Saturday, July 9, 2011

Turning with the Spirit (expanding)

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An epiphany enables you to sense creation not as something completed, but as constantly becoming, evolving, ascending. This transports you (and I) from a place where there is nothing new to a place where there is nothing old, where everything renews itself, where heaven and earth rejoice as at the moment of Creation.
( From "Renewal" p. 99 The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism transl. by Daniel C. Matt )

The Great Turning is a name Joanna Macy gives to the essential adventure of our time: the shift from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. See Macy's challenges for our time here

‘The East and West is God’s: therefore whichever way ye turn, there is the face of God’ Qur’«n 2:115

Allah is never "done" with His work, because the process of creation is ongoing. Each new child who is born, every seed that sprouts into a sapling, every new species that appears on earth, is part of the ongoing process of Allah's creation. "He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then established Himself on the Throne. He knows what enters within the heart of the earth, and what comes forth out of it, what comes down from heaven, and what mounts up to it. And He is with you wherever you may be. And Allah sees well all that you do" (Qur’«n 57:4).

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You Come And Go

You come and go. The doors swing closed
ever more gently, almost without a shudder.
Of all those who move through the quiet houses,
you are the quietest.

We become so accustomed to you,
we no longer look up
when your shadow falls over the book we are reading
and makes it glow. For all things
sing you: at times
we just hear them more clearly.

Often when I imagine you
your wholeness cascades into many shapes.
You run like a herd of luminous deer
and I am dark, I am forest.

You are a wheel at which I stand,
whose dark spokes sometimes catch me up,
revolve me nearer to the center.
Then all the work I put my hand to
widens from turn to turn.

—Rainer Maria Rilke, from Love Poems to God, The Book of Monastic Life.

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Inspired by a gifted writer who will remain anon., I wildly took off on his theme and paraphrased the following:

In a quiet passage of the prophet Isaiah 42:9 is the message the Creator is new beginnings, new creations, and always new tomorrows. What a shame to get stuck in the past and begin to regress and lose the joy of the ever evolving progression...new songs, new mornings, new hearts, new garments, new heavens, and a new earth. In fact, even in the closing words of the Bible, God finalizes His eternal agenda by declaring, "Behold I make all things new..." (See Rev 21:5)

Newness can also come from rediscovering the older joys and wisdoms - an amazing sky like no other - the quiet majesty of the mountains in continual change. no camera could capture the total experience of any panaramic display or any full-sensual, fully spiritual happening in such an experience. Partake of the moment to see what is required of you.

5 comments:

CN said...

May we be willing to inform our acts with such renewal...

CN said...

I would love to see reader's own view of turning with the Spirit...

Shaidi said...

Wow! beautiful post.. I absolutely love it! Thank you for sharing this with us :)

CN said...

Shaidi,

You are so welcome and I'm happy you came by and noticed. Plz tell me WHY you liked the post and HOW you can relate to the various wisdoms when you get the best chance.

I'd sure love to know more about you too and will try to look up your "stuff" too.

spike mason said...

Just thought I'd comment on your post - as I thought you might be interested that I've released an album called "Widening Circles". I have become totally smitten by Rilke and so the album features the english translation of a handful of the poems (including You come and go)from the Book of Hours set to my compositions.
You can watch a short film of the recording process
here ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIkfYDRLuls
You can have a listen to the album to see if you like it
here ==> http://www.thepoatinatree.com.au
thanks
Spike