May 2008 (Vol. XXI, No. 5)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"

Blessings, dear friends of silence, wherever you may live! Many are the facets of friendship. To befriend ourselves--body, mind, emotion, spirit--and to make friends with our Inner Being, from the dark areas of fear and illusion to the golden glow of our gifts and goodness, can be like cultivating a sacred space, a garden that reflects our lives.

Then, one's friends are like the flowers in our garden, each a treasure with its own unique blossoming. While to befriend strangers--the poor and disenfranchised, peoples of all nations, even those we view as enemies--the unjust and greedy who create war and inequity while ignoring the devastation left behind--can be a lifelong challenge, we must seek the source of discord in prayer and friendship with the Source of all life. And to befriend our Earth in all we do may be our greatest and most important challenge. For without a viable planet, we are left homeless.

Throughout our lives, as we befriend the Silence, we travel deeper into the light of our Inner Sacred Chapel and higher into the Light of Love. Whatever the form, friendship is a mutual gift that eternally warms and blesses our hearts and souls.

It is a sweet thing, friendship, a dear balm

It is a sweet thing, friendship, a dear balm,
a happy and auspicious bird of calm.

~ Shelly
Shelly friendship

Ideally, friendships lead us into deeper communion with each other

Ideally, friendships lead us into deeper communion with each other; those we love mirror the divine reality and so draw us closer to the One they reflect. In our humanness, however, we can forget that the friend is only a reflection of God and instead invest ultimate meaning in the relationship.

~ from CENTER TO CIRCUMFERENCE by Elizabeth-Anne Vanek
Elizabeth-Anne Vanek Center To Circumference friendship Buy on Amazon

A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart

A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.

~ Arabian Proverb
Arabian Proverb friendship

Through the people who befriend, touch and influence our lives

God acts upon us inescapably through the people
who befriend, touch and influence our lives.

~ Christopher Bryant
Christopher Bryant friendship

Communication of secrets is the sign which manifests and proves the friendship

Silence is the property, the contemplative quality, the fruit of faith. Interior, mystical silence is a silence which stems from the intensity of loving faith ... the interior result of a heart that loves intensely. The presence in our hearts of a secret to be kept brings about a density which is interior silence. Communication of secrets is the sign which manifests and proves the friendship and total trust of a friend.

~ Marie-Dominique Phillippe
Marie-Dominique Phillippe friendship

Thou hast made me known to friends whom I knew not

Thou hast made me known to friends
whom I knew not;

Thou hast given me seats in homes
not my own.

Thou hast brought the distant near and
made brothers and sisters of strangers.

~ Tagore
Tagore friendship

Each friend represents a world in us

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibility not born until they arrive, and it is
only by this meeting a new world is born

~ Annais Nin
Annais Nin friendship

A friend is someone who abide

A friend is someone who abides. Waits.

~ Shaun McNiff
Shaun McNiff friendship

The song from beginning to end, I found again in the heart of a friend

I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song--
The song from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow friendship

My friends have made the story of my life

My friends have made the story of my life.
In a thousand ways they have turned all my
limitations into beautiful privileges and enabled
me to walk serene and happy in the shadow
cast by my deprivation.

~ Helen Keller
Helen Keller friendship

Friends are people who care about you for who you are

Friends have been defined as people who know you at your worst and like you anyway, people in whose company you can be yourself. But perhaps more than anything else, friends are people who care about you for who you are, not what you can do for them. There is a kind of holiness in true friendship, because it makes sure that we are never alone when we desperately need to not be alone.

~ from LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS by Harold S. Kushner
Harold S. Kushner Living A Life That Matters friendship

You need a friend

"You don't need a big sister," Lulu said, "you need a friend. I'd much rather be that."

"Okay," Emily muttered shyly. "Only I don't know why. I'm just a kid."

"You know things most adults don't even think of. You care about the same things I do. That's a lot of what a friend really is. And you're strong. I've needed that. And you share your world, and you don't judge it. Those are very grown-up things; and Emily, I can't name one of my so-called friends who have them all."

~ from SWEETWATER CREEK by Anne Rivers Siddons
Anne Rivers Siddons Sweetwater Creek friendship

A spirit of friendship

If you maintain a feeling of compassion, loving kindness, then something automatically opens your inner door. Through that, you can communicate more easily with other people. And that feeling of warmth creates a kind of openness. You'll find that all human beings are just like you, so you'll be able to relate to them more easily. That gives you a spirit of friendship.

~ from THE ART OF HAPPINESS by the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama The Art Of Happiness friendship

Friends are relatives

Friends are relatives you make for yourself.

~ Eustache Deschamps
Eustache Deschamps friendship

A gift you give yourself

A friend is a gift you give yourself.

~ Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson friendship

The old couple's secrets

I asked the old couple what secrets they could tell me about living long and well. At first they looked at each other and laughed, then he declared,

"Things are as they are. I know my wife and she knows me. We don't hide from each other. We don't ask each other lots of questions, we aren't anxious, running around all the time. Everything is open between us. We say our prayers and do our work. Most of the day I am outside, and she is inside, and when we unite, we enjoy our company, thanks be to God."

~ from MYSTIC STREET by S. T. Georgiou
S. T. Georgiou Mystic Street friendship

April 2008 (Vol. XXI, No. 4)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"

Every blessing, dear friends, in this season of new growth.

To spend time in Nature's tapestry of Life is like opening an amazing gift: an instruction book of Love and Life given to us by the Creator, Source of All Being. Here we can see how we participate in the seasons of our lives, the interplay and interconnectedness of all things that sustain our lives, the beauty and wisdom of unity in diversity, and the intricate patterns of every variety of flora and fauna. Celebrating, honoring, and learning from this Divine Gift is in a very real sense to reverence our own lives and the life of the planet, which depend on Nature's abundant bounty. May we share and care for Nature's gifts with equity and gratitude. May we gift ourselves with times in the Silence while basking in some of Nature's sacred settings, even if it be in our own backyard. Here, peace, harmony, and renewal will be sure to nest in your heart.

No sound for Nature

The Mikmaq on the Atlantic coast have no sound for Nature. They have "space" or "place of creation" ... they have cultural literacy with the ecosystem ... every aspect of nature to Mikmaqs is Spirit. They live in harmony with this intelligible essence. The Mikmaq can perceive the web.

