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
Virginia Swain Mantle Of Roses light Buy on Amazon

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
Jan Karon A Light In The Window 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.
 

~ 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
Lawrence Kushner Honey From The Rock mystery Buy on Amazon

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
David Whyte Crossing The Unknown Sea work Buy on Amazon

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
Nan Merrill Meditations And Mandalas work Buy on Amazon

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
S. Molly Monahan Seeds Of Grace work Buy on Amazon

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.

July/August 2007 (Vol. XX, No. 7)

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

May BLESSINGS OF INNER PEACE be with you, dear friends, as we journey together through this summer season. Wherever you may be, remember to rest in the Silence some time each day. Be mindful of Nature's summer dress and Her gifts freely offered, Her lessons freely given, for our well-being. This pilgrimage we travel through life will lead us along many different highways and byways; yet, the longest and deepest journey we make is the inward journey into the heart of Love. Travel safe ... travel well, dear companions along the way!

We are on a journey through the inward spaces of the heart

I am not sitting, I am on a journey. Spiritually we are always on the move. We are on a journey through the inward spaces of the heart, a journey not measured by the hours of our watch or the days of the calendar, for it is a journey out of time into eternity.

~ from THE ORTHODOX WAY by Kallistos Ware
Kallistos Ware The Orthodox Way journey

The spiritual journey does not consist in arriving at a new destination of your ignorance

The spiritual journey does not consist in arriving at a new destination of your ignorance concerning yourself and life and the gradual growth of that understanding which begins with spiritual awakening. The "finding" of God is a coming to one's own Self.

~ Meher Baba
Meher Baba journey

I am heart and soul in the journey of my life

If I set my heart upon another person, then I cannot live without that person. My heart becomes divided. If I give my heart to my life, on the other hand, if I give my heart to the journey with God, then my heart can be whole in a relationship with another. I can be heart and soul in the relationship because I am heart and soul in the journey of my life.

~ from THE REASONS OF THE HEART by John S. Dunne
John Dunne The Reasons Of The Heart journey

The real journey is the journey inwards

It's strange how much time people spend traveling round and round the circle of existence and getting nowhere. The real journey–the journey all people are required to take to achieve integration, self-realization and fulfillment–"eternal life"–is the journey inwards, the journey to the center of the soul.

~ from MYSTICAL PATHS by Susan Howatch
Susan Howatch Mystical Paths journey

The traveler, the journey, and the goal are all one

I first thought of the spiritual journey as a linear path towards a distant goal. Gradually, I came to realize that the spiritual journey is a closed circle of love in which we slowly come closer to the center of ourself, which is always present. In this journey there is no "progress" but a shifting of consciousness that unveils our own essential nature, "the face we had before we were born. "As this spiral path unfolds, so our concepts of both ourself and the journey change, and we come to realize the deeper truth: that the traveler, the journey, and the goal are all one.

~ from THE FACE BEFORE I WAS BORN by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee The Face Before I Was Born journey

Not a goal, but the journey

The serpentine path was the path of my life, a snakelike, meandering path, winding in and out, up and down. The antithesis of the "straight and narrow." A path that does not ever "come to a point." Two steps left, two steps right. Into the darkness, into the light. Not a goal, but the journey... . I did not know who or what might be ahead on the serpentine path, but I felt a sense of eagerness and anticipation. The dance is about to begin. The dance of my life. It begins anew every day.

~ Carol P. Christ
Carol P. Christ journey

Still the question: shall I ever get there?

I am being driven forward
Into an unknown lane.
The pass grows steeper,
The air colder and sharper.
A wind from my unknown goal
Stirs the strings of expectation.
Still the question:
Shall I ever get there?
There where life resounds,
A clear pure note
in the silence.

~ from MARKINGS by Dag Hammerskold
Dag Hammerskold Markings journey

The journey that matters

It is the Journey that matters in the end.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous journey

Pilgrimages belong to the inner world

I see the way of the artist as a kind of pilgrimage. When you go on a pilgrimage, you set out from where you happen to be and start walking toward a place of great sanctity in the hope of returning from it renewed, enriched, and sanctified. However far you may walk, every pilgrimage is a safari into your own dark interior, an inner journey. For pilgrimages belong to the inner world, to the realm called the "religious."

