Disciples of Levity

Classically, they say God composed the universe of four elements: water, earth, fire, and air. The Disciples of Levity observe that one state of matter exists when transitioning between the four elements. Fire burns earth to form a gas; air blows over earth to raise dust and evaporate water into a gas; and gas condenses into clouds that rain down on the earth. The Disciples conclude that the nature of spirit is the nature of gas, and that to attend to the presence of gas is to attend to the presence of the spirit. The Disciples observe that to burp during a meal is to show pleasure in eating the food, and that, afterwards, to pass gas is to show pleasure in digesting it. “Gas,” says Father Fred, “levitates balloons, and laughing, like gas, is how we share levity. We see here a general rule. We must not suppress levity; but we don’t need to dwell on it; we must allow it to pass.”