Education that nourishes an integrated person is a process of symbolizing or otherwise making our experiences abstract, etheric, or aesthetic so concrete or rarified patterns can be reflected upon and contemplation can inspire unlimited imagination, inspiration, humility, and gratitude.
I may not have this quite right. For example, when the symbol for water is connected to the concrete experience, Helen Keller has a peak experience and begins down the path of self-knowledge through literacy or symbol making, language. Yet, indigenous people or the mystic may well experience complete sympathy and abstract unity, heaven on earth, as a concrete experience without needing or having language for the experience, and interestingly, when words are created (and symbols too) they often contain several words linking aspects of the experience.
Is this very tangible, intangible movement concrete <=> abstract the reason, the necessity, that spiritual or transcendent writing depends on metaphor and perhaps answers the question, Why metaphor? or What is metaphor for? Is the answer that we live in a physical and metaphysical world. If so, what does this suggest about how we should educate youngsters who may be deeply rooted in both or either the physical or imaginative world!?!