~ Frederick Franck in "Sacred Journey," April 2001
Frederick Franck Sacred Journey (april 2001) journey

A journey may feel as if it sweeps towards the skyline

A journey may feel as if it sweeps towards the skyline, but the sound it makes is always within yourself. The seat of transformation is within.

~ from ON PILGRIMAGE by J. Lash
J. Lash On Pilgrimage journey

Swirling changewinds call us to undertake a new passage of the spiritual journey

When changewinds swirl through our lives, they often call us to undertake a new passage of the spiritual journey: that of confronting the lost and counterfeit places within us and releasing our deeper, innermost self–our true selves. They call us to come home to ourselves, to become who we really are.

~ from WHEN THE HEART WAITS by Sue Monk Kidd
Sue Monk Kidd When The Heart Waits journey

You alone can respond to your call

In being true to the small voice within, you are being of service to others and to the world in the most profound way possible. You cannot know where that voice will take you, but in being willing "to save the only life you could save," you are affirming one of the deepest and most sobering truths of all: no one else can ever walk your journey for you. You alone can respond to your call.

~ from TEN POEMS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE by Roger Housden
Roger Housden Ten Poems To Change Your Life journey

We journey together, passengers on a little spaceship

We journey together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on its vulnerable supplies of air and soil; all committed for our safety to its security and peace, preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work, and the love we give our fragile craft.

~ Adlai E. Stevenson
Adlai E. Stevenson journey

The spiritual journey is a story of a return to our heart, the very center of our being, that has been obscured by our driving compulsion to create our own identify. ... Pat Eastman

The spiritual journey is a story of a return to our heart, the very center of our being, that has been obscured by our driving compulsion to create our own identify.

~ Pat Eastman
Pat Eastman journey

Go as far as your own heart

If you wish to meet the Beloved, go as far as your own heart.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous journey

The greatest journeys

The greatest journeys are made because of the call of the heart.

~ David La Chapelle
David La Chapelle journey

Everyone belongs, for we journey together

We all belong in the heart of God. We belong in God; that is where our heart has its home. In God's heart we always find what we need: attentiveness, the responsiveness, the safe haven for our vulnerable selves. We all belong in the heart of God.

We all belong to God, not as a possession to be grasped, but as a partner in a loving union in which we become free and vibrantly alive. We all belong in the heart of God. Everyone belongs, for we journey together and we are who we are by virtue of our belonging to one another.

~ From "Quantum Grace" in "Earthlight" 2005 by Judy Cannato
Judy Cannato Quantum Grace, Earthlight 2005 journey

June 2007 (Vol. XX, No. 6)

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

May BLESSINGS OF BEAUTY abound in your life, dear friends ... the simple beauty of a kind, random act of sharing ... the gentle beauty of early morning dew defining a spider's web ... the beauty of communal meditation in the Silence ... the terrible beauty of a great loving response to disaster ... the sacred beauty of unity in diversity ... the wondrous beauty of our Earth home from outer space. Pondering Beauty's gifts in the Silence can evoke a deeper appreciation of Her presence in your life. As Evelyn Underhill put it, "Beauty is reality seen with the eyes of Love. "

Life is about finding the beauty inside oneself, and offering it to the world

I believe that life is about finding the beauty inside oneself, and offering it to the world. I want to live a simple life of integrity and beauty; to live and work from the stillpoint, from the silence. I seek peace with myself, I want to be a person of thought rather than words. More than anything else, I am being asked to walk with slowness, thoughtfulness. Slowness invites an awareness of beauty.

~ from "Heron Dance," Issue 34, Rod McIver, artist
Rod McIver Issue 34, Heron Dance beauty

The world is a mirror of infinite beauty, yet no one sees it

The world is a mirror of infinite beauty,
yet no one sees it.
It is a Temple of majesty,
yet no one regards it.
It is a region of Light and Peace,
did not humans disquiet it.
It is the Paradise of God,
the place of Angels,
and the Gate of Heaven.

~ from CENTURIES OF MEDITATIONS by Thomas Traherne
Thomas Traherne Centuries Of Meditations beauty Buy on Amazon

God as our mother recognizes the beauty within all the broken and discarded parts of ourselves

One of my mother's most amazing characteristics is the way she has always valued and created beauty, even at a time in her life when such valuing seemed to threaten survival. In this, I know my mother to be the image of God. Not only has God created all things beautiful from nothing; this is no more than we would expect. In those country barns, my mother recognized broken pieces of furniture for what they were and she paid for their re-creation by going hungry. In the same way, God as our mother recognizes the beauty within all the broken and discarded parts of ourselves ...

