HEARTH
blog
Natural Elders
The weight of arrogance is such that no bird can fly carrying it. St. John of the Cross It is an early summer morning. There is a soft breeze wafting through the kitchen window and the nighttime is slowly giving way into the promise of the rising sun. I...
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Summertime
I was delighted with myself, having offered everything I had; my heart, my faith, my work. “And who are you,” you said, "to think you have so much to offer? It seems you have forgotten where you came from.” Rumi It is summertime in the Northern Hemisphere. Even...
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Rocks and Stones
universe???Tukuram In our human-centric world, it is refreshing to be away from the phone, computer, and car – and to slow down and get back in touch with some primal wisdom. Although it wasn’t our main intention, my husband Jay and I benefited immensely from...
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Wind
The reeds give way to the wind and give the wind away. A. R. Ammons As I walked along the water in a nearby meadow, I heard a faint rustle. I paused, expecting to see a small rodent scurry into the grasses. Instead, a bed of reeds waved at me. Their...
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Shedding
God is no-thing,concealed in the now and here:the less you reach for him,the more he will appear. Silesius These past few days I’ve had the impulse toward shedding. It feels like an inner pull to embrace the light of the season. With the upcoming solstice,...
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Impermanence
Come quickly – as soon asthese blossoms open,they fall.This world existsas a sheen of a dew on flowersIzumi Shikibu This has been a busy week with a lot of driving, errands, work, and just trying to squeeze a full week into three days. My husband Jay and I had taken a...
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Sanctuary
The Angel that presided o’er my birthSaid ‘Little creature, form’d of joy and mirth,Go, love without the help of anything on earth.William Blake Most of the day had been stormy with high winds and heavy rain. I had gone out to feed the birds and pick up the mail in...
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Elm Tree
Complaint is only possible while living in the suburbs of God. Hafiz As I read this poem by Hafiz, I found myself tempted to complain about complaining. It sometimes seems easier to share a story about a mishap or mistreatment, or an unexpected event. Fortunately...
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Joyful Connectedness
Spring overall. But inside us there's another unity. Behind each eye here, one glowing weather. Every forest branch moves differently in the breeze, but as they sway they connect at the roots. Rumi Cece looked up at me with wide blue eyes. She seemed to be...
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Keep walking, though there is no place to get to. Don’t try to see through the distances. That’s not for human beings. Move within, but don’t move in the way fear makes you move. Rumi There was a loud snap outside our front door. It was early morning and the...
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Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn’t make any sense. Rumi As the season changes to...
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Squirrel
If you want money more than anything, you’ll be bought and sold. If you have a greed for food, you’ll be a loaf of bread. This is a subtle truth: whatever you love, you are. Rumi Wildlife often grazes on a hillside outside our kitchen window. Yesterday, as I...
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