What matters

All that matters is what you love
and what you love is who you are
and who you are is where you will be
when death takes you across the river.

John Squadra, 1932 – American artist and poet

Sunday Quote: Stay Here, now

Too much longing:

it separates us

like scent from bread,

rust from iron.

Jane Hirshfield, Sentencings [extract]

The subtle mysteries

Always be joyful, no matter what you are. With happiness you can give a person life. Every day we must deliberately induce in ourselves a buoyant, exuberant attitude toward life. In this manner, we gradually become receptive to the subtle mysteries around us. And if no inspired moments come, we should act as though we have them anyway. If you have no enthusiasm, put up a front. Act enthusiastic, and the feeling will become genuine.

Rabbi Nachman of Bratslau 1772- 1810), Founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement.

Become love

If you want to know God,
become love. If you want
to know others, become love.
If you want to know yourself,
become love. And if you want
to know love, forget all you
thought you knew or needed
to know, and become love
.

Meister Eckhart, 1260 – c. 1328, German theologian, philosopher and mystic

Live for a long time

Live as if you liked yourself, and it may happen:
reach out, keep reaching out, keep bringing in.
This is how we are going to live for a long time: not always,
for every gardener knows that after the digging, after
the planting,
after the long season of tending and growth, the harvest comes.

Marge Piercy, 1936 -, American activist, poet and writer, The Seven Of Pentacles 

Taking care of yourself

A welcome new Bank Holiday here in Ireland, to mark the start of Spring and Saint Brigid’s Day

Love is the capacity to take care, to protect, to nourish. If you are not capable of generating that kind of energy toward yourself — if you are not capable of taking care of yourself, of nourishing yourself, of protecting yourself — it is very difficult to take care of another person

In the Buddhist teachings, it’s clear that to love oneself is the foundation of the love of other people. Love is a practice. Love is truly a practice.

Thich Nhat Hanh