~ Marie Battiste
Marie Battiste nature

The stable earth

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heavens,
The glorius sun's lifegiving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

~ from the hymn "Saint Patrick's Breastplate"
Saint Patrick's Breastplate nature

Nature soothes, heals, and teaches

Nature soothes, heals, and teaches with her silence.

~ Kenneth S. Leong
Kenneth S. Leong nature

Arriving daffodils will make no sound

Arriving daffodils will make no sound,
will blow no trumpets -- only the earthworm
close to its root, burrowing underground,
will hear the upsurge, feel the green stems yearn.

Beauty returns to Earth, devoid of noise,
devoid of clamor. Now it lifts its head
epitome of stillness and of poise
and in unbroken silence all is said.

~ Fanny De Groot Hastings, thanks to Sally Hopkins
Fanny De Groot Hastings nature

Nature undresses herself

As mind slowly empties itself,
nature undresses herself.

~ Christopher M. Bache
Christopher M. Bache nature

His better self always seemed to come out in nature

Robert could not find the answer; his mind was driving him in circles. There was only one way to make it stop. Robert walked across the fields at dusk into the Forest of Welferding. His better self always seemed to come out in nature, perhaps because he had come from and would eventually die and go into nature. He felt the cool moisture on his skin, smelled the musky moss tucked between the stones along the brook, walking until he almost forgot why he'd come. The sky was filled with stars with no air raid sirens, no distant roaring of planes. In the forest Robert had caught a glimpse of what the world could be like without war, and it was good.

~ from PROPHET by Douglas Gillies
Douglas Gillies Prophet nature

There is no frantic separation between the creatures of the forest and the gentleness of our hearts

When we enter the Stillness and listen, we feel the aliveness that is all around us. We give ourselves the opportunity to be a part of the vibrant, living, natural world. The Stillness brings a deep serenity into our hearts and a vital life force into our bodies. When we practice Entering the Silence in nature, there is no frantic separation between the creatures of the forest and the gentleness of our hearts.

~ from GRANDFATHER by Tom Brown
Tom Brown nature

Unexpected encounters in nature

Nothing has the potential to move us off dead center quite as powerfully as unexpected encounters in nature. From the meadows to the mountaintops, from the devoted pet to the flight of the bumblebee--the ways that nature nurtures us bring tears to our eyes and resolve to our hearts. And we are often brought into the place of allowing the spirit to finally get through to us. The possibilities are endless--the motion of the tides, the cleansing of a rainstorm, the dormancy of winter--all remind us that a force greater than ourselves turns the clock of this universe. Nature immerses us in that power.

~ from HOW CAN I LET GO IF I DON'T KNOW I'M HOLDING ON by Linda Douty
Linda Douty How Can I Let Go If I Don't Know I'm Holding On nature

Nature is the great teacher

Nature is the great teacher, the book of life to be read and understood. That's why it is important not just to protect the natural world, but to guide it to the highest level of perfection. Our task as spiritual people is to foster an intimate bond between the world of nature--rivers, mountains, oceans, animals, forests--and our own felt nature. When one is thriving, the other will find needed support.

~ from THE LOST SUTRAS OF JESUS ed. by Riegert and Moore
Riegert and Moore The Lost Sutras Of Jesus nature

These are the eyes of the earth

If we will think of ourselves as coming out of the earth, rather than having been thrown in here from somewhere else, we see that we are the earth, we are the consciousness of the earth. These are the eyes of the earth. And this is the voice of the earth.

~ Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell nature

The earth is at the same time mother, she is mother of all that is natural

The earth is at the same time mother,
she is mother of all that is natural,
mother of all that is human.
She is the mother of all,
for contained in her are the seeds of all.
The earth of humankind contains all moisture,
all verdancy, all germinating power.
It is in so many ways fruitful.
All creation comes from it.
Yet it forms not only the basic raw materials
for humankind, but also
the substance of Incarnation.

~ Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen nature

Each creature that Love made

Each creature that Love made must live its own true nature.

~ Mechtild of Magdeburg
Mechtild of Magdeburg nature

We each were birthed by this glorious universe

Made of the stuff of probability waves, starlight, planetary cycling, mighty mountains, continents, and oceans of our silver blue sphere, genetic journeys, language, learning, and loving, we each were birthed by this glorious universe that continues to show us its awesome majesty with each year cycling, each day dawning, each breath repeated, and each moment unfolding. We can only be joyous with the realization that so much of this awesome majesty is reflected in human consciousness. It is precisely this fact that enables us to call ourselves Sparks of God.

~ from "Meditations on Our Deep Roots" by Morty Breier in "Tikkun" Sept/Oct 1998
Morty Breier Meditations On Our Deep Roots nature

It felt like my chest could explode and be the sun and the clouds

I was looking at the sky, just watching. I don't know how to say it, but I felt everything was perfect and connected--it's like there was no room even to think. It felt like my chest could explode and be the sun and the clouds.

~ Debbie, age 11
Debbie (age 11) nature

March 2008 (Vol. XXI, No. 3)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"

Blessings of spring, awakening anew in our lives, dear companions on the Journey.

May our prayers include pauses of simply be-ing ... of gratitude in the Silence for the present moment of life, nature's gifts, and Love-ever-with-us. Throughout each day may we be mindful of our thoughts, for strong thought--positive or negative--are, in a real sense, our prayers. As has been wisely observed, "as we thinketh, so we become." Thoughts, like prayer, radiate energy that matters, depending on our focus, intensity, intention, and accompanying source of reception. May our prayers be from the heart, breathed into the Silence ... May our thoughts be loving, gentle, and kind ... May both our prayers and thoughts lead us to fulfillment: service and sharing wherever we meet a need ... May our gifts and creativity grow in the Silence.

Prayer consists of attention

Prayer consists of attention ... all the attention of which the soul is capable toward God.


~ Simone Weil
Simone Weil prayer

United heart to heart in prayer

United heart to heart in prayer,
we create a world of radiant life,
overflowing abundance,
and lasting peace
as we awaken to the power
of Love within.

~ from the 13th Unity World Day of Prayer
13th Unity World Day Of Prayer prayer

Prayer is a sacrament

Prayer is a sacrament,
an outer, visible expression
of an inner, invisible grace--
or intention.

