King Arthur's Knights at the Round Table with Vision of Holy Grail at the Center By Evrard d'Espinques (1475), Folio 610v in Bibliotèque nationale de France, Fr116

The Holy Grail In an old castle within the forest knights sat around the Round Table gazing at a chalice with a golden glow. The King rang a bell "Let the contest begin!" But this was not a jousting tournament— Each knight described the relic before them— "The cup Christ served wine at the Last Supper." "It caught Christ's blood at the Crucifixion." "It's the holy vessel of the Virgin Mary." "A silver dish granting perpetual youth." "A jewel surpassing all earthly perfection." "The Horn of Plenty with endless nourishment." "A treasure attained not by striving but love." "Living the authentic life, following your bliss." "The Philosophers' Stone bestowing wisdom." "The Cup containing Soul of the Universe." The King said "All these answers are clichés— Someone give me a fresh Grail definition!" Suddenly something new flashed in my mind but my alarm clock rang and woke me up. Once my journal teacher told the class— "If you wish to return to your dream, crawl back to the same pose before waking." I did so and found myself back in the castle. Jumping up to get the King's attention, I said: "The Holy Grail is our human heart in harmony with mind & body at peace." "Perfect!" shouted the King. "You've won the prize!" Handing me the golden chalice, I asked him "Is this the real Cup from the Last Supper?" "No, it's just a replica" replied the King, "The real Holy Grail is in your heart."         Peter Y. Chou         Mountain View, 9-13-2015