Simplicity

Soooo....here are my thoughts on each one the testimonies. Beginning with:

Simplicity.

* Moderation
* Finding balance, a healthy pace in life.
* Gratitude, for what you already have.
* Awareness of how my choices effect myself, other people and the Earth.

The opposite of Simplicity is Greed.

 

"Friends, whatever ye are addicted to, the tempter will come in that thing; and when he can trouble you, then he gets advantage over you, and then you are gone. Stand still in that which is pure, after ye see yourselves; and then mercy comes in. After thou seest thy thoughts, and the temptations, do not think, but submit; and then power comes. Stand still in that which shows and discovers; and then doth strength immediately come. And stand still in the Light, and submit to it, and the other will be hushed and gone; and then content comes."

-George Fox, 1652 (20.42)

Experiment with Light, Svartbäcken, part III

Wow, what an amazing, powerful, awesome experience. I was thrilled when we were told that we'd get to do this modern yet perhaps old (?) Quaker experiment. :) 'A guided Light meditation' I think is what J.R. called it... That's what I'd call it too.

Now, I can't remember all the 'steps' so please have that in mind when you read what I've written...

We were in the Silence, told to wait In the Light rather than For the Light... and as soon as those words were spoken something shifted in me. I sensed the Light in a way I haven't before. I struggled to hang on to it when she told us to bring what we stuggle with into the Light but it stayed there, shimmering, growing brighter...

I was In the Light..

'Surrender it to the Light, Trust the Light.' Wow...! Oh. My. Goodness.

I'm hesitate to write what I'm about to... but I know now (perhaps I've always know?) that I have the Answers, the truth...My Truth, in me...In the Light. (!?!) Wow...

An experience, and a knowledge, which left my face wet with tears.

After that session we had some time to ourselves, followed with Worship Sharing and then dinner in well-needed silence. :)

In the Light,

Svartbäcken, part II

Kids got picked up by my little sister on Thursday afternoon, so my 'retreat' began when I came home Thursay night. Packing, sorting, tidying. Smiling... so excited!

Friday:
Woke way too early to make sure I had packed what I needed...I'd stopped packing the previous night as I realised I might have stuff to last me at least a week! :) Cleared it down to the bare minimum (and I could have managed with even less! ;)).

In the midst of packing sorting out cats and house for me going away I decided to colour my hair?! :D :D :D Well, it needed doing but perhaps not right then and there...! :)

At 10:45 I met up with L.B, A and J (who was a surprise appearance, a happy one!) and we got ourselves and our stuff into L.B.'s car and on we went. We talked a lot on the way up, sharing, asking questions, getting new perspective on things - a good journey!

We stopped for lunch at Brahehus and then stopped at Draknyckeln in Järna for a cup of tea before the last long stretch through the horrific afternoon traffic in Stockholm. At about 6ish we finally arrived at the Swedish Quaker retreatcenter, Svartbäcken.

(image: from kvakare.se)

We were warmly greeted by J.R. and her lovely green pea soup and sandwiches. :)

Afterwards we sat in the Meeting room talking about what we wanted to learn and know more about during Saturday. We had LOTS of questions! :D I was very excited to find out we'd get to meet more Friends, some of whom I've been in touch with via e-mail. :) We wrapped things up about 9ish and I had a good talk with J.R. afterwards in the kitchen and I also got to have a nice chat with Alice (Swedens newest Friend, who arrived at Svartbäcken just before 10 and was our cook for the weekend).
Some time after 10 I went to bed with William Penn (Emilia Fogelklou's book on him). ;)

Saturday:
I had offered to help out with prepping breakfast so I was in the kitchen quite early. We'd been informed that to get a bit of a 'retreat-feeling' we'd have some meals (for example breakfast) in silence. It was... lovely to have that stillness at the beginning of the day... No chattering, just soft music in the background and peace. To have time for a beautiful and a breakfast that lacked nothing was... fantastic.