~ Sam Keene
Sam Keene prayer

The tree of our centering prayer

In centering, we begin to leave aside our own thoughts and images and feelings and to make space for the Spirit to begin to operate in us through the gifts. Outside the time of prayer we begin--and often others begin before us--to perceive the presence of these wonderful gifts in our daily lives. These are the fruits by which we judge the "tree" of our centering prayer. It is only through these fruits and the healing they represent that we can know the spirit is working in our lives through this deep, quiet communion with Love at the center of our being.

~ from THE CALL TO THE CENTER by M. Basil Pennington
M. Basil Pennington The Call To The Center prayer

Prayer is an energy that, like oxygen, feeds our whole being

Prayer is an energy that, like oxygen, feeds our whole being even when we are not aware of it. When we pray, a positive, life-enhancing energy that affects us physically, emotionally, intellect-ually, and spiritually is activated within us. Prayer ministers to us. It engages the creative energy of the universe, Love. This divine energy unites with our own deepest, truest intention and goes into action. We ingest a higher, more refined kind of thinking, and this higher vibration brings its nutrients to our whole being.

~ from ADVENTURES IN PRAYER by Sharon Connors
Sharon Connors Adventures In Prayer prayer Buy on Amazon

Prayer is eternity breathing in time

Center yourself to God and PRAY night and day "without ceasing." ALL you do, think, or read can be made into prayer. Great music, art, literature, architecture, friendships are, or can be, forms of prayer. What is gained by prayer can never be lost. PRAYER is eternity breathing in time.

~ Gerard Casey in "Parabola" - Summer 1996
Gerard Casey Parabola - Summer 1996 prayer

Prayer is eternity breathing in time

Center yourself to God and PRAY night and day "without ceasing." ALL you do, think, or read can be made into prayer. Great music, art, literature, architecture, friendships are, or can be, forms of prayer. What is gained by prayer can never be lost. PRAYER is eternity breathing in time.

~ Gerard Casey in "Parabola" - Summer 1996
Gerard Casey Parabola - Summer 1996 prayer

True prayer requires no word

True prayer requires no word, no chant
no gesture, no sound.
It is communion, calm and still
with our own godly Ground.

~ Angelus Silesius
Angelus Silesius prayer

Just be prayer

If prayer is getting in your way, cut it out!
Stop praying! Just BE prayer!

~ Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton prayer

Prayer is the process by which one continually surrenders to the mystery in the moment

Prayer is the process by which one continually empties out what one thinks one knows and surrenders to the mystery in the moment ... Prayer is an opening on your part to receive the gifts of God, an opening to God's unconditional love for you, an opening to God's unconditional acceptance of you as you are. When you enter the temple of prayer, you are blessed beyond measure. For, in entering, you surrender, and in surrendering, you are washed clean of all judgments you make about yourself or others.

~ from THE SILENCE OF THE HEART by Paul Ferrini
Paul Ferrini Thne Silence Of The Heart prayer

In prayer the stilled voice learns to hold its peace

In prayer the stilled voice learns to hold its peace,
to listen with the heart to silence that is joy, is
adoration. The self is shattered, all words torn apart
in this strange patterned time of contemplation that,
in time, breaks time, breaks words, breaks me, and then,
in silence, leaves me healed and mended.

~ Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle prayer

During prayer a new state comes on

During prayer a new state comes on. A kind of "largesse," an indescribable vastness, so great as to encompass the whole of creation. This immeasurableness simply flows right through me, no resistance from "self-important demands" blocks the flow, a feeling of absolute weightlessness and transparency. The expression "emptied of self" is a living reality.

~ from FORTY DAYS by Michaela Ozelsel
Michaela Ozelsel Forty Days prayer

May my body be a prayer stick

May my body
be a prayer stick
for the world

~ Joan Halifax
Joan Halifax prayer

The highest level of prayer is not a prayer FOR anything

The highest level of prayer is not a prayer FOR anything. It is a deep and profound silence, in which we allow ourselves to be still and know God. In that silence, we are changed. We are calmed. We are illumined. Prayer is meant to dissolve the worldly focus, to dissolve our sense of a separate self, to help us detach from the noisy world order.

Prayer is like pouring hot water on an ice cube, melting the cold and encrusted thought forms that still surround our hearts.

~ from ILLUMINATA by Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson Illuminatda prayer

February 2008 (Vol. XXI, No. 2)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"

Blessings of peace and love, dear friends and companions.Love at the heart of our lives brings all to fulfillment: a peaceful soul ... a life that blesses. So, what could be more practical than awakening to Love? Here we may experience the Oneness we are with All and know, know for sure, that we can never truly be alone. For, Love abides in everyone, everywhere, notwithstanding outward appearances. So, let your love shine. Love ... be loved.

Love will supplant the fear

Those who have lost their way, who are ravaged by addictions and feelings of hopelessness, believe they are alone. They have seemingly lost their soul and need to find a spiritual base. That base is love, which is the only permanent power in the universe. It is the central ingredient in healing and in all harmony. Recognize and realize the power of love and its dominion over all things, and you and others will be restored to a fearless place. Love will supplant the fear.
 

~ from THERE IS A SPIRITUAL SOLUTION TO EVERY PROBLEM by Wayne Dyer
Wayne Dyer There Is A Spiritual Solution To Every Problem love

To be able to love one another, we must pray much

To be able to love one another, we must pray much, for prayer gives a clean heart and a clean heart can see God in our neighbor. If we now have no peace, it is because we have forgotten how to see God in one another.

~ Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa love

My love is like the grasses

My love
is like the grasses
hidden in the deep mountain:
though its abundance increases,
nobody knows.

~ Ono No Yoshiki
Ono No Yoshiki love

You do not make yourself love

You do not make yourself love.
|You allow love to enter.

~ James Redfield
James Redfield love

There is no "out of love"

There is no "out of love." It's what we are, deeper and richer than all the spiritual promises and far more ordinary and real. We don't "fall in or out of love" because we are permanently in the flow of love itself. Love is the way we are meant to live; love is the measure of the meaning of life ... When we touch life with love, it grows warm and shines down the corridors of the mind with a light that does not fade but grows brighter and more beautiful with the years.

When love is present nothing is the same. Even the drab gray walls of this prison begin to glow. It's as if we are transported into a different world, love's world. Then things are seen through love's eyes. Then the pain may turn into a poem, and the sorrow may blossom as a ministry.

Love is what shines from our eyes, beats from our heart, speaks with our voice, and meets itself everywhere. Sooner or later, love will reclaim us all. But to let that happen now, to die into love now, before the body dies ... Ah!