~ from MEMORIES OF GOD by Roberta C. Bondi
Roberta C. Bondi Memories Of God beauty

By their truth and their beauty we recall our heavenly origin

Exiled on earth as we are, unless we are able to content ourselves with that shadow of Paradise that is Virgin Nature, we must create for ourselves surroundings which, by their truth and their beauty recall our heavenly origin and thereby also awaken our hope.

~ Frithjof Schuon
Frithjof Schuon beauty

All that we call beautiful is a kind of vessel, like love, that holds what we know

Beauty lies at the heart of the tea ceremony. Each object used must be beautiful. Special cups are made for this ceremony. Even to look on these cups is to be brought into a wider, calmer realm of the self.

The tea master Okakura KaKuzo has said that beauty evokes harmony and the mystery of mutual charity... . All that we call beautiful is a kind of vessel, like love, that holds what we know.

~ from A CHORUS OF STONES by Susan Griffin
Susan Griffin A Chorus Of Stones beauty Buy on Amazon

Who can afford to live without beauty?

Who can afford to live without beauty?
Beauty fills us with passion;
it graces us with joy and lights up our existence.
A landscape, a piece of music, a film, a dance –
suddenly all dreariness is gone,
we are left bewitched and dazzled.
If we get lost in dark despair,
beauty takes us back to Center.

~ Piero Ferrucci
Piero Ferrucci beauty

A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world

A lifetime isn't long enough for the beauty of this world and the responsibilities of your life.

~ Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver beauty

Beauty -- bountiful blessings of the Beloved

BEAUTY: bountiful blessings of the Beloved ...
praise, humility, gratitude,
our response.

~ Anonymous
Anonymous beauty

Beauty is before me and beauty is behind me

Beauty is before me
And beauty is behind me
Above and below me hovers the beautiful
I am surrounded by it
I am immersed in it
In my youth I am aware of it
And in old age I shall walk quietly
The beautiful trail.

~ Native American Prayer
Native American Prayer beauty

Guided by my heritage of a love of beauty

Guided by my heritage of a love of beauty
and respect for strength – in search of my
mother's garden, I found my own.

~ Alice Walker
Alice Walker beauty

Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans

Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to that recognition. Without our fully realizing it, flowers would become for us an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves.

~ from A NEW EARTH by Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle A New Earth beauty Buy on Amazon

Beauty is a celebration of is-ness

Beauty is a celebration of is-ness... Beauty is felt in the now, with no if-only's or should-be's or someday-it-might-be's.

~ from GIFTS OF THE GRANDMOTHER by JoAnne Dodgson
JoAnne Dodgson Gifts Of The Grandmother beauty

To the medieval thinker beauty was not a value independent of others

To the medieval thinker beauty was not a value independent of others, but rather the radiance of truth, the splendor of ontological perfection, and that quality of things which reflects their origin in God. Light and luminous objects, no less than musical consonance, conveyed an insight into the perfection of the cosmos, and a divination of the Creator.

~ Otto von Simson
Otto von Simson beauty

Perhaps it seems surprising that physicists seek beauty

Perhaps it seems surprising that physicists seek beauty, but in fact they have no choice. As yet there has not been an exception to the rule that the demonstrable solution to any problem will turn out to be an aesthetic solution.

~ from GUT SYMMETRIES by Jeanette Winterson
Jeanette Winterson Gut Symmetries beauty

Beauty is eternal

Beauty is eternal
forever new ...

~ Anonymous
Anonymous beauty

Beauty is the name we give our response to the perfection we sense around us

Composers know how to use harmony and melody like a net to catch beauty's colors and radiance. And when we like what we hear, we open our pores to take in more – just as we close them against what seems ugly or offensive. Isn't that why we remember so vividly the hours or days spent in places we love, perhaps in the mountains or by the sea, where all our senses were awake?

Where is beauty located? Everywhere we recognize it: the pattern is in us. Beauty is the name we give our response to the perfection we sense around us, and within us.

~ from THE NATURE OF MUSIC by Maureen McCarthy Draper
Maureen McCarthy Draper The Nature Of Music beauty

Pages