You are the Ocean

You are the ocean and the ocean is you. Deep so deep. Endless blue darkening to sleep in vast and tender depths. Waves take shape and play at the boundary between the dream and the day. 

Fingers of foam sweep the shore gathering all. Tangled treasure and trash in lace gloved hands that must yield once more to the tidal call. 

The needed rest in quiet depths. Not sleeping but choosing to dive. Deep so deep. Holding and finding breath. Watching waves of mind swell, peak and pass.

 Learn to live in the peace of the deep. Where waves and foam and storm are not. Watch and witness your surface self. As it floats and swims and dives in the blue. 

In the ocean that is you. 

Salt, Water and Wine

I sat in my chair in the soft light of dawn.
Drawn to the place of quiet and prayer.
Drenched in your light and your love.
My heart growing wide for the world. 

I thought of the lost and the hurt and the scared.
Tried to hold them, cupped in my hands.
But their tears spilled over the edge.  

Mine ran down to join the flow, too much to hold.
What could I do?
With hands so small and a heart too broