International Day of Older Persons

“An old woman cried everyday under the tree. People did not know why.
One day, a monk passed by and asked her why she cried so sadly. The old woman said, “I have two daughters, the elder selling umbrellas and the younger selling dried food. On sunny days, I cry because my elder daughter cannot make a living as nobody buys umbrellas. On rainy days, I cry because my younger daughter cannot make or sell dried food.”
The monk then told the old woman, “I can make you happy! Oh dear, you should think of your elder daughter on rainy days. You will be happy because people buy umbrellas from her. On sunny days, you should think of your younger daughter because she can earn a lot of money by selling dried food.”
The old woman was suddenly enlightened. Since then, she laughed everyday under the tree.”

Zen Parable

“Be the master of your will and the slave of your conscience.”

Hasidic Proverb

Artwork – Baruch Nachshon

“Ever since the Song of Solomon was written, it’s been clear that food not only nourishes our bodies but reconnects us to our physicality. It’s no surprise to anyone who has seen the astonishingly sensual photographs of peppers created by Edward Weston.

As fruits and grains reach their fullness in this season, they call us back to ourselves, to the passion that drives forward the human race. Take in the textures, soft, meaty, or pliant. Take in the rich smells, the intoxication of tastes. Live when you eat.”

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

“Earth Mother teach me of my kin,
Of Hawk, and Dove, and flower
Of blinding sunlight, shady knoll,
Desert wind and morning showers.
Teach me every language of
The creatures that sing to me,
That I may count the cadence of
Infinite lessons in harmony.
Teach me how to honor
The Sacred Spaces of all,
Gently melding with the whole,
Answering the whippoorwill’s call.
Steamy tropics to glacial ice,
To thundering ocean tides,
In every grain of desert sands,
Your beauty forever abides.
Oh, Mother of every kingdom,
Let me claim my family’s love,
From the whales of the deepest oceans,
To the Winged-ones, high above.
Expand my limited vision
Until I can truly know
The missions of my Relations
And the blessings they bestow.”

Jamie Sams

“Bombs and pistols do not make a revolution. The sword of revolution is sharpened on the whetting-stone of ideas…

Any man who stands for progress has to criticize, disbelieve and challenge every item of the old faith. Item by item he has to reason out every nook and corner of the prevailing faith. If after considerable reasoning one is led to believe in any theory or philosophy, his faith is welcomed. His reasoning can be mistaken, wrong, misled and sometimes fallacious. But he is liable to correction because reason is the guiding star of his life. But mere faith and blind faith is dangerous: it dulls the brain, and makes a man reactionary.”

Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Indian independence fighter, born on this day in 1907

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

“The goal of the Christian religion is not the idolizing of Christ, not christolatry, but that we are all “in Christ,” as the mystical expression goes, that we have a part in the life of Christ. This saviour is a wounded healer, and he heals so that we may become as he is. Be as he is, laugh as he laughs, weep as he weeps. Heal the sick, even those who without knowing it have contracted the great neuroses of our society, who know no mercy within themselves and their children when they consent to the nuclear state and technologies inimical to life. To feed the hungry means to do away with militarism. To bless the children means to leave the trees standing for them.”

Dorothee Soelle

“Drink life one sip at a time. This moment is brand new. Let it pour it’s newness into you.”

Hiral Nagda

“Our Father, we thank Thee for Trees!
We thank Thee for the trees of our childhood
in whose shade we played and read and dreamed;
for the trees of our schooldays,
the trees along the paths where friendship walked.
We thank Thee for special trees
which will always stand large in our memory
because for some reason of our own they became our trees.
We thank Thee for the great stretches of trees
which make the forests.
May we always stand humbly before Thy trees
and draw strength from them as they, in their turn,
draw sustenance from Thy bounties of earth and sun and air.”

Margueritte Harmon Bro

Autumn Equinox

“The most dangerous psychological mistake is the projection of the shadow on to others; this is the root of almost all conflicts. Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely. Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.”

Carl Jung

“Don’t look down on the heart,
even if it’s not behaving well.
Even in that shape, the heart
is more precious than the teachings
of the exalted saints.

The broken heart is where God looks.
How lucky is the soul that mends the heart!

For God, consoling the heart
that is broken into hundreds of pieces
is better than going on pilgrimage.

God’s treasures are buried in ruined hearts.

If you put on the belt of service
and serve hearts
like a slave or servant,
the roads to all the secrets
will open before your eyes.

If you want peace and glory,
forget about your earthly honors
and try to please the hearts.

If you become
a helper of hearts,
springs of wisdom
will flow from your heart.

The water of life will run from your mouth
like a torrent.
Your breath will become medicine
like the breath of Jesus.

Be silent.
Even if you have two hundred tongues
in each hair on your head,
you won’t be able to explain
the heart.”

A Helper of Hearts by Rumi, from The Forbidden Rumi, translated by Nevit O. Ergin and Will Johnson