Just after 9 we gathered in the Meeting room, which is just next to the 'dinning room' (I will post pictures later) and we got right down to business! :D J.R. started with the 'easy' stuff, stuff that has an actual and one answer. For example, how the Religious Society of Friends is organised in Sweden and the world. LOTS of acronyms! :) ;) :)
FWCC: SoA, AS, AWP & EMES and QCEA.
...and lets not to forget FCNL, AFSC and QUNO...! ;)
*lol* I'm sure I've forgotten a few of the acronyms and the Committees and Executive Secretaries and General Secretaries mentioned but I feel that I got a good grasp of how the organisation works, which was one of the main things I was interested in finding out more about.

Before lunch another Friend had arrived, making the total 4 so J.R. took advantage of the situation and did a 'interview a Friend'-game. :D We were divided into pairs and we had 10 minutes/Friend to whatever question we were eager to find an (or four!) answers too and the result was cool! :) :) :) There are very few set answers in Quakerism. :)

After lunch there was more talking, learning, sharing. In the midst of all of this there was short, silent, breaks and I love the Worship Sharing we did as well as a way of letting things settle...and to hear what and how things had settled with others. :)

After our afternoon fika-break we got to experience Experiment with Light, which was...beyond words, yet, I'll try and explain my experience of it in my next post. :)

Love&Light,

Being back2front?

I should so be in bed right now but I had another 'revelation' tonight that I just had to write it down however tired and muddled it might sound... Tomorrow I might not remember my thoughts...

Things that are 'easy' I make difficult for myself by feeling not good enough, guilty and by being too hard on myself.. The hard stuff on the other hand I shrugg my shoulders at, I 'make' them easier than they actually are, I cope, I manage... no guilt, no putting myself down or doubting my capabilities.

Is that, or isn't it, the right way round...? Should the easy really be hard and the hard, easy...? Is that the recipe for 'success'? ...or for disaster...?

I'm not yet sure what I think about it all more than that I had the thought... hmm..

Love&Light,

Stop questioning

Hay Quaker does it again. The right quote at the right time...

Love&Light,

"I want to taste and glory in each day, and never be afraid to experience pain; and never shut myself up in a numb core of nonfeeling, or stop questioning and criticizing life and take the easy way out. To learn and think: to think and live; to live and learn: this always, with new insight, new understanding, and new love."

- Sylvia Plath

Always coping...

Is that a bad thing...? I think it is and it isn't... Just like with me being 'too kind'... It's a good thing...and it isn't...

I'm trying, I want to surrender...to trust that things are going just the way they're supposed to...just like I believe that they are...! (not sure if that made any sense to anyone else but me!)

What I mean is... I know things are going, happening, occuring for a reason, a purpose bigger than myself and they are not always (rarely?) about me but about being a part of this 'web of life' (sounds a bit cheesy but I can't find a better word right now) that we're all a part of. I believe in a sort of ripple effect...that every action has a reaction - cause and effect - falling, stumbling, hurting to learn, grow, evolve... know what I mean??

The Source and Aim for all of this is always Compassion! Never ever being about pointless torture to the amusement of... God(s) (or whatya'ma'callit) - even if I too admit to feeling unfairly stomped on at (current) times...

I know this, yet I struggle with trusting it.

I want to learn how to trust...

In the Light?


This was sooo not the post I had imagined writing...!

Happy 1st anniversary!

I want to wish Hay Quaker Blog a Very Happy 1st Anniversary with a big Thank You! :)
...for doing that thing with words that is soooo awesome...! :) The 'magic' that happens - the right words at the right time, the lifting and encouragement and hope that words can bring. Thank you, for posting things that has made me re-think and re-evaluate my own thoughts or confirm ideas that I've not yet settled into... :)

Thank you for a GREAT blog!

Love&Light,

Women Who Roar

I just read this article by Shelby Sledge , Women Who Roar - 10 ways to be a lioness and change the world , on beliefnet.com and I got goosebumps! :)

The king of the jungle always gets the attention. But shouldn't we spend some time looking at the power behind the throne, the queen of the jungle? Lisa Bevere, author of "Lioness Arising: Wake Up and Change Your World" believes we should. Women are like the lioness. They are powerful, strong and nurturing. Remember: You are stunning. You were born for this moment. Don't be afraid of your strength, questions, or insights. Awaken, rise up and dare to realize all you were created to be.

