“The body is God,
the body is the temple,
the body is the worshipper,
the body is the sacred shrine.
The body is the incense,
the lamp, the sacred offerings;
it is the body I worship
with broken petals.

After searching
all the world,
it was in the body
I found all the treasure
of the world.
Nothing is born,
nothing dies –
such is Ram’s light.

What is contained
in the universe
is also contained
in the body:
whatever you seek,
you shall find.
Pipa says, He is Primal Matter;
the true guru will show this.”

Raga Dhanashri by Pipa, 15th century India, translated by Nirmal Dass

“If you have ever tried to give strong-tasting medicine to an animal of child, you have encountered (probably with some frustration) the full extent of unwillingness. The same frustration sometimes arises when we try to persuade someone to our way of seeing something; no matter how many times we explain our perspective, the listener’s understanding does not come to the place of realization. It is just not within range of his will.

In our lives we must do many things contrary to our consent: out of duty, expediency, or consideration for others. Our ability to show willingness is often a measure of our maturity, a skill honed by circumstance, upbringing, and experience. But these very factors often have the reverse effect; that is, they detach us from our own will.

When we do spend time trying to define our will, it is often a shock to find how much of what we think of as our own opinion, our full consent, our true will is formed by the opinions, wishes, and desires of others. Sorting the grit from the grain takes a lot of perseverance.

Will without maturity is of no service to us; we must know when we can compromise it and when we should defend it.”

From The Celtic Spirit: Daily Meditations for the Turning Year by Caitlin Matthews

“For many, the winter is a difficult time, a time of depression and lethargy. Listen closely to your heart and your body in this time, and make use of the comforts of the season if you’re ailing. Fireside, the company of friends, song – these make great graphics for holiday cards. But if we’re succumbing to the winter blues, they could also be the stuff of survival. The American ethos urges people to be daring and to persevere no matter what. But nature trumps our plans. Your senses and your body are subject to its whims. Keep alive to the messages of the sun, the wind, and your own heart during this season.”

From Earth Bound: Daily Meditations For All Seasons by Brian Nelson

“When you act on behalf
of something greater than yourself,
you begin
to feel it acting through you
with a power that is greater than your own.
This is grace.
Today, as we take risks
for the sake of something greater
than our separate, individual lives,
we are feeling graced
by other beings and by Earth itself.
Those with whom and on whose behalf we act
give us strength
and eloquence
and staying power
we didn’t know we had.
We just need to practice knowing that
and remembering that we are sustained
by each other
in the web of life.
Our true power comes as a gift, like grace,
because in truth it is sustained by others.
If we practice drawing on the wisdom
and beauty
and strengths
of our fellow humans
and our fellow species
we can go into any situation
and trust
that the courage and intelligence required
will be supplied.”

Grace and the Great Turning by Joanna Macy

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HUMAN FRATERNITY

“I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom…

We must have courage — determination — to go on with the task of becoming free — not only for ourselves, but for the nation and the world — cooperate with each other. Have faith in God and ourselves.”

Rosa Parks (1913 – 2005), born on this day

“At some stage we must let go of the past and begin again. No one is undeserving of forgiveness – and that includes you. I know it can be difficult to offer ourselves the forgiveness that we can so freely give to others. Perhaps we hold ourselves to a higher standard than the standard to which we hold other people – but let’s admit that this double standard is actually a piece of arrogance: “I am a better person than he or she is, so I should behave better.” None among us should be defined as the sum total of our worst actions. None of us is a monster. We are all fragile and flawed humans who commit offences against others. When we do these things, we are not monsters; we are human beings who have become separated from our own goodness.”

Desmond Tutu, quoted in Fragments of Holiness for Daily Reflection

“Hush. I am so close, I may look distant.
So completely mixed with you, I may look separate.
So out in the open, I appear hidden.
So silent, because I am constantly talking with you.”

Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (1207 – 1273)

“It is absolutely imperative that every human being’s freedom and human rights are respected, all over the world.”

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, who was elected as the first female Prime Minister of Iceland on 1st February 2009, becoming the first openly gay Head of Government in the modern world.

“Most High, all-powerful, precious God.
No spoken word can hold your name.
Praise be to You who births all life,
with all Your creatures.

Especially you Sir Brother Sun,
who is the day and is your light.
A beauty so true to you,
there you are. There, you are.

Praise be to You, my Lord you are, Sister Moon and the stars.
Bright, precious heaven, there you are. There, you are.

Praise be to You, my Lord you are, Brother Wind and the air.
Breath of Spirit, there you are.
There, you are.

Praise be to You my Lord you are, Sister Water gift of Life.
Pure, essential, there you are.
There, you are.

Praise be to You my Lord you are Brother Fire,
friend through the night.
Strong and playful, there you are.
There, you are.

Most High, all-powerful, precious God,
through Mother Earth we see your face.
You who govern all of life,
sustain and nurture all that is.
With sister Death, first and last breath.
The key unlocking all we are,
there, we are.”

Simon de Voil, based on the Canticle of the Creatures by St Francis of Assisi

“Years ago, in the bottle-green light
of the cold January sea,
two seals suddenly appeared together
in a single uplifting wave –
each in exactly the same relaxed position –
each, like a large, black comma, upright and staring;
it was like a painting done twice
and, twice, tenderly.
The wave hung, then it broke apart;
its lip was lightning;
its floor was the blow of sand
over which the seals rose and twirled and were gone.
Of all the reasons for gladness,
what could be foremost of this one,
that the mind can seize both the instant and the memory!
Now the seals are no more than the salt of the sea.
If they live, they’re more distant than Greenland.
But here’s the kingdom we call remembrance
with its thousand iron doors
through which I pass so easily,
switching on the old lights as I go –
while the dead wind rises and the old rapture rewinds,
the stiff waters once more begin to kick and flow.”

Winter at Herring Cove by Mary Oliver