Tag: Nature

A Celtic blessing

Karl Duffy2 Comments

This old Celtic prayer from Scotland is appropriate for two reasons today –  the feast of Saint Patrick, the patron of Ireland and because of the weather we have had this week: 

May the blessing of the rain be on you, 
may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean,
and leave there a shining pool where the blue of Heaven shines, 
and sometimes a star. 

And may the blessing of the earth be on you, 
soft under your feet as you pass along the roads, 
soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the end of day; 
and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lie out under it. 

May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be out from under it quickly;up and off and on its way to God. 

And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly.

Amen.

Sunday Quote: Even in times of difficulty, keep planting

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Faith is hope in the unseen. Often we cannot see the results of the efforts we are putting in …

Even if the Hour of Resurrection comes up,

and one of you is holding a sapling in your hand….

 finish planting it.

The Prophet Mohammed

Quietly, quietly

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Suppose we did our work
like the snow, quietly, quietly.
leaving nothing out.

Wendell Berry,  Leavings. 

Our futile attempts to resist change

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A severe weather system is passing over Ireland, with heavy snow forecast, causing a lot of concern and even, panic buying of bread in the supermarkets. A change in the normal circumstances causes uncertainty and reveals that, deep down, we think things should always remain the same. Instinctively,  we seem to try to make some moments last forever.  Nature teaches us that no matter how much we wish or try to control things, tomorrow may not look the same as today. Changes in circumstances in life, like the weather, are a given; happiness – or unhappiness – comes from our response to that given.

High winds do not last all morning

Heavy rain does not last all day

Why is this? Such is Heaven and Earth!

If heaven and earth cannot make things eternal

Why do we think it happens for us?

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Noticing

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It is heaven itself to take what is given,
to see what is plain

Mary Oliver, Daisies

The sky is for you

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Do you have doubts about your life? Are you ensure it is really worth all the trouble? Look at the sky, that is for you. Look at each person’s face as you pass on the street: those faces are for you. And the street itself, and the ground under the street and the ball of fire underneath the ground: all these things are for you. They are as much for you as they are for other people. Remember this when you wake up in the morning and think you have nothing. Stand up and face the east. Now praise the sky and praise the light within each person under the sky. It’s okay to be unsure. But praise, praise, praise.

Miranda July, U.S  filmmaker, No One belongs here more than you