Ask the large questions, but seek small answers.
A flower,
or the space between a branch and a rock,
these are enough.
Kent Nerburn
Tag: Nature
Sunday quote: Within
Today is the Feast of Candlemas, which echoes themes found in many traditions around this time – new life, the first budding of plants, the return of the sun – light and warmth at the halfway point between the winter and the spring solstices.
We need constant reminders of the presence of light.
We are stars wrapped in skin,
The light you are seeking has always been within.
Rumi
Light and darkness
Go slowly
Consent to it
But don’t wallow in it
Know it as a place of germination
And growth
Remember the light
Take an outstretched hand if you find one
Exercise unused senses
Find the path by walking it
Practice trust
Watch for dawn.
Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, What to do in the Darkness
Sunday quote: All is here
The shortest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Yesterday was very foggy here in Ireland. Darkness and light, shadows and haze. Metaphors for the different experiences we have to work with in our lives.
A certain darkness is needed to see the stars
Osho
Past present and future
The past is already past — don’t try to regain it.
The present does not stay, don’t try to touch it from moment to moment.
The future is not come, don’t think about it beforehand.
Layman Pang, 740 – 808, Chinese Chan layman.
Finding your Song
Harry Roberts was one of my teachers when I lived at the San Francisco Zen Center’s Green Gulch Farm. Harry liked to boil almost any instruction down to 3 essential tasks:
The first, and not necessarily most important task, is to quiet the busyness in your mind.
The second is to find your song.
The third is to sing that song.
Finding your song describes your ability to access your deep power — which is your appreciation for being alive. This embraces both who you are and all that you have right now as well as the greater possibilities you imagine and envision for the future. We can hear our song more easily when our minds are quiet, when we can reflect on what is truly engaging and important to us — what brings us the greatest sense of belonging and of accomplishment. Finding our song means discovering our fierce and tender heart, where we feel deeply connected to all that surrounds us.
Mark Lesser, 3 Practices for Simplifying Your Life
Mindfulbalance 