~ Charles "Tom" Brown
Charles love

To love others as we love ourselves

Only when we return to our hearts and look honestly at ourselves can we begin to recognize ourselves, as we were created to be and as we are. Only then can we learn to know and love ourselves, and to love others as we love ourselves.

~ from IN THE SCHOOL OF LOVE, ed. by Edith Scholl
Edith Scholl In The School Of Love love

Heaven is love

Let us keep this truth before us.
You say you have no faith?
Love--and faith will come.
You say you are sad?
Love--and joy will come.
You say you are alone?
Love--and you will break out of your solitude.
You say you are in hell?
Love--and you will find yourself in heaven.

Heaven is love.

~ from IN SEARCH OF THE BEYOND by Carlo Carretto
Carlo Carretto In Search Of The Beyond love

Drink the wine of Love and your life will change

Drink the wine of Love
and your life will change.
Instead of being a gatherer
of the Divine Light
you will be the shine.
It will be the end of you
and the beginning.

~ Adyashanti
Adyashanti love

Love is meant to shine

Love is not meant to be contained; Love is meant to shine!
~ Anonymous
Anonymous love

Someone who seeks, above all, the knowledge and love of God

A mystic is a person who is deeply aware of the powerful presence of the divine Spirit; someone who seeks, above all, the knowledge and love of God, and who experiences to an extraordinary degree the profoundly personal encounter with the energy of divine life. Mystics often perceive the presence of God throughout the world of nature and in all that is alive, leading to a transfiguration of the ordinary all around them. However, the touch of God is most strongly felt deep within their own hearts.

~ in Ursula King's book on Mystics
Ursula King Mystics love

Love is not arrogant or rude

Fifty years of marriage is the essence of a journey that spans uphills and downhills, goals achieved; unexpected joys, and times of failure, disappointments, and offenses that sought forgiveness. The thirteenth chapter of Corinthians is a discipline and a constant for the days and years. Love is not arrogant or rude, love glories not in one-upman-ship or being right, love suffers and is kind, love hangs in there. And ultimately this delicate, gentle but tough bond supersedes all else and becomes the one imperishable gift we can have if we are humble enough to receive it.

~ Ross Cameron in DEEP IN THE FAMILIAR by J. C. Borton
J. C. Borton Ross Cameron Deep In The Familiar love

It seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not

I had found a kind of serenity, a new maturity. I didn't feel better or stronger than anyone else but it seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not--more important now was for me to love them. Feeling that way turns your whole life around; living becomes the act of giving.

~ Beverly Sills
Beverly Sills love

Love is the voice

Love is the voice
under all the silences ...
 

~ e. e. cummings
e. e. cummings love

The loving opportunities of solitude and solidarity

Alone with God, we feel no need to perform, to do. The pressure is off. That good, refreshing feeling is nothing less than an experience of God's accepting love. It is the healing power of an eternal passion that is consummated in the reunion of creature and Creator. God is delighted by our act of will in which we love and place ourselves in the Presence. That divine delight is the lover who draws each of us back and forth between twin poles, the loving opportunities of solitude and solidarity.

~ from VOICES OF SILENCE by Frank Bianco
Frank Bianco love

January 2008 (Vol. XXI, No. 1)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"

Blessings of the new year, dear companions on the journey. Just as the daily renewal of sunlight sustains the earth, so our inner soul-light nourishes and guides our lives.

"You are the light of the world."

Astonishing! In stillness and silence may you recognize the light you are and the Light you bear. May you more consciously radiate your heart-light out to the world and shine, wherever you may be.

This light is a light which fills at the same time both intellect and senses

... the visible quality of the divinity, of the energies of grace in which God is made known ... This light is a light which fills at the same time both intellect and senses, revealing itself to the whole individual, and not only to one faculty. The divine light, being given in mystical experience, surpasses at the same time both sense and intellect

~ Vladimir Lossky
Vladimir Lossky light

May the Light that lighteneth Everyone come into this world

May the Light that lighteneth Everyone
come into this world,
pierce the darkness of the age,
so that the tree of life
may survive
and bring forth new shoots!

~ Frederick Franck
Frederick Franck light

You are the living light

You are the living light in every respect.
From You all light shines.

~ Hildegard of Bingen;
Hildegard of Bingen light

The darker the shaw, the brighter is the light

We cannot know that we are illuminated by a great light simply by looking up into the sky. But if we lower our heads and look down at our feet, we can clearly see the long, dark shadow that stretches out from us. We know that the darker and blacker that shadow is, the brighter is the light that shines upon us. Thus, we have been told to look at our own dark shadows [within].

~ from TARIKI: Embracing Despair, Discovering Peace by Hiroyuki Itsuki
Hiroyuki Itsuki Tariki: Embracing Despair, Discovering Peace light

Light is present everywhere, yet hidden and unused

Light is present everywhere, yet hidden and unused. It is covered over by the denseness of our desires and a collective unconscious that has little space for the divine. Working with the light of the soul will open us to a new level of interconnectedness, a knowing of our oneness. This knowing is necessary for the evolution of the planet. It contains the knowledge of the future, a knowledge that is based upon oneness rather than duality.

~ from SPIRITUAL POWER by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee Spiritual Power light Buy on Amazon

Intuition is a language of light

Intuition is a language of light through which
humanity and God intercommunicate.

~ Walter Russell
Walter Russell light

Behold the Divine Light within

Behold the Divine Light within
a place of giving
a place of gratitude
a place of Love.

May Divine Light fill our hearts
with Love
to be poured out
into the world ...

~ Mary Southard
Mary Southard light

Teach me to seek You in all that has life, that I may see You as the Light of light

You are above me, O God
You are within.
You are in all things
yet contained by no thing.
Teach me to seek You in all that has life,
that I may see You as the Light of light.
Teach me to search for You in my own depths
that I may find You in every living soul.

~ A Celtic Prayer thanks to J. Philip Newell
J. Philip Newell A Celtic Prayer light

We must go into our own darkness in order to unleash the light within

I invented what I call the Invisible Art and Light technique. In normal light the painting appears one way, and when you turn on the black lamp, the beams of light emerge. It is also a brilliant metaphor. If we look with our physical eyes we see only the surface of the message. But when we look with our spiritual eyes we see so much more. We see the light that is given as a gift from Heaven. And isn't it interesting that a black light is used to see the whole picture? In the same way we must go into our own darkness, the things we hide because we are ashamed, in order to unleash the light within. It is only when we give our whole selves to God--the positive and the negative--that we are enlightened.
 