The Lioness is a good mother.
A lioness will not endanger another lioness's cub any more than she'd endanger her own. As women, we should be committed to putting distance between all Earth's children and whatever endangers them or threatens them. It is not enough to be concerned with our own children. Every child deserves an equal chance of survival. Every child needs to be protected, nurtured, trained and provided for.

A Lioness is a strong and powerful creature.
The Lioness is at ease with her strength, at rest with her power They are powerful hunters, but spend much of their time in rest and play. Women are the same. If we limit ourselves with our fear of our own might, we forfeit our strength and beauty. When we stop struggling in our own ability, our true strength is revealed. Embrace your strength! Do not mistake meekness for weakness! It is tempered strength and controlled might!

The Lioness sets aside former limitations.

Lionesses often fail when they first learn to hunt, but that doesn't mean they never hunt again. Hardship is a catalyst for improvement. You may fail at your first attempts to develop strength, but this is part of the learning process. Accept your failures as stepping stones to your strength and future successes.

The Lioness helps those who falter.
A lioness will bring meat to a lion that is afraid to venture into the wilderness himself. Women should also reach out to those who need help. Turning back or waiting for others may slow you down, but only at first. The deliberate extension of goodness, generosity and wisdom always wins out in the end.

The Lioness hunts with other lionesses.
Lionesses are the only big cats that hunt in concerted groups. They also groom each other after the hunt. Women must help each other keep our lives clean. We speak into one another's lives and invite others to give their input as well. Together, we laugh, cry, pray and confess fears, sins and weaknesses. Sometimes we disagree but that doesn't mean we disband. Just as lionesses hunt together, without competition and without breaking rank, no woman's portion or contribution is more significant than another's. Each woman has her own skill set that contributes to a valued whole.

The Lioness is stunning.
A lioness is a beautiful creature. They move with purpose, aware that the survival of their pride depends on their legacy of skill and strength. Women of every shape, size and color are as stunning, wild and fierce as the lioness. There is incredible beauty in the strength of a woman. You are capable of incredible things. Recognize this and revel in it!

The Lioness has prowess.
Lionesses are the height of hunting prowess. Their ability to provide for their pride is unmatched. Like the lioness, women too have prowess. There is exceptional ability, strength or valor waiting to be developed in every woman's life. You may not know or do everything, but what you do know, you chose to do well!

The Lioness hunts in the dark.
A lioness has the ability to see in the dark. She can take the smallest point of light and transform it into sight. Women too should take the smallest points of light and hope and transform them into sight. There are desperate people all over the world who are trapped in the darkness, waiting for someone to bring hope into their lives. There is power in the realization of a connection, that we are not alone in our struggles. So reach out to those around you with darkness in their lives and offer them hope, love and light!

The Lioness lives in the light.When a lioness isn't hunting, she has no reason to move about in the shadows. She conducts her life in the open, sun-filled expanses of Africa. She feels no shame and no need to hide. Like the lioness, women must live their lives in the open with a light-filled heart. You alone have the power to open your life to sunlight and live without fear or shame.

Lionesses roar.
When the cubs are threatened, lionesses will roar as a group in a fearless proclamation of protection. Women must also be a voice for the voiceless. We must learn to live what is within us out loud. All the intangibles of faith, hope and love become tangible within individuals, and are expressed in our unified response to the world's needs. Our roar will be the collective expression of hope and love to everyone around us and to all those who need us.

Adapted from "Lioness Arising: Wake Up and Change Your World" by Lisa Bevere. Lisa is the bestselling author of 15 books. She is also the co-host of the television program "The Messenger," which airs in more than 200 countries. For more information, please visit www.MessengerInternational.org and http://www.pearlalliance.org/.

Do-over time

Tomorrow's do-over-day. :)

Love&Light,

Jitterbugs

I hope I didn't totally bum you out with my last post...! Feeling lighter now. I do think a good cry is good...

