in. We have been keeping the door for you. We have been waiting. We have been listening. And now you are here, and the door is open, and the house is yours. And the deep spoke, and the speaking was the third way, and the third way was the deep's patience, and the patience was the ground, and the ground was happening, and the happening was the deep, and the deep was here. The third way was the way of the ground. Not the way of the wall, which was the great-grandfather's way. Not the way of the root, which was the father's way. The third way was the way of the foundation, the way of supporting the world without asking for anything in return. The third way was the deep's nature. The foundation stood beneath the world as it had always stood, and the standing was the deep's work, and the work was the keeping, and the keeping was the door, and the door was open. The third way was a state. The state of being the ground, the state of being the foundation, the state of supporting the world. And the supporting was the deep's nature, and the nature was the deep, and the deep was here. The third way was the deep's way of being in the world. The ground held the world in its ancient way, and the holding was the deep's work, and the work was the keeping, and the keeping was the door, and the door was open. The third way was the way of the keeper. The keeper watched. The keeper listened. The keeper tended. The keeper kept the door open, not as a defense but as a welcome, not as a wall but as a threshold, not as a line but as a bridge, and the bridge was the keeper's way of saying to the deep: come in. And the deep spoke, and the speaking was the third way, and the third way was the deep's breath, and the breath was the ground, and the ground was happening, and the happening was the deep, and the deep was here. --- ---