Throughout my whole life, during every minute of it
the world has been gradually lighting up and blazing before my eyes
until it has come to surround me,
entirely lit up from within
Teilhard de Chardin
Sunday Quote: Surrounded by light
Author: Karl Duffy
This is a Mindfulness Practice Blog written in Laois, Ireland, containing reflections on meditation practice, psychological growth, spirituality and wellness which hopefully may encourage and benefit others as they reflect on their lives and seek to develop a more balanced, mindful and conscious approach to it.
Swim through the fires
You don’t want to hear the story of my life, and anyway
I don’t want to tell it, I want to listen
to the enormous waterfalls of the sun.
And anyway it’s the same old story –
a few people just trying,
one way or another,
to survive.
Mostly, I want to be kind.
And nobody, of course, is kind,
or mean, for a simple reason.
And nobody gets out of it, having to
swim through the fires to stay in
this world.
Mary Oliver, Dogfish
on choosing kind words
In recent weeks we have seen words used to bully, distort the truth or make bombastic claims. The desert father placed an emphasis on brevity of speech, as they knew what damage words can do. Here is an ancient Irish prayer – appropriate for Good Friday – to help us develop greater stillness.
A Íosa, Mhic Dé, a bhí ciúin os comhair Phioláit, ná lig dúinn ár dteanga a luascadh gan smaoineadh ar cad tá againn le rá agus conas é a rá.
O Jesus, Son of God, who was silent before Pilate,
don’t let our tongues move
without thinking about what we have to say and how to say it.
When we see the blossoms
New life is sometimes related to shedding of the old self. Struggles can strip away the surface layers of our lives. Growth often requires releasing old identities or expectations. Hardship can be alchemical.
Without the bitterest cold
that penetrates to the very bone,
how can plum blossoms spill forth their fragrance all over the world?
Dōgen Zenji, 1200 -1250
How will you meet the day?
A rock and a flower are both worn by time
The rock is eroded, the flower unfolds.
One is broken down, the other breaks open
How will you meet your days?
Will you let them wear you away, or will you let them split you wide so that your color spills
Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening
falling apart
The meditative perspective allows us to experience the self not as something static,
but as a process that can tolerate falling apart and coming back together.
Mark Epstein, Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart
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