When I was young, my father read a passage to me from the beginning of the Book of Truth.
The whole world is matter and mind and movement. There is nothing else.
Mind enters matter, and moves it. By moving matter, mind gives it shape. Nothing takes shape or moves without a mind.
Light can only come from a thing with a perfect mind, which has given it a perfect shape and a perfect form of motion. Thus it is proper to worship the greater light and the lesser lights, as they are perfect.
The greater light has chased the earth forever, and will always chase the earth. This is because the greater light is perfect, and the earth is imperfect, and perfection always moves to destroy imperfection. Therefore man can never leave the valley, as the earth will always flee the greater light, and the wind from the earth's movement would sweep man away.
The lesser lights do not chase the earth even though they are perfect, because they have forgotten the earth's imperfection out of mercy for man. Therefore it is proper to pray to the greater light, that it might also forget the earth's imperfection out of mercy for man. It is also proper to pray to the lesser lights, that they might speak to the greater light on man's behalf.
Many years ago, the greater light caught the earth for a moment and struck it. The valley is the place where the greater light struck the earth. When the greater light struck the earth, parts of the earth mixed with light. All life was formed like this, from a mixture of earth and light. On the outskirts of the valley, a little bit of light mixed with the earth. This is how the trees and all the lesser plants were made. Nearer the center of the valley, more light mixed with the earth. This is how the insects that fly and walk were made, and the animals that walk were also made this way. At the center of the valley, almost no earth mixed with the light. This is how man was formed. Thus man is almost light, and is the most perfect thing in the world, other than the greater light and the lesser lights. This is why man properly rules over everything in the world, except the greater light and the lesser lights. This is also why the center of the valley is so holy a place that nothing has ever grown there, and everything that goes there becomes sick and dies and does not decay, not even after many years.
When he had finished, I asked him, "If only perfect things can produce light, why do we see petty things like pieces of wood produce it after they catch on fire?"
He thought for a minute, and answered, "When they are producing the light, those pieces of wood are indeed perfect. But because they have not the proper form for perfection, they are destroyed in the process. This is why nothing on earth survives after it catches on fire." Then he looked at me gravely, and added, "You see, they are destroyed because they pretend to be better than they are." And I knew that he was berating me for questioning the Book of Truth.
I replied, "Maybe they know they will be destroyed, and would rather be perfect for a moment than be pieces of wood forever."