How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
It could be that God has not absconded but spread, as our vision and understanding of the universe have spread, to a fabric of spirit and sense so grand and subtle, so powerful in a new way, that we can only feel blindly of its hem. (1.17)
In short, learning changes our perception. Education and experience force consciousness to adapt.
Quote #2
The secret of seeing is, then, the pearl of great price. If I thought he could teach me to find it and keep it forever I would stagger barefoot across a hundred deserts after any lunatic at all. (2.37)
So many religious leaders promise to teach us to see the formerly invisible, and a desire to see what's hidden is one of the things that drives people to religious faith. Or, in Dillard's case, to Tinker Creek.