~ Jacqueline Ripstein in THE SECRET OF THE BELOVED DISCIPLE by James Twyman
James Twyman, Jacqueline Ripstein light

Whwat you see in the inner world is the light that sees

When you turn within you think you see a light. What you think is the light that you see in the inner world is the light that sees, not the light that can be seen. This is a different kind of light, not the kind of light that can be radiated from a source. This is the all-pervading light. Think of yourself as that light, then your aura will burn more brightly.

~ Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan light

In the silence we feel the Light penetrating, recharging, purifying

In the silence we feel the Light penetrating, recharging, purifying, blessing us. We identify with the Light. Words and thoughts opening from this depth will have life--the Life that will create and endow all things with good.

~ From SILENCE by Flower A. Newhouse
Flower A. Newhouse Silence light

The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be

Let go into the clear light, trust it, merge with it,
and enter the Silence, your true home.

The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be.

~ Shakti Gawain
Shakti Gawain light

One day, while walking on the beach, I saw the reflection of the sun on the water

Crying was my most constant companion. One day, while walking on the beach, I saw the reflection of the sun on the water. Inexplicably, I felt a sense of a Presence larger than life itself after seeing a patch of light differently than ever before. The light image kept me alive ... I was suffused with love. I had sensations of warmth from the light coming into my body and entering each cell, having awareness of my whole body in a startling way. It felt comforting, life-changing and dramatic, yet peaceful. I was able to function again. My most important focus became to deepen my experience of being suffused by the light.

~ from MANTLE OF ROSES by Virginia Swain
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Two friends anchored to a third, spiritual center form a rock-solid foundation

True friendship exists when human beings share a love of goodness and truth. Two friends alone, like two legs on a table, offer a wobbly situation at best. But two friends anchored to a third, spiritual center form a rock-solid foundation to support everything that comes: hardship, suffering, exaltation, love. True friendship between two human beings exists only when there is a third Friend present: call this third friend God, or simply the Sacred.

~ from GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT by Kaufman and Zalinski
Kaufman and Zalinski Gifts Of The Spirit friendship

December 2007 (Vol. XX, No. 11)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"

In this season of celebration, may angelic blessings be yours, dear friends. Living with an awareness of their companioning presence, even if only with trust to begin with, we come to realize angelic joy is working with us, surprising us, and reminding us that we are loved beyond measure. Limit not the myriad ways your angelic companions may knock on the door of your heart. Spending time in the Silence draws them nigh. And you might ask, "When was the last time I thanked my angels?"

To study angels is to shed light on ourselves

To study angels is to shed light on ourselves, especially those aspects of ourselves that have been put down in our secularized civilizations, our secularized educational systems, and even our secularized worship system. By secularization, I mean anything that sucks the awe out of things.

~ from THE PHYSICS OF ANGELS by Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox The Physics Of Angels angels

The Angel of Earth embraces the seed

Life always begins again.
The Angel of Earth embraces the seed
And gives unto it Life.
The kiss of the Angel of Water
Awakens the seed.
The warmth of the Angel of Sun
Makes the seed grow.
The little plant bends in the breeze–
The Angel of Air makes it grow strong.
The little plant is holy.
It bathes in the Lifestream
Of Eternal Order.

~ from Thanksgiving Psalms of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Thanksgiving Psalms, Dead Sea Scrolls angels

Loving angels everywhere

Loving angels everywhere
in smiles we give ... in words we share
in gentle hearts of those who care.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous angels

an Angel so sumptuous, so fresh, so like a flower and at the same time so firm

I was walking in the open air on a beautiful spring morning. The wheat was growing green, the birds were singing, the dew was sparkling, the smoke rising; a transfiguring light lay over everything; this was only a tiny fragment of Earth – and yet the idea seemed to me not only beautiful, but also so true and obvious that she was an Angel – an Angel so sumptuous, so fresh, so like a flower and at the same time so firm and so composed, who was moving through the sky.

~ Gustav Fechner
Gustav Fechner angels

The angels inspire

As humans we respond to symbols. We express divine Beauty and insight in our art. If there is a preponderance of art depicting angels with wings, obviously this symbolizes something real within the collective consciousness. Angels appear to humans according to human capacity to accept and understand the appearance. The angels inspire, and that is what is left in our heart after an angel experience.

~ from THE ANGEL EXPERIENCE by Terry L. Taylor
Terry L. Taylor The Angel Experience angels Buy on Amazon

Make yourself familiar with the angels

Make yourself familiar with the angels
and behold them frequently in spirit,
for without being seen, they are present
with you.

~ Francis de Sales
Francis de Sales angels

I was with them big angels

Amy tightened an arm around his neck and announced in a loud voice, "I was with them big angels, and they runned in front of me and left me and I gotted lost!"

"So it occurs to me," the preacher said, "that many of us may be leaving small angels behind. Are we neglecting to help those who would benefit from our love? ... Just a thought," he said, smiling.

~ from A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW by Jan Karon
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I feel your gentle Presence, like angel wings lifting my spirit

Blessed are You, Who understood my tears,
You comfort me with love's embrace.
Though my eyes cannot see You,
I feel your gentle Presence,
like angel wings lifting my spirit.

You turn my mourning into joy,
I dance to a new song.
Blessed are You, O loving companion
of my heart.
 

~ from MEDITATIONS AND MANDALAS by Nan C Merrill
Nan Merrill Meditations And Mandalas angels Buy on Amazon

Angels song, still singing

Echoes
resounding from
a starry night so long
ago, carry angels song, still
singing.

~ Priscilla White
Priscilla White angels

Angels in our midst

Angels in our midst
seen now
through diaphanous veil.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous angels

We are part and parcel of the great angels of light and love

The divine angelic hierarchy is more than a collection of celestial beings; they are both inner and outer states of consciousness, constantly presenting an opportunity to us for our divine awakening. Now, more than ever, is the awareness dawning within the hearts and minds of people everywhere that the Divine is a part of our spiritual ancestry. The souls of the earth are awakening from a long spirited sleep to a great mystery – that we are part and parcel of the great angels of light and love. This is the reality which is unfolding before us like a flower, right now in our world and in our lives.

~ Robert J. Grant
Robert J. Grant angels

Oh, blessed angels, I love my God with all my being.