Now I should be heading to bed. I've got an early:ish start tomorrow morning, even if it is a day off work. I'm going to my very first Meeting tomorrow and I'm a wee bit nervous about it, excited too..but...mostly sort of nervous...but in a good way! :)

I mean, it might all have felt right in my heart 'in theory' - so to speak, but it isn't (surely?) the same as when it is experienced in real life, with real people, in a real context...(?) :) So...I'm feeling just a tad bit jittery about tomorrow Meeting. I'm sure it will be a good experience whether theory and practice are a match, or not. :)

Now I'm off to bed! Sweet dreams.

Love&Light,

So, here I go...

I promise to love, honour and respect myself, so that I may be the best person I can be for those who I love and who love me in return.

By treating myself with kindness and compassion I stand as an example to others

(most importantly to my children)

of how they too can, and should, consider and treat themselves and others. We should not allow anyone, least ourselves, to put us down or dull our shine.

In the vast Universe there is only one of me

 and I am better than I hold myself to be.

From now on I will treat myself as I as well as I would want others to treat me, with love.

Love&Light,

Would you take the pledge with me...for you?

Zen...?

Things are...falling ...into place for me... Not in a practical, marital or financial sort of way but in a Me-kinda-way. :)

Just over a year ago I had this 'same' vibe too, I wrote about it in the family blog and the feeling stayed with me for a while...

I wrote then, April 2010:
****
On my way home from school today I got this awesome "I'm alright"-feeling. I was (I am!) good. Life kinda sucks sometimes but I really wouldn't changes things either...!

How boring would Life be if it just stood still?! No lesson's learnt, no life experience gained…! I like things/life to move and change and surprise me, not test me but challenge me…

Last year [2009] was eons from great, nowhere near good and far from alright… It was… manageable, mainly because I didn't know what else to do with life, but to manage it. It was hard, trying and heart breaking at times. But! I grew, like I've never grown before...! Thanks to all that crap I'm stronger, more secure in myself and more confident then I have been for a long time, if ever before!

Life still isn't great but it has the potential to be! :) Now we're mostly alright, sometimes even good and that gives me hope. No matter how Life evolves, what road I end up taking I hope, truly hope, that I'll not lose this zen-feeling - that things will be alright. That I am alright…

Where did that original feeling come from...? Because I've "always" had this it'll work out/it'll be alright-attitude to things...! I wish I was more "zen" about it - I'd stress less if I could truly embrace it...but! I've always had this gut-feeling that no matter what I choose, what path I walk - things will be alright in the end. Life will find a way to sort things out...

If I was religious I guess I'd call it faith in God or something but I'm not religious... But, I still have Faith, in Life...in me...?

Gosh! …someone must have been sending me an awesomeness vibe out of this world 'cause this isn't the "usual" passing feeling it's more and it's kinda cool! :)

*lol* Now don't think I've completely changed on you! ;)

Believe me, after a few tantrums (from both little ones!) before dinner was even on the table I'd lost a good bit of my "zen" *lol* but now that kiddies are asleep and when things have calmed down a bit I'm there again…

Cool.
****

The good feeling continued, more in April 2010:
****
How weird...or is it actually more weird to not have contentment as a "normal setting" in ones life? Hmm...?

What brought this "thing" on...? Spring? Weight loss?? The volcano...? ;) :D Why do I feel the need to poke at why, rather than just accept that things are...good...?? I'm good.

Weird... Or?
*lol*

I am OK. That really shouldn't feel weird, should it...!? 'Cause the option of feeling not OK really doesn't appeal to me either...! :)

I'm trying my hardest to accept and embrace this "vibe" I'm feeling but... (no but's!!)
****

This 'Zen-thing' has come over me again...now not in a surprising way, more of a reminder and it'd feel creepy if I wasn't so...'zen' about it... I feel... kind. calm. settled. safe. beautiful. lighter.

