Allegory is defined in the dictionary as a "representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another"http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/allegory
I ran across the book Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin recently and started reading it. What hit me right away was, when Temple described how her brain made sense of the world by "thinking in pictures" that I tend to look at the world as one large allegory. I look for the traces of God in whatever I see, read, or experience looking for that deeper meaning. I believe that is why some of my all time favorite books are fantasy and sci fi because it in looking past that fantasy that one can see the mechanism of truth and justice working themselves out as God has designed them to do. In fantasy and fairy tales we are able to step out of ourselves and put ourselves in situations that we do not find in the real world. Yet in them, is a precursor of what God us up to in our lives and in the world. We might not fight dragons or destroy the ring of power yet we fight against sin, relativism, and all the evil in the world that are wearing the disguise of freedom and modern day "knowledge". But as Catholics we know that there is an actual happy ending, when good will triumph over evil and what God has planned for us is beyond even our greatest imaginings. I encourage you to read "Thinking in Pictures" by Temple Grandin or at least see the movie, which was excellent. Then think about how you yourself try to make sense of the world and how God has placed that in you to bring another unique outlook on the world God we live in.
Have a good read, Nina