Anna was too filled with joy and wonder to sleep. This was the night for which her soul had prepared her these many years. She heard the celestial music of the saints and the rustle of angel wings. Love had chosen her for this wondrous experience, so she was unafraid. The time was close now, for she smelled the fragrance of roses around her. "Oh, blessed angels, I love my God with all my being."

~ from ANNA: WOMAN OF MIRACLES by C. Haenni and V. Vick
C. Haenni and V. Vick Anna: Woman Of Miracles angels Buy on Amazon

Walking and talking with an angel

... walking and talking with an angel is really fundamentally no different from walking and talking with an ordinary human being. Both the angel and the person are expressions of the ultimate mystery; both are emanations of the Beloved ... There is only one sacredness and we all have it.

~ David Spangler
David Spangler angels

Every blade of grass has its Angel

Every blade of grass has its Angel
that bends over it and whispers,
"Grow, grow."

~ The Talmud
The Talmud angels

Angels accompany us in all we do

Angels accompany us in all we do throughout our life . . Be mindful of their gifts.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous angels

No sooner had I fallen asleep than I saw standing a maiden dressed in a long white gown

No sooner had I fallen asleep than I saw standing a maiden dressed in a long white gown and modestly girded. On her head, in hooded fashion, was a white scarf which was so thin and transparent that through it I could see her face, which shone with heavenly beauty. She stood before me, tender, affectionate and loving, and although with downcast eyes, she would at times humbly and kindly look at me. With such a vision, I awoke.

My attraction to her was not sensuous, but somehow pure, devoted and unutterably comforting, since my soul sensed that this was not an earthly maiden, but some heavenly being, the very embodiment of purity and charity.

~ from ELDER ZOSIMA by Very Verbovsky
Very Verbovsky Elder Zosima angels Buy on Amazon

I feel your gentle Presence, like angel wings lifting my spirit

Blessed are You, Who understood my tears,
You comfort me with love's embrace.
Though my eyes cannot see You,
I feel your gentle Presence,
like angel wings lifting my spirit.

You turn my mourning into joy,
I dance to a new song.
Blessed are You, O loving companion
of my heart.
 

November 2007 (Vol. XX, No. 10)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"

Warmest greetings to one and all in this season of homecomings, thanks-giving, and gratitude. In the midst of our noisy pain-filled world, may we come home to the Silence. May we bless ourselves and the world as we stop talking and thinking for a while and allow the Silence to still us and, perhaps, to speak a word to our soul. Listening to the silence is an art form where the infinite harmony of the universe calms and nourishes body, mind, and soul. Be still. Listen. Love's silent heart-song will bring you Home to your Divine origin.

Silence removes chaos and confusion

"Know ye not that the Realm of Love is within you?" With this assurance, God is not far off. Silent prayer is the manner in which you talk to God, and in silence you hear the answer. Silence removes chaos and confusion. You hold the key which turns the lock in the door to the storehouse of God's infinite riches. May we use it.

~ George Graham Price
George Graham Price silence

He drew us each into our own silence

Thich Nhat Hanh came on stage. In the space of ten minutes, this small Vietnamese man had drawn every single one of us into his silence. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that he drew us each into our own silence, into that peace which we each inherently possessed, but had not yet discovered or claimed. His ability to bring forth this state in all of us, merely by his presence in the room – this is divine power.

~ from EAT PRAY LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert Eat, Pray, Love silence Buy on Amazon

Let silence Tell you the secrets of the world

Secretly we spoke,
that wise one and me.
I said, "Tell me the secrets of the world. "
He said, "Shh ... Let silence
Tell you the secrets of the world. "

~ Anonymous
Anonymous silence

Silence, a stilling of the roof brain chatter

Silence, a stilling of not only the voices outside but the inner voices, the roof brain chatter. Now, without the babble or words – inner and outer – I watch my mind, notice when a thought arises. I turn my attention inward, asking, "Who is thinking this thought?" As the mind turns to look, the thinker seems to disappear. But a focus comes from asking, a clearing a deepening. No "me," but a presence. Awareness.


~ from IN BUDDHA'S KITCHEN by Kimberly Snow
Kimberly Snow In Buddha's Kitchen silence

The most beautiful words are often born in a silence filled with suffering

The most beautiful words, those that give the most genuine help, are often born in a silence filled with suffering. Silence is the glowing furnace of the word, the forge of true speech and sensitivity.

~ Ladislaus Boros
Ladislaus Boros silence

At first her refusal to speak very often upset me

At first her refusal to speak very often upset me, but over time I've grown used to it and now love her the better for it. Ivy May's silence can be a great comfort. There is nothing the matter with her head – she reads and writes well enough for a girl of seven, and her numbers are good. I asked her once why she said so little, and the dear replied, "When I do speak, you listen." It is surprising that someone so young should have worked that out for herself. I could have done with the lesson – I do go on and on from nerves to fill the silence.

~ from FALLING ANGELS by Tracy Chevalier
Tracy Chevalier Falling Angels silence Buy on Amazon

I weave a silence on to my lips

I weave a silence on to my lips
I weave a silence into my mind
I weave a silence within my heart
I close my ears to distractions
I close my eyes to attractions
I close my heart to temptations

Calm me as You stilled the storm
Still me, keep me from harm
Let all the tumult within me cease
Enfold me, Beloved, in your peace.

~ from THE EDGE OF GLORY by David Adam, thanks to Kimberly Wuest
David Adam The Edge Of Glory silence

What word does silence have

Listen. What word does silence have for you today?

~ Anonymous
Anonymous silence

In a breath of silence, in a whisper

In a breath of silence
in a whisper,
God speaks to you humbly.

~ Br. Roger of Taize
Br. Roger of Taize silence

Silence is spacious uncrowded

Silence is spacious
uncrowded like the
Cosmos.

~ Sam Baker
Sam Baker silence

In the depths of silence, we are all one

In the depths of silence, we are all one, and it is through interior stillness that knowledge of our oneness with the Creator reaches us. It has been truly said that the voice of silence carries infinitely farther than the loudest cry. Such a union as this can never be ours except in silence, and through stillness and deep prayer and meditation we can begin to comprehend the meaning of Infinity and of that one Mind in which we all live and move and have our being.

