See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.— Helen KellerWinter Solstice is three weeks away and by now, we are all feeling the enormous pressure of the commercial juggernaut that surrounds us. But many of us are hurting from the economic crisis. And of course, the daily news is … Read more
Dark of the MoonNew beginningsDark of the MoonPlant a seed tonightDark of the MoonWhat we envisionWill come to be by the Full Moon’s light. Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. and a powerful New Moon in Sagittarius. As Caitlin Matthews points out in her beautiful The Celtic Spirit: Daily Meditations for the Turning Year, … Read more
The Right Stuffby Garrison Keillor Nov. 5, 2008: A golden November day under a blue sky and an air of sweet amiability at the polls and at the end of the day, we elected the right guy, no doubt about it. Yes, we can and we did. A nation spread its wings and achieved altitude. … Read more
Last night, Times Square was spontaneously packed with people hugging and weeping, in numbers rivaling any New Year’s celebration. Revelers danced in front of the soon-to-be vacated White House. In the Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta, Dr. King’s children cheered and I know the Ancestors laughed and wept. And at Grant Field, Chicago, they played … Read more
These three ways lead to the heavens:asserting the truth,not yielding to anger,and giving…— Dhammapada, verse 224 Right now, if I get one more email that’s fairly vibrating with fear and anger regarding the economy, Sarah Palin, John McCain, and on and on, I think I might have a case of the vapors. Yes, I am … Read more
Summer Sunby Robert Louis Stevenson Great is the sun, and wide he goesThrough empty heaven with repose;And in the blue and glowing daysMore thick than rain he showers his rays. Though closer still the blinds we pullTo keep the shady parlour cool,Yet he will find a chink or twoTo slip his golden fingers through. The … Read more
Tolerance is the homage which the finite mind pays to the inexhaustibility of the Infinite.— Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) On this day in 1888, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born. He was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was widely admired as a master of the English language, a spellbinding orator, a dynamic leader, and a generous … Read more
A Night-Rain in Summer by James Henry Leigh Hunt Open the window, and let the airFreshly blow upon face and hair,And fill the room, as it fills the night,With the breath of the rain’s sweet might.Hark! the burthen, swift and prone!And how the odorous limes are blown!Stormy Love’s abroad, and keepsHopeful coil for gentle sleeps. … Read more
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.— J. R. R. TolkeinLughnassadh (pronounced “LOO-nahs-ah”) or the Anglo-Saxon “Lammas,” is one of the Greater Sabbats and honors the First Harvest. In agricultural traditions throughout the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the start of the harvest cycle, … Read more
Mockingbirdsby Mary Oliver This morningtwo mockingbirdsin the green fieldwere spinning and tossing the white ribbonsof their songsinto the air.I had nothing better to dothan listen.I mean thisseriously. In Greece,a long time ago,an old coupleopened their door to two strangerswho were,it soon appeared,not men at all, but gods.It is my favorite story–how the old couplehad almost … Read more