heartsteps

 

 

"Divine World" by Kahlil Gibran

Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars, sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows – then let your heart say in silence, “God rests in reason.”

And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the fiorest, and the thunder and lightening proclaim the majesty of the sky, – then let your heart say in awe, “God moves in passion.”

And since you are a breath in God’s sphere, and a leaf in God’s forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.

Kahlil Gibran

Sing to Life, a new song!
Sing to Life, all Creation!
Sing of compassion and temper your deeds with kindness.
Sing to all the world and tell of the miracles that sustain us daily.
Yet Wonder is greater than praise, no words can capture it’s Essence.
All words are idols, all ideas snares -
Truth is beyond opinion,
Reality lies beyond thought’s last horizon.
Splendour and majesty leave us speechless.
Strength and beauty are touched not talked.
Let your worship be acts of beauty and holiness;
Let all the world stand together in awe.
Declare among the nations: “All is God!
Maintain the world with justice!”
The heavens rejoice and the earth is glad;
the seas roar their praise.
The fields exult; the forests sing.
For all the world is rooted in righteousness.

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro

Subhuti was Buddha’s disciple. He was able to understand the potency of emptiness, the viewpoint that nothing exists except in its relationship of subjectivity and objectivity. 

One day Subhuti, in a mood of sublime emptiness, was sitting under a tree. Flowers began to fall about him.

“We are praising you for your discourse on emptiness,”  the gods whispered to him.

“But I have not spoken of emptiness,” said Subhuti.

“You have not spoken of emptiness, we have not heard emptiness,” responded the gods. “This is the true emptiness.” And blossoms showered upon Subhuti as rain.

Paul Reps

Dear God.
There is so much danger in the world today.
There is so much insanity, so much darkness and fear.
Our human resources are not enough to counter the evil on our streets and in our minds.
Dear God,
Please send a miracle.
Into every country and every home, into every mind and every heart, may the power of Your spirit now trigger the light, activate our holiness, remind of of the truth within.
May a great love now encompass us, a deep peace give us solace.
For Lord, we live in fearful times, and we long for a new world.
We surrender what is, to the bonfire of Your genius.
Refine this metal.
Refashion our creations.
Remind us of eternal truths.
Return us to our native grace.
Take back what we have kept and thus condemned.
For You are mighty, Lord, and can do what we cannot.
May the world be reborn.
Help us forgive and leave the past behind us, the future to be directed by You.
Hallelujah, for You have the power.
Praise and thanksgiving, as You use it to save us, to heal us, to lift us from the past.
And we accept.
Thank You very much.
Amen.

Marianne Williamson

“I want to know the mind of God,” Einstein said. “The rest are details.” What is the mind of God? Consciousness. What does it mean to know the mind of God? To be aware. What are the details? Your outer purpose, and whatever happens outwardly.

So while you are still waiting for something significant in your life, you may not realize that the most significant thing that can happen to a human being has already happened within you: the beginning of the separation process of thinking and awareness.

Many people who are going through the early stages of the awakening process are no longer certain what their outer purpose is. What drives the world no longer drives them. Seeing the madness of our civilization so clearly, they may feel somewhat alienated from the culture around them. Some feel that they inhabit a no-man’s-land between two worlds. They are no longer run by the ego, yet the arising awareness has not yet become fully integrated into their lives. Inner and outer purpose have not merged.

Eckhart Tolle

Let’s be clear that few people are committed to God’s work. Of those who say they are, only a handful are actively demonstrating that commitment. Don’t expect the world to support your journey to authenticity. It will not!

The world supports only what it understands. And right now all it understands is duty and sacrifice. That will change in time. But don’t expect it too soon. Don’t go into your lifework with the hope of worldly support and approval.

Those who understand my teachings and try to live them are often treated with disdain by the world. Don’t be surprised if this happens to you. It is not a sign of divine disapproval that other men and women feel envious of or threatened by you.

If this happens, bear it patiently and send love and acceptance to others. When they see that you have their highest good at heart, they will soften to you. If you are committed to the journey, your patience will be rewarded. But, if you are seeking approval or recognition, you will not find it.

Pay no mind to the religion of abundance. That is no more true nor helpful than the religion of sacrifice. God does not necessarily reward spiritual work with material success. All rewards are spiritual. Happiness, joy, compassion, peace, sensitivity: these are the rewards for a life lived in integrity.

If material success does not come, it is not important. If it seems important, and resentment develops, then more ego simply needs to be stripped away. One must learn, once and for all, to stop measuring spiritual riches with a worldly yardstick.

If material success comes, it is often a test to see if one can transcend self-interest and greed. One who is unwilling to share his material wealth with others is not spiritual.

Material wealth, like all other gifts, is given that it may be shared with others. If you are holding onto God’s gift to you, you will not reap the reward of true prosperity, which is happiness and peace.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your lifework must bring in a large paycheck. If you believe this, and your work does not meet with worldly success, you will think you have chosen the wrong work. You will feel inadequate and unworthy. You will beat yourself up and abandon your gift.

On the other hand, don’t make the mistake of thinking that you must be poor to serve God. A rich person can serve God as well as one of humble means if he is willing to share his riches. It matters not how much you hold in your hands, but whether your hands are extended outward to your brother or sister. Look from the inside out, look into your heart, at your intention, and you will see things as God sees them.

All men and women are entrusted with a gift. It does not matter how one person’s gift compares to that of another. What matters is that each person comes to embrace the gift and offer it to others.

"Laughing Christ" by Noel Counihan

There is only One Son of God
and You are He.

From Him, you receive.
To Him, you give.

When you look at yourself,
may you remember.

When you look at your brother,
may you also remember.

When you look away in fear,
remember only this:

Subject and Object,
Lover and Beloved,

are not two,
but one and the same.

What you give
and what you receive

are reflections
of each other.

Paul Ferrini

There is a morning where presence
comes over you, and you sing
like a rooster in your earth-coloured shape.

Your heart hears and, no longer frantic,
begins to dance. At that moment
soul reaches total emptiness.

Your heart becomes Mary, miraculously pregnant,
and body, like a two-day old Jesus,
says wisdom words.

Now the heart turns to light,
and the body picks up the tempo.

Where Shams Tabriz walks, the footprints
are musical notes, and holes
you fall through into space.

Rumi

Lord, make me an
instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

I am the child of the universe.
She puts her almighty protection around me.
I am free from accidents, death, sickness.
I am now shining with golden light from top to toe.
I am her chosen protected child, and she is my shield.
The winds shall aid my progress.
Water shall cleanse me from fear,
Fire will purify my doubts.
And the earth shall nourish me to health.
All is well, all is well, all is well.

Zsuzsanna E. Budapest

Dear God,
I have been betrayed.
Take me away from this pain.
Let me not be tempted to wrong those who have
wronged me, or hate those who hate me.
But rather, dear God, please use Your power on
my behalf,
That through Your love I might invoke the light,
That through Your forgiveness I might speed
resurrection,
That through Your grace the spirit of the Lord
might enter and make all things right.
Let me not be tempted by darkness, even
though it is all around me.
Let me continue to see the good in others,
Even when they have turned the arrows of their
fear at me.
Be my shield, dear Lord.
And please be my protector.
Awaken in others the truth in their hearts.
And awaken the same in me.
I have faith in You, dear God to right all
wrongs, to make all things clear, to bring
light out of apparent darkness.
I hold to You.
I bless those who have not blessed me.
I forgive them and I forgive myself.
Or so do I wish to do.
I ask for Your help.
I pray for comfort.
Thank You very much.
Amen.

Marianne Williamson

And then compassion will be wedded to power
And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind
And then both men and women will be gentle
And then both men and women will be strong
And then no person will be subject to another’s will
And then all will be rich and free and varied

And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many
And then all will equally share in the Earth’s abundance
And then we will all care for the sick and the weak and the old
And then all will nourish the young
And then all will cherish life’s creatures
And then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth
And then everywhere will be called Eden once again

Judy Chicago 

My fiftieth year had come and gone,
I sat, a solitary man,
In a crowded London shop
An open book and empty cup
On the marble table-top.

While on the shop and street I gazed
My body of a sudden blazed;
And twenty minutes more or less
It seemed, so great my happiness,
That I was blessed and could bless.

William Butler Yeats

I add my breath to your breath
that our days may be long on the Earth,
That the days of our people may be long,
that we shall be as one person,
that we may finish our road together.

Why
Just ask the donkey in me
To speak to the donkey in you.

When I have so many other beautiful animals
And brilliant coloured birds inside
That are all longing to say something wonderful
And exciting to your heart?

