"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence." - Henry David Thoreau
"Keep close to Nature's heart. Break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." - John Muir
"I am part of the sun as my eye is part of me. That I am part of the earth my feet know perfectly, and my blood is part of the sea. There is not any part of me that is alone and absolute except my mind, and we shall find that the mind has no existence by itself, it is only the glitter of the sun on the surfaces of the water." - D. H. Lawrence
I am on a path begun in November of 1966. Along the way I have suffered terrible deflections and also have received amazing grace. Most of the time I simply trudge, informed by the topology of my inner life, and my inner life guided by the vision I received that long ago November, when I turned twenty-one. I have appeared a fool much of the time and I respect the singular nature of guidance.
As Thomas Jefferson knew, the principal relation between man and God is individual to the human soul, and while it may not be personal in any ordinary sense, it is certainly a private matter. Yet as Thoreau and Emerson knew, there is no individual without his embedding in the landscape of the universe. He is located. He is related. Even a rigorous isolation has its limits and so it is better to acknowledge such a radical dependency and in the end revere it in some way.
Every fantasy of my inner life is yet another arrow aiming at my place in things. I arose, my beginnings in bewilderment and my every breath yearns for a return I have yet to understand even this late in my passage.
Heartache
I stood to the left
of the narrow midnight spring
watching the water
finger out over
the slab of granite laying
flat, letting the flow
drop a foot into
the pool below.
I prayed for your mum, for you.
I prayed for us all.
January 28, 2010 8:41 PM
"For as long as space endures
And for as long as sentient beings remain,
Until then may I too abide,
To dispel the misery of the world."
And for as long as sentient beings remain,
Until then may I too abide,
To dispel the misery of the world."
--Shantideva, A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life
thanks for this post..lots to think about and mull over!
ReplyDeleteHave you posted about your vision in November 1966?
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely post.
I am confused!! This is a wonderful post but Cesca you did not write this! Did you??
ReplyDeleteGerry, happy to have you visit me.
ReplyDeleteRubye, I have indeed posted from time to time about that moment. It changed everything for me but it wasn't magic in the long haul. Many are pulled by the promise along the spiritual track, hoping for the light. Those who receive the light are pushed along the same spiritual track and if not prepared by a long preparatory practice must then do the preparation after the fact.
Sigrid, I have no idea who Cesca is. I edited the materials and wrote everything that is clearly not someone else's quote. - Christopher
beautiful, touching piece, the poem and the preface...
ReplyDeleteand i loved the writing rings piece, as well,,, still smiling about that one.
Harlequin, I am starting to feel like you are in better shape. I hope I am right.
ReplyDelete