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Gratefulness
The other day, while I was waiting in a busy café to get served, instead of growing restless, I decided to relax and take time to look at the diversity of faces around me. Lately, I’ve been practicing a sense of presence, of feeling connected to life as a whole. I am the ocean as well as the wave; I am the field as well as the flower; I am the sky as well as a star.
As I took in the smiles, the laughter, and the orchestra of voices in this cozy café space, a warm sense of belonging came over me. I invited myself to see the people around me as my brothers and sisters.
We are all siblings of the Infinite: brother sun and sister moon. ~ James Finley
How can we connect ourselves to the whole of life, and stop seeing ourselves as separate? How do we cultivate a sense of belonging, and offer that respect to every flower and every person, knowing we are all intimately connected in Divine Love?
As the spiritual teacher and writer, James Finley, said in a retreat I attended recently, “We are all siblings of the Infinite: brother sun and sister moon.” His words inspired me to open my eyes and my heart, to more consciously and consistently see that I’m an interconnected part of creation.
Let us read and ponder the opening of this poem by the 19th century poet, William Blake, and enter into a larger perspective and way of seeing.
To See a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour…
How can we practice this sense of connection in our daily lives? Here are a few suggestions:
• For today, take a few moments to look and ponder a flower, a tree, or the sky, or anything from the natural world. Try not to describe what you are seeing in your mind, but rather allow yourself to gaze at it and take it in whole. I invite you to feel your connection to all of creation, and to sense your kinship with “brother sun and sister moon.”
• For today, feel your connection to other people. Practice slowing down and taking time to look at the people around you with a loving and open heart. The next time you are waiting in a line, simply gaze at the people around you, and allow a soft smile to form on your lips.
• One way to live more easily in the flow of creation is the practice of surrendering to the moment. I wrote about this recently with, Seven Ways to Practice Surrender Today.
• Make a collage on the theme of being part of creation and feeling interconnected to all of life. Here’s the collage I made, which I call: I am part of Creation.
And as we leave the darker days of winter, and turn towards the flow of spring, may true unity fill our hearts and our lives with gratitude and joy.
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Dear Colette, your essay emanates peace, love and warmth! Thank-you so much for your sharing! It is most inspiring! You have a beautiful name and a nice synchronicity is that the author of today’s quote on my page-a-day calendar is Colette. The quote says “hope costs nothing”. Blessings and peace, Colette ?
A poem Yates wrote echos here
“My fiftieth year had come and gone, I sat, a solitary man, In a crowded London shop, An open book and empty cup On the marble table-top.
While on the shop and street I gazed My body of a sudden blazed; And twenty minutes more or less It seemed, so great my happiness, That I was blessed and could bless.”
Ah yes, these two stanzas are so powerful. Thank you for sharing here, dear Ed. For those who would like to read the entire poem, we have it posted here at: https://gratefulness.org/resource/vacillation/
Hi Saoirse
I trust you and yours are well.
Yes I focus on those two in particular because Yates, in his, “My body of a sudden blazed” is clear clear recognition / documentation / of when “keeping of grace” or “blessing” can be so strong and powerful that it Lights-up the Etheric double of our material body to a level at which the ‘third eye’ ( so-called any way ) can see it.
Yates would never elaborate on this, lighting – up, he had the Church authorities after him all the time as it was with his wonderful “Crazy Jane” poem. 🙂 But it is a fact full support by Early christians and Sufis alike. For example……
RUMI’s : “Be like melting snow, wash your self with your self”.
Be Well Be Present
EdS
Thanks, Ed. I appreciate your highlighting Yeats’ experience of his “body of a sudden blazed,” – electric and Rumi’s “Be like melting snow…” such a vivid transmission of oneness – a lovely complement to Colette’s warm invitation to embrace our oneness. With warmth and gratitude.
Your reflection left me with such a deep feeling that my words here cannot express – thank you. You have also inspired me to create my own collage. With love ❤️
Seeing a bird land on the ground just gave me a sense of joy that here is a life just like mine that God created. As God loves the bird, I am also loved. We are one all part of the universe
As I was driving this evening I noticed a large bird just soaring across my view until it disappeared over my right shoulder. I wanted to stop right there and follow it further, but knew that the moment had already gone. It was a wonderful moment ? And the Moon, tonight was not just The Moon but also A moon, a round sphere of a body, hard to explain but more than usual. We are all One, yes 🙂
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