Don’t give away your power

The unhappy person is one who has his ideal,

the content of his life, the fullness of his consciousness,

the essence of his being,

in some manner outside of himself.

Kierkegaard, Either/Or

A solid place

Be strong then, and enter into your own body; there you have a solid place for your feet.
Kabir says this:

just throw away all thoughts of imaginary things,
and stand firm in that which you are.

Kabir, 1398 – 1518, I said to the wanting-creature inside me

Release from suffering

Suffering arises when we say ‘this is me, this is mine.’

Release comes when we see: there is no owner, only the flow of experience.

Andrew Olendzki, The Roots of Mindfulness

Enjoy the ride

Rather than being disheartened by the ambiguity, the uncertainty of life,

what if we accepted it and relaxed into it?

What if we said, “Yes, this is the way it is; this is what it means to be human,” and decided to sit down and enjoy the ride?

Pema Chödrön, Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change

The inner arrival of Spring

There is a latent potential hidden in the dark days of winter and of our lives – “new beginnings” awaiting, much like snowdrops pushing up through frozen ground.

May the dew of dreams
Fresh on the fields of night
Revive your courage
To take the first steps
Towards what you love.

May your mind stay clear
To sense the secret bounty
Waiting in the bleak
And brilliant moments of your life.

May your spirit risk
The slow excitement
Of a new beginning
That will take you home
To a place you have never known.

John O’Donohue, For the New Year


Sunday quote: Life is preparing to emerge

The first day of Spring in the Celtic calendar. The Celtic celebration of Imbolc: Trust in the timing of life.

Sitting quietly, doing nothing;
Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.

Matsuo Basho, 1644 – 1694