Quizzical Limericks about Inquiry

The Greeks have an old saying, “Gnothi seauton.” Which is just a fancy way to say, “Know thyself.” More valuable than all the objective facts in all the books in all the libraries in the world: the truly wise person may have knowledge of self.

Through meditation and deep inquiry we come face to face with certain secrets knowable only to ourselves. These are lessons that no one can learn for us. But they are still worth sharing, and that’s why I have written a series of limericks about inquiry.

The course of inquiry runs something like the trajectory of a boomerang. The process of examining the deepest secrets of the universe begins by looking outwards, but always ends up returning inwards.

And like so many journeys, the hardest thing about the road to inquiry is to take the first step. So let’s venture together, through these limericks about inquiry, and see where the path takes us.

Origin of the Specious  
Our morals and fabric have all come asunder
Yet Darwin and Hume aren’t the source of our blunder
It’s no cause to grieve
That we’ve ceased to believe
But somehow we simply forgot how to wonder

Question Everything  
Believe in your self, but beware what you know
Just a fragment of doubt will allow you to grow
Draw back the curtain 
On all that’s uncertain
And open your mind to a dazzling show

Kingdom Come   
Enter Jerusalem: kingdom erected
Wander the realm with your person perfected
Go hand in hand
As you walk through the land
And discover the field where all things are connected 

Echoes of the Irrational  
The facts at our fingers are vast and voluminous
But reason alone can be arid and ruinous
Make up your mind 
Leave logic behind
And come face to face with the sparkling numinous

North of Eden 
Our physical bodies are held in detention 
Above and beyond is a better dimension
I gave up on heaven
The age of eleven
But the kingdom of pneuma still draws my attention  

Approach the Temple 
The priesthood of ancients with wisdom of yore
Keepers of mysteries, knowledge and more
Inscribed in their scrolls 
The secrets of souls
Like what to expect when you pass through the door  

The Fountain of Knowledge 
Maybe I’m blessed and maybe I’m cursed
Though I’m sure my condition is far from the worst
Immersed in the pages
Of prophets and sages
Their wisdom I drink with insatiable thirst

Unnatural Mystics 
Some men are myopic in mystical ways
Unable to read what the oracle says
They turn a deaf ear
When the spirits are near
And cling to the shadows while scorning the rays 

Further Reading

If you liked these limericks about inquiry, you’ll be sure to enjoy:

• Limericks about Yoga and Meditation
• Limericks about Religious Problems
• Limericks about the Bhagavad Gita
• What is a Limerick?