Let’s open all the locked doors upon our eyes
That keep us from knowing the Intelligence
That begets love
And a more lively and satisfying conversation
With the Friend.

Let’s turn loose our golden falcons
So that they can meet in the sky
Where our spirits belong -
Necking like two
Hot kids.

Let’s hold hands and get drunk near the sun
And sing sweet songs to God
Until He joins us with a few notes
From his own sublime lute and drum.

If you have a better idea
Of how to pass a lonely night
After your glands may have performed
All their little magic

Then speak up sweethearts, speak up,
For Hafiz and all the world will listen.

Why just bring your donkey to me
Asking for stale hay
And a boring conference with the idiot
In regards to this precious matter -
Such a precious matter as love,

When I have so many other divine animals
And brilliant coloured birds inside
That are all longing
To so sweetly
Greet
You!

Hafiz

Father-Mother Earth, We pray thee at sunrise and sunset, that you may not abandon your sacred duty of sustaining our lives. The water that quenches our thirst, the air that we breathe, the trees that provide shade, and the animals that give us company, all make life real and creation complete. We the children of the Earth pray for wisdom, that we in turn may be good custodians of these precious gifts to us and our unborn generations. For if we fail to safeguard these resources, man’s moral standing as the most intelligent animal will be questionable. Furthermore, if we fail Nature, we shall have failed ourselves and the generations that come after us. And judgement will be very harsh on us.

I honour your gods
I drink at your well
I bring an undefended heart to our meeting place
I have no cherished outcome
I will not negotiate by withholding
I am not subject to disappointment

Understand that here in this moment, there is nothing wrong with you or your life. Everything is as it should be. Right now, in this moment, you are completely loved.

Are you in pain or conflict? Okay. But that does not mean that you are not completely loved. The idea that being in pain cuts you off from love is an idea that you have imposed on the situation. In truth, nothing cuts you off from love, save your own beliefs. And that is why you are in pain in the first place. You are in pain because you think and feel that you have been cut off from love.

You invert the truth of the situation. You made a cause an effect and effect a cause. That is your fear in action. Understand this so that you can see beyond it. Let your awareness deepen. See your whole ego drama for what it is.

Paul Ferrini

Dear God:

Today, this day, I give to you.

Do within me what you want to do.

Please make of my heart your vessel and servant.

May the glorious light of the Lord of Creation find a restful home inside my soul.

May I be no more who I used to be.

I embrace the divine child within me.

May it burst forth now to bless the world.

May I not be tempted to doubt the light that lights the entire world.

Illuminate the earth and save the world.

Thank you, Lord.

Amen

Marianne Williamson

The soft, glowing presence of planet Earth in the black abyss had a pristine clarity uncaptured by photographs. Images on film lack the subtle shades, the brightness, and the depth of the living sphere, which bulged out of the blackness as I sailed outward on Apollo 11… From the deep blue of the Mediterranean, all of Europe and Africa sprawled away in soft pastels, innocent of political boundaries. And from the surface of the moon, where I could cover with my thumb the site of all human history, the Earth seemed fragile as a Christmas ornament, drifting like a lost balloon on the black velvet of space. The image of a living Earth, capable of extinction, disarms illusions of individual or tribal isolation. We gained more than altitude in those 66 years from Kitty Hawk to the moon. Seeing Earth not as an extension of man, but man as an extension of Earth.”

Buzz Aldrin

Love brings us into the right relations with all persons and all things; love removes inharmony, perverted feelings. obstacles, barriers and all kinds of unnatural conditions, and produces that one perfect oneness through which the beautiful life can come forth. He who has placed himself in oneness with man can easily find his unity with God; but no one can find God who does not love man. When we love the whole race with the whole heart, then we can enter the presence of Him who is love.

Christian Larson

What you call thinking is the voice of knowledge making up stories, telling you what you know, and trying to make sense out of everything you don’t know. The problem is that the voice makes you do many things that go against yourself.

The voice in your head is like a wild horse taking you wherever it wants to go. Once you tame the horse, you can ride the horse, and knowledge becomes a tool for communication that takes you where you want to go.

The voice of knowledge rules your life, and it is a tyrant. If you refuse to obey that voice, it becomes quieter and quieter, and speaks to you less and less until it no longer controls you. When the voice loses power over you, lies no longer rule your life, and you become authentic again.