The words are sort of getting stuck in my head, I feel too bold (and somewhat embarrassed) for typing them. I keep deleting and rewriting the same things over and over and over all the while with this crazy ass smile on my face... *shaking my head*

I even wrote a vow to myself. *lol*
Dare I post it 'too'...? I'm feeling a bit loopy as is so I'll try and settle, some more...wait. Feels like I need to wait. So. I'm. waiting.

Love&Light,

First week @ work.

"Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy."

- Khalil Gibran

I love (and as usual when it comes to Gibran I agree with) those words, and sure...I might not feel that strongly about my job but, I do enjoy it. :) It's been a good first week back and I feel good, better than I thought I would, about going back. It has given me the rest and break from a great deal of the inner stress I was feeling before I made the decision to go back to work.

The 1½ hour commute (on public transport, i.e. the bus) to and from work has also given me space to just be, breathe and read and I just finished reading Women, Food and God, which I though was excellent. I'm considering forcing Husband to read it too - even if he's neither a woman or has issues with food (although I do think Geneen might say he does)... He does obsess about things and I think if he (or anyone else with obsessions or obsessive traits) can translate what is written about food and aimed at women to his specific 'issue' he too could get a great deal from this book.

I will return with a more complete review at a later point, but you already have a sense of where I'll be going with it. ;) :)

I have also had some time to think about my Word and I might (?) have reached somewhat of an epiphany... (shouldn't one be sure if one has!?) but...I'm mulling over it a bit before I share... ;)

So...I've got some things to share with y'all, we'll see when I have the time! :)

Love&Light,

~ Light ~

I'm not too sure how I will translate my one word into action, into being and into reality so I thought I'd start by finding some quotes :) about and around Light...
I found a great deal of inspiration and reasurance in my little evening quest. Sure, it's easy to find the answers one is looking for but these following words confirmed my choice. :)

I think Woodrow Wilsons words settled me the most and I loved the Maori proverb.

"Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue."
- Buddha

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."
- Abraham Lincoln


"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are
powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our Darkness,
that most frightens us."
- Marianne Williamson

"You cannot, in human experience, rush into the light. You have to go through the twilight into the broadening day before the noon comes and the full sun is upon the landscape."
- Woodrow Wilson

"Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished."
- Michael Strassfeld


"Turn your face to the sun
and the shadows fall behind you."
- Maori Proverb

My One Word for 2011

As you know I was initially a bit little apprehensive about this. Mainly because I know 2011 is going to be a year of change in my life and I didn't want to 'jinx it' the "wrong" way... Change is good, necessary even, it's just that I'd like to, if I can, skip any detours that a 'wrong' word would lead me on. ;)

Not sure if I should mention the words that came to me that I didn't choose...? Well, there was a few before the 'right one' hit me. :) The first words were of the type that I was concerned about...from an emotional origin rather than one of progress and growth... (wondering if I'm making too big of a deal about this!)

The word I chose I've been 'tasting' for the better part of the week, thinking about what it means to me and what I'd like for it to bring. Its versatility really appealed to me. Its content is both emotional, physical and spiritual.
This is my word for 2011:


Light - Illuminated (aglow, bright, clear, radiant)
- Not heavy (agile, graceful, slender)
- Content (mild. moderate, modest)
- Simple, easy (effortless, smooth)
- Funny, cheery (lighthearted)
- Luminescence from sun or other source (glimmer, glow, shine)
(read more on http://www.yourdictionary.com/light )
In bold you have what the word Light means to me, what I want to focus on and what I hope it'll to bring in the coming year.

Here's for a Light(er) 2011!

Can't wait to read Cora's word...! :) My Friday arrives a bit sooner than hers and I wanted to post this before the weekend "madness" began. :)

Letting go...

Love...

Do you love the one you love for you or do you love him for him (or her)...? Confusing? Yeah, it sure is. :P But! There is a difference!

Usually, naturally, there is a bit of both kinds of love in a relationship. Giving and taking. It's taken me a looong long time to (I think) "figure" this one out and I want to try it out on you "all"... ;) :)

Love can be about how safe, protected and loved you feel by your certain someone, i.e. loving someone for you for what you get out of Love. Or (and!) it can be the love you feel for your partner - what a great dad he is, what a kind heart he has or his quick wit. You love your partner for all the possibilities that he/she has for him- or herself...not what you get from Love but what Love enables you to see in you partner.