~ from the Wellesley Tudor Pole, thanks to Edith Spenser
Wellesley Tudor Pole silence

Only when we are silent can we begin to hear the voice that is truly our own

Only when we are silent can we begin to hear the voice that is truly our own, the still, small voice within. The source of this voice, which may be without sound, and yet is heard, is called by many different names: the inner guide, guardian angel, spirit guide, the collective unconscious, or just plain intuition. Actually, all of us hear the whisperings of this voice every single day of our lives, but many ignore it.

~ Rick Field
Rick Field silence

We must do the works of Martha, but in the spirit of Mary

"We must do the works of Martha, but in the spirit of Mary. Both of us would agree to that. "

"What is the spirit of Mary?" I asked.

"Silence. Interior silence – and exterior silence, too. Your culture cannot hear the voice of God because its ears are too full of noise. For lack of silence you are going mad. God made you with two ears and only one tongue, so that you could listen twice as much as you speak. Then, when words come out of the silence, they will have power. "

~ from "Ecumenism and the Culture War" by Peter Kreeft
Peter Kreeft Ecumenism And The Culture Wars silence

I require the silence

In the silence I listen, I watch, I sense, I attend, I observe.
I require the silence. I search it out.

~ Alice Koller
Alice Koller silence

When the Word is heard

When the Word is heard, you know that you were silent.

~ Dr. Majmudar
Dr. Majmudar silence

Everything was opening its secrets to me in silence

"Everything was opening its secrets to me in silence, without a word. Everything shone in my heart now instead of my head. The more I appreciated, the more I could see. It was a whole new way of learning, by listening to silence."

~ from THE BEEJUM BOOK by Alice O. Howell
Alice O. Howell The Beejum Book silence

Ancient spirits dance to it

Listen to the silence as it echoes around you.
Ancient spirits dance to it.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous silence

October 2007 (Vol. XX, No. 9)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be heard?"

May Blessings of the Mystery greet you in the Silence, dear friends! Sacred Mystery abides within us all. As we develop a deeper connection to the Infinite Source of Life, we learn to love the Mystery and trust the Process of its life in us. We become aware that wherever the journey leads, Divine Presence travels in us, through us, and with us amidst the joys, challenges, and diminishments in our lives. We are never alone! So in the Silence, may we make room in our hearts, minds, and souls for the Divine Mystery of all life to more consciously unfold in our lives ...

We are surrounded by a profound mystery

There is one thing that we are certain about and that is that we are surrounded by a profound mystery. And in some strange way we are asked to participate in this mystery and to collaborate with it.

~ Cecil Collins
Cecil Collins mystery

We have not been raised to cultivate a sense of Mystery

We have not been raised to cultivate a sense of Mystery. We may even see the unknown as an insult to our competence, a personal failing. Seen this way, the unknown becomes a challenge to action. But Mystery does not require action; Mystery requires our attention. Mystery requires that we listen and become open. When we meet with the unknown in this way, we can be touched by a wisdom that can transform our lives.


~ from MY GRANDFATHER'S BLESSINGS by Rachel Naomi Remen
Rachel Naomi Remen My Grandfather's Blessings mystery Buy on Amazon

The unfolding of Great Mystery

The quiet mind
Brings calmness,
Infinite, eternal grace.
Born inside silence
Is the will to be.
Chaos becoming order,
The holiness of life,
The unfolding of Great Mystery.

~ from EARTH MEDICINE by Jamie Sans
Jamie Sans Earth Medicine mystery

Show itself and at the same time withdraws

Mystery is that which shows itself and
at the same time withdraws.

~ Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger mystery

Remembering that every Mystery points to a high reality

Religion is a more or less organized way of remembering that every Mystery points to a high reality. A reality overarching and infusing this world with splendor. One pulsing through its veins. Unnoticed and unnamed. Of the Nameless One. A holiness so holy that it fills even our everyday illusions with spiritual meaning.

~ from HONEY FROM THE ROCK by Lawrence Kushner
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Incommunicable mysteries that transcend the capacity of language

... when we do not speak, we may listen, hear, understand, even communicate in other ways. If language distorts, silence may open us to revelation. There are mysteries of life known and apprehended only when one refrains from speech, incommunicable mysteries that transcend the capacity of language.

~ from TEACHING TO LEARN/LEARNING TO TEACH by Anne Dalke
Anne Dalke Teaching To Learn/learning To Teach mystery

He would rest in this pool of unknowing for as long a time as he was granted

Henry dropped to his knees, his bare toes finding the damp soil underneath the pine needles and leaves. He remained in that position for a quarter hour, unmoving, breathing slowly and deeply, watching the sky. Listening. The silent edge of dusk spread across the hillside. A luminous dark blue and purple void appeared to welcome the first star. And Henry, with loving respect for things he did not know, for what Cicero had called the unseen force that guides the body and guides the world, yielded to that unknown and unknowable force. He would rest in this pool of unknowing for as long a time as he was granted.

~ from THE POET OF TOLSTOY PARK by Sonny Brewer
Sonny Brewer The Poet Of Tolstoy Park mystery Buy on Amazon

When you begin to actively explore the mystery of your own mystery

When you begin to actively explore the mystery of your own mystery,
God will solve the case.

~ Guy Finley
Guy Finley mystery

O Dark Mystery So bright I cannot see

O Dark Mystery
So bright I cannot see
Sometimes hushed
Sometimes clanging in my soul

I enter as You reveal
Darting from tree to tree
Hide and seek
The Mystery

~ in THE ROSE OF FIVE PETALS by Betty Serafin
Betty Serafin The Rose Of Five Petals mystery

Sister of Lady Wisdom

Mystery is the sister of Lady Wisdom.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous mystery

Mystery: it is all around us, and we do not know it

Mystery: it is all around us, and we do not know it. But sometimes when we give it time and space, whether in deep peace or great anguish, it will come up behind us, or meet us face to face, or move within us, changing the way we see everything, and filling our hearts with joy and an upspringing of love that needs no direct object because everything is its object.

~ from LET EVENING COME by Mary C. Morrison
Mary C. Morrison Let Evening Come mystery

Never lose a holy curiosity

One cannot but be in awe when contemplating the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity.


~ Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein mystery

The empty pathway by which we venture most surely into the Divine Mystery

To begin to enter into the profound silence that resides in the depths of our beings is to begin to enter the realm of the Godhead beyond God. Beyond speech, beyond apprehension, is a realm of generative actuality, the realm of essential being out of which the Word is eternally begotten. Our silence is bothand the clear road by which the Word proceeds most directly into our hearts.