Don Miguel Ruiz

My life is a jewel box of precious moments. When I count and encounter my blessings, I experience a sense of fullness, safety and satisfaction. I have enough. My heart is bountiful. My life is dowried by rich companions and rewarding experiences. As I experience the power and goodness of the universe, I experience my own power and goodness. I experience that I am enough – more than enough. I experience flow and expanded flow. Opening to receive this flow, I become larger and more magnificent. I am a part of a grand and glorious design. A grand and glorious design is part of me. I celebrate the grandeur of this fact with a humble heart.

Julia Cameron

Broken Jar

Reverently touch green and dream visions of heroes and horses, gardens and gems. They’re moments only, but we remember. Hunters leaning to embrace on ice dreams of giant-tusked beasts, white-bright and formed like snowshoes of sinew and heart. Hummingbirds flying through forests where the sun’s a heart and mushrooms tower. We are with child crying, veiling joy’s spring.

Through reluctant day we make our way toward the impatient horizon, together walking. The leader will not lead, followers follow. In the antic-strewn field empty smiles mock uncertain sorrow. Companions play the fool and laugh and home is a dream that will not return. Here where memory darkly flows and children suffer, an ancient promise. Our compact’s golden but necessity binds us to this path.

But holy ground will shrink. Man will find his place. Heaven’s a blue arc. There’s a yellow sun. Breath’s the watery world turned sky.The bluebird’s song is the dancer’s delight. Repose is good for dreaming creation. Time enough to act: for faith in sunrise, seeds and branches, wounds and hospitals. “Now” is our most ancient dream: clear water, vast silence, beyond reverie’s frame. Oh for a following breeze…and faith. Beneath our dreaming prow hope slips like froth.

The desert’s silent as night. There’s a moon at which to point. Amongst the spinning worlds, we encounter an old question, consider the indigo sky, the light and the dark. May we hear the song of one hand clapping, step from world to world without a backward glance. May we have courage in the red-rimmed day and shelter for night-time dreaming. May the pails we have mistaken for helmets protect us all the days of our life.

Bernard Laurie Edwards

“Jesus is coming…look busy”

Listen, and feel the beauty of your separation,
the unsayable absence.

There is a moon inside every human being.
Learn to be companions with it.

Give more of your life to this listening.
 
As brightness is to time,
so you are to the one who talks
to the deep ear in your chest.

I should sell my tongue and buy a thousand ears
when that one steps near and begins to speak.

Rumi

When we recognize the Divine

Presence everywhere, then we know

that It responds to us and that

there is a Law of Good, a Law of

Love, forever giving itself to us.

Ernest Holmes 

The sage is illumined
by an inner light
glowing the awareness
of the Tao,

Knowing giving
is the same as receiving,
and truth teaching
is the job of living,

In raising collective consciousness
to new levels of conduct
where compassion is spread impartially,
all inclusively, spontaneously,
to cover all possible scenarios,

Realizing the bad man is but
the good man’s opportunity
to do love’s duty,
instructing while conveying respect,
without judging,

One thought,
one action
at a time,
making the universe
a better place.

Gordon Neumann

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate
     it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a
     full-time informal school called, “life.”

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a
     process of trial, error, and experimentation. The
    ”failed” experiments are as much a part of the
     process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”

4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A
     lesson will be presented to you in various forms
     until you have learned it. When you have learned it,
     you can go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end. There’s no part of
     life that doesn’t contain its lessons. If you’re
     alive, that means there are still lessons to be
     learned.

6. “There” is no better a place than “here.” When
      your “there” has become a “here”, you will simply
      obtain another “there” that will again look better
      than “here.”

7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You
     cannot love or hate something about another person
     unless it reflects to you something you love or hate
     about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have
     all the tools and resources you need. What you do
     with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to
     life’s questions lie within you. All you need to do
     is look, listen, and trust.

10. You will forget all this.

You are the heart, you are the hands
You are the voice of Spirit on Earth
And who you are, and all you do, is a blessing to the world.

We are the heart, we are the hands
We are the voice of Spirit on Earth
And who we are, and all we do, is a blessing to the world.

I am the heart, I am the hands
I am the voice of Spirit on Earth
And who I am, and all I do, is a blessing to the world.

Karen Drucker

Blessing to the World