On Wilderness
The Face of God I stand before the stand of trees The wood The expanse before me And I see the shards of light— the asymmetric design of relief from the darkness and I think of God Of walking through— trying to walk through— the challenges laid at my feet. Looking out on the faces of mankind but knowing that, in truth, on that day, anyway, I am walking on the path of God; that can evaporate under my feet. Or lead me to a dragon’s lair. With nothing in my hands but a tissue and a fan. Slay the dragon! And I know that I am lost in the...
read moreOn Silence
In Keeping Still It was a day like every other during that period of my life. A student. An English student. I worked. I studied. I went to class. Circles. Ever-turning circles. But no labyrinth because there was no Minotaur at the center. A spiral of life. Onward. Steady. Paced. Then the day came. I entered the classroom. Dickens. A teacher that looked a bit like Father Christmas. Other students. I sat near the front, to the right. Chairs full of fellows behind me. The professor enters and takes the podium. He set the paper on the stand. And...
read moreOn Gratitude
Opening Watering the flowers after a long, hot, dry spell the earth changing its color deepening its hue the flowers themselves savoring the new flow of refreshment happy in the sun now thirst quenched for the moment Filling the dishes food and water touching the soft heads saying, good morning do you want to go out? it might be a bit cold or too rainy or look at all that snow happy eyes gazing back almost a smile Opening my arms after years of holding them tight around me a linear shield keeping me together pieces that had been kicked apart...
read moreOn Empty
Full Full I look at my emptiness And I see my full-up-ness Full of debris Broken pieces Remnants Leftovers of clashes Of lost connections Of misunderstandings And understandings made sparkling clear How do I sort it all out Make a path, even, through it all There are no trash bags for the soul And while the soul is made up of the dirt of our lives Too much refuse is still just that Too much We work on disciplines so that we may be cleansed Emptied But are we aware that in order to be emptied We have to let go Say good-bye Don’t look...
read moreOn Examination
A Failure to Fail Examination Being scrutinized It has been hard Living a life Of being told Not to be me So, since that was not possible I had to design an exterior A mask I’m not really as competent as I seem As though my competency were the loose edge of a carpet threatening to trip you So in passing the examination with flying colors I fail I remember being scolded for learning to ride a bicycle faster than my brother, Geoffrey And being told over and over again Not to know more than my brothers Not to show them up in any way My...
read moreTo Journey
Standing Still I looked out at my journey. And I saw a head of broccoli: All sorts of paths heading out from one stem. Or at least giving the impression of heading out. Because each path ended in a burst. A flourishing. But, ultimately, going nowhere. A forest of trees – but no continuing on. Each tree becoming an ending in itself. So I just stood there. Knowing that each path was, essentially, that exact same as the others. It made no difference which one I chose. So I just stood there. And wondered if I am now in a time of waiting. An...
read moreOn Ashes
Burnt Offering Ashes: What is left over after the flame goes out. The fire. The fire of anger. The fire of lust. The fire of enthusiasm. Wholeness in pieces. My wholeness. My completeness. How do I function in pieces? Broken apart. My heart over here; my hand over there. Even if they retained their wholeness. Their completeness. I am broken apart. Scattered. Vulnerable to the the threatening wind. Or I could soak into the ground. The earth could fold me into itself. Make what was once me part of something else. Something new. Become whole...
read moreWhy I’m Here
I suppose it’s interesting why I am here. A bit interesting, anyway. You see, I am a mystic. And for most of my life, I played the Clark Kent role to my Superman. Not that I was Superman. But I certainly knew what it was to be Clark Kent. I learned at a very young age to conform to the way other people behaved. To think like they did. To be concerned with what they were concerned with. It tore me upside, really, to not be off on my own, thinking about God. Having visions. Wanting to learn more and more and more and more and…,...
read morePrayer For Stress & Anxiety
Heavenly Father, we pray for all those who are overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. We ask that you would strengthen them and give them grace to get through the day. Let your peace reign in their family, jobs, homes, and most importantly, their hearts. In Jesus’s name,...
read morePrayer Of Mother Teresa
Dear Jesus, Help me to spread thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others....
read moreAn Irish Blessing
Deep peace of the running wave to you, Deep peace of the quiet earth to you, Deep peace of the glowing air to you, Deep peace of the shining stars to you, Deep peace of the gentle night to you, Moon and stars pour their healing light on you....
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