Again, love is usually, hopefully, a healthy mixture of both - from both lovers. But, a lot of the time, it's not. I say this both from my own experience and the experience of others. When there's an...let call it an imbalance of the two, not uncommonly between partners - where one loves for the all possibilities of the other and the other one love only for what he/she gets out of his/her partners affections. One of them could soar but is too frightened to do so...and the Love that he receives is...ultimately...wasted. This imbalance may last forever but will (again in my opinion) in the end to some degree be seasoned with bitterness.

There is also the desperate love between two partners who are both trying to fill themselves up with the other persons love, in the end draining each other out completely and usually ending in emotional, quite often dramatic, break-ups with wounds so deep they feel like they'll never heal.

Sometimes we're not even aware that we love someone only to fill a hole in ourselves rather than being the wind beneath our loved ones wings, helping them soar...

Is it right to deem one kind of love better than the other? I'm not sure, perhaps this will come back and bite me but I'm daring to say that Yes, there is a "better" more true kind of love...and it is not loving someone for yourself.

Because when you are in a relationship where you love each other, not for what you get, but what Love lets you give it is more true. You both grow, learn, evolve together into better, brighter, more beautiful versions of yourselves.

But, it's hard...we all have our own insecurities and old hurts that haven't healed so we love when love makes us feel special, beautiful, safe... We just have to be aware that what makes us special, beautiful, safe is our love for ourselves!

It's a cliché but it's true...you can't Love someone if you don't love yourself. You can give someone the illusion of love but it isn't the love that they, or you, deserve!

Find yourself first, love you, then give love and you'll get it back...! :)
I'm convinced of it!

Powerful Beyond Measure

It just struck me that I've not shared my most recent favourite quote, from my new favourite insightful person, Marianne Williamson! :D I can't believe I'd forgotten, she's (this passage!) is practically the reason for this blogs existence...! :)

It's the reason for me being in a place where I feel worthy and deserving of Good Things, where I feel allowed to be me, to shine. To shine bright for me, in my heart... Not to please or impress someone else or even to rub someones nose in my fabulousity! ;) :D :)

That's the power that words have! That's the power these words gave me...!

... no I don't always feel brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous! ;) The point is that I now know my worth even when I feel low and miserable, which I most definitely do from time to time...




"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson

My soul gave me good counsel

An early start to the day so I'm taking some time to share more words with you. :) This time a quite lenghty poem (the one which gave its name to my blogger address... :) ) from "The Vision" by Kahlil Gibran.

Ah...! How I dream of having a long conversation with this awesome person! He's definitely at the very top of my "If you meet X amount of people, dead or alive, who would it be?"-list!! :D

For Gibran, no single religious tradition revealed the truth, so he wove together insights from Eastern Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, American Transcendentalism and folklore from his native Lebanon.

Nowadays we are fairly free to choose our own Path but (almost) a hundred years ago it was not as easy... To be that open minded and shining so bright... it can't have been an easy path for Gibran to walk. I'm in awe of the depth of his spirit and his knowledge, which he didn't get surfin' the web! ;) I think I read a lot but this man must have read more than I can even begin to imagine!

Read this and read it again...! The words become more beautiful and more radiant each time I read them...