~ from THE VIGIL by Wendy M. Wright
Wendy M. Wright The Vigil mystery

This mystery is not far away, but is hidden within each one of us

The icon bears witness to the nearness yet otherness of the Eternal. It introduces us to a world of mystery, yet at the same time, we discover that this mystery is not far away, but is hidden within each one of us, closer to us than our own heart.

~ from PONDER THESE THINGS by Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams Ponder These Things mystery

Empty of desire

Empty of desire,
the Mystery can be revealed.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous mystery

I have no doubt this unnameable Mystery within will finally crowd out the thorns

There is something in me that is not content to hang about directionless along the edge of the path ... A thirst in me so deep it will move aside the rocks, seeking moisture. There is a yearning that is intense in its desire to put God first.

It may take a lifetime, but I have no doubt this unnameable Mystery within, the seed that fell at the beginning of creation, will finally crowd out the thorns.

Yes, there is One who believes in me enough to continue singing up the country of my heart.

~ from THE SONG OF THE SEED by Macrina Wiederkehr
Macrina Wiederkehr The Song Of The Seed mystery

September 2007 (Vol. XX, No. 8)

"Is there enough Silence for the Word to be Heard?

Blessings, dear friends, in this time of seasonal change. As we return to autumn, may we be mindful of the cycle of work: you, the worker... the work itself... the tools used... the energy you offer... your intention... the result. Let all thoughts of competition go; seek to create calling on the company of the Heavenly Realm. Let the divine energy of Love work in and through you. You never work alone. And Silence helps every process to flow.

Work for the sake of accomplishing the task at hand and understanding

Work for the sake of accomplishing the task at hand and understanding; in the beginning, the work is more important than the worker. When you finish your task, look at what you have achieved. If you have worked with your heart, you will be pleased with the results. These results will make you want to achieve even more in your next endeavor. The results are the true rewards of our labors.

~ from THE LIVING TAO by Stephen F. Kaufman
Stephen F. Kaufman The Living Tao work

Works of love are the way to peace

Works of love are the way to peace. And where does this love begin? Right in our hearts. We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that work. We have been created in order to love and to be loved.

~ Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa work

All work that is worth anything is done in faith

No ray of sunshine is ever lost,
but the green which it awakens
into existence
needs time to sprout,
and it is not always granted
for the sower to see the harvest.
.
All work that is worth anything is done
in faith.

~ Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer work

Never again will your work be a burden

When yonever again will your work be a burdenu can find something in your work that is in the nature of a service to be performed, . When you have found something into which you can put your heart and soul and you can pour out some measure of service, even if in the beginning it is the most menial of labors, it will lead you to the joy of expressing yourself. If your consciousness is filled with service and cooperation, then your activity regardless of its nature will express the service and cooperation in your consciousness, and it will be a steadily expanding and unfolding activity.

~ from THE ART OF SPIRITUAL HEALING by Joel Goldsmith
Joel Goldsmith The Art Of Spiritual Healing work

There is no separation between work and prayer

Work is work and there's harmony in it when the dignity it deserves is allowed to thrive naturally. The greatest teaching manual labor provides a contemplative practice is that there is no separation between work and prayer: work is prayer and prayer is work.

~ from HUMILITY MATTERS by S. Mary Margaret Funk
S. Mary Margaret Funk Humility Matters work

To view work as a pilgrimage is to put our heart's desires to hazard

To view work as a pilgrimage is to put our heart's desires to hazard, because merely by setting out, we have told ourselves that there is something bigger and better, or even smaller and better – above all something more life giving – that awaits us in our work, and we are going to seek it. We look around to see what we have for the journey and find at bottom that we possess only intuitions and imagination.
 

~ from CROSSING THE UNKNOWN SEA by David Whyte
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As the day brings us the petty round of irritating duties

As the day brings us the petty round of irritating duties, help us perform them with laughter and a kind face; give us to go blithely on our business.

~ Martin and Micah Marty
Martin and Micah Marty work

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.

~ Phillips Brooks
Phillips Brooks work

Blessed are you who work with goodness

Blessed are you
who work with goodness
who stand for the right
who live in truth.
For you come to know the Friend
who dwells in the secret room
of your heart.

You are like an acorn planted
in fertile soil
that grows into a mighty oak.
Your work blesses others,
you radiate love;
joy delights your heart.

~ from MEDITATIONS AND MANDALAS by Nan C. Merrill
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My work now is to give water to the trees

"My upside days are over, Greg Sahib," he said. "I'd like to work with you for many more years, but Allah, in his wisdom, has taken much of my strength. "

Mortenson hugged this may who'd helped him so often to find his way. Despite Mouzafer's talk of weakness, his arms were still strong enough to squeeze the breath out of a large American. "What will you do?" Mortenson asked.

"My work now," Mouzafer said simply, "is to give water to the trees."

~ from THREE CUPS OF TEA by G. Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
G. Mortenson, David Oliver Relin Three Cups Of Tea work

The interturning of thought, intuition, and work to the highest possible good

That there is no separation between you and all that is good and true. Grace. A moment in thought where you are not alone, for you realize that you are part of a living, breathing creation. A moment where you understand that the unfolding of your life has meaning. Grace. The interturning of thought, intuition, and work to the highest possible good.

~ from THE DANCE OF THE DOLPHIN by Karyn D. Kedar
Karyn D. Kedar The Dance Of The Dolphin work

Even the simplest tasks can be invested and imbued with sacred energy

The greening spirit that is the shape of our sacred world is ever present, ever near to us. Our daily life can start to feel like a daily grind, causing us to forget this precious greening spirit of life. The Celtic Way banishes the heavy energies of a banal existence by sanctifying every moment with soul energy and purpose. Even the simplest tasks can be invested and imbued with sacred energy.

~ from THE MIST-FILLED PATH by Frank MacGowen
Frank MacEowen The Mist-filled Path work

A work of art

A work of art is revelation.

~ Louis Calaferte
Louis Calaferte work

Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted

Service, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted or solved with God's help, the knowledge that at home or in the world we are partners in a common effort, the well understood fact that in God's light all human beings are important, the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return ... These are permanent and legitimate satisfactions of right living for which no amount of pomp and circumstance, no heap of material possessions, could possibly be substitutes.

True ambition is the deep desire to live usefully and to walk humbly under the grace of God.

~ from SEEDS OF GRACE by S. Molly Monahan
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