Whenever we are between here and there,
whenever one thing has ended and we are waiting for the next thing to begin,
whenever we’re tempted to distract ourselves or look for an escape route
we can instead let ourselves be open, curious, tentative, vulnerable
Pema Chodron
For Saint Patrick’s Day, an old Irish prayer, simple but profound in its wisdom on the mindful use of speech
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 wag
without thinking about what we have to say
and how to say it.
The nature of rain is the same,
but it makes thorns grow in the marshes and flowers in the gardens.
Arab Saying
Groundlessness, uncertainty, insecurity, vulnerability — these are words that ordinarily carry a negative connotation. We’re generally wary of these feelings and try to elude them in any way possible.
But groundlessness isn’t something we need to avoid. The same feeling we find so troubling when we open to it can be experienced as a huge relief, as freedom from all restraints. It can be experienced as a mind so unbiased and relaxed that we feel expansive and joyful.
Pema Chodron, Living Beautifully: with Uncertainty and Change
You have traveled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.
Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.
John O’Donohue, For One Who Is Exhausted, a Blessing
Cefalu, Sicily
By teaching “Do not judge” (Matthew 7:1), the great teachers are saying that you cannot start seeing or understanding anything if you start with “no.”
You have to start with a “yes” of basic acceptance, which means not too quickly labeling, analyzing, or categorizing things as in or out, good or bad, up or down. You have to leave the field open, a field in which God and grace can move. Ego leads with “no” whereas soul leads with “yes.
Richard Rohr, The Naked Now
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