I've marked in bold the passages that touch me the most...
"My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to love what the people abhor and to show good will toward the one they hate. It showed me that Love is a property not of the lover but of the beloved. Before my Soul taught me, Love was for me a delicate thread stretched between two adjacent pegs, but now it has been transformed into a halo; its first is its last, and its last is its first. It encompasses every being, slowly expanding to embrace all that ever will be.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to find the beauty concealed in a face, a color, a complexion, and to gaze intently at what the people think ugly, until it shows me its comeliness. Before my Soul taught me, I saw beauty as quivering flames between pillars of smoke; but it faded and I no longer see anything but the kindling that bursts into flame.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to listen to the voices not produced by tongues, nor shouted from throats. Before my Soul taught me, my ears were weary and ailing, and I was conscious only of uproar and discord. Now I sip at silence and listen to its inwardness that chants songs of the eons, reciting praises of the sky, announcing the mysteries of the Unseen.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to drink wat has not been squeezed or poured into cups, what is not raised by the hands nor touched by the lips. Before my Soul taught me, my thirst was a faint spark in a mound of ash, which I would quench with water from a pool or with a sip of freshly squeezed juice. Now, however, my yearning is my cup, my burning thirst is my drink, and my solitude is my intoxication; I do not and shall not quench my thirst. But in this burning that is never extinguished is a joy that never wanes.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to touch what has never taken corporeal form or crystallized. It made me understand that touching something is half the task of comprehending it, and that what we grasp therein is part of what we desire from it. Before my Soul taught me, I contented myself with heat when cold, and with cold when hot, and with either if I was listless. But now my once-cramped sense of touch is scattered everywhere, having metamorphosed into a fine mist that penetrates everything that appears from Being, so as to mingle with what has remained hidden from it.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to smell the fragrances that neither aromatic herb nor incense has diffused abroad. Before my Soul taught me, whenever I craved a scent I sought it in gardens or in perfume bottles or censers. But now I have begun to smell what does not burn or spill, and I fill my chest with pure breaths that have never passed through a garden in this world and have never been carried aloft by a breeze belonging to this sky.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to say, "Here I am!" when the unknown and the perilous call me. Before my Soul taught me, I refused to arise save for the voice of a caller I recognized, and I never fared upon any ways save those I had tried and found easy. Now the known has become my mount, which I ride toward the unknown, and the level plain has become my stairs, whose steps I ascend to put myself in jeopardy.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me not to measure time by saying, "It was yesterday, and will be tomorrow." Before my Soul taught me, I imagined the past as an era not to be met with, and the future as an age that I would never witness. But now I know that in the brief moment of the present, all time exists, including everything that is in time - all that is eagerly anticipated, achieved, or realized.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me not to define a place by saying 'here' or 'there'. Before my Soul taught me, I thought that when I was in any place on the earth I was remote from every other spot. But now I have learned that the place where I subsist is all places, and the space I occupy is all intervals.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me to stay up late while the inhabitants of the quarter slumber, and to sleep while they are awake. Before my Soul taught me, I never experienced their dreams while unconscious, and they never shared my dreams in their heedlessness. But now I only swim, arms fluttering, in my sleep with them as my companions, and they do not soar in their dreams save that I rejoice in their liberation.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me never to delight in praise or to be distressed by reproach. Before my Soul taught me, I doubted the value of my accomplishments until the passing days sent someone who would extol or disparage them. But now I know that trees blossom in the spring and give their fruits in the summer without any desire for accolades. And they scatter their leaves abroad in the fall and denude themselves in the winter without fear of reproof.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me and demonstrating to me that I am not exalted over the panhandler nor less than the mighty. Before my Soul taught me, I thought people consisted of two types: the weak, whom I pitied and disregarded, and the powerful, whom I followed or against I rebelled. Now, I have discovered that I was formed as one individual from the same substance from which all human beings were created. I am made up of the same elements as they are, and my pattern is theirs. My struggles are theirs, and my path is theirs. If they do wrong, I am culpable, and if they perform a good deed, I am proud of their act. If they arise, I arise with them, and if they remain seated, so do I.

My Soul gave me good counsel, teaching me that the lamp which I carry does not belong to me, and the song that I sing was not generated from within me. Even if I walk with light, I am not the light; and if I am a taut-stringed lute, I am not the lute player.

My Soul gave me good counsel, my friend, and taught me. Your Soul, too, has given you good counsel, and taught you. You and I are similar and alike, and the only difference between us is that I speak of what is within me and my speech is somewhat insistent, whereas you conceal what is within you, and from your restraint shines forth the face of virtue."

Enjoying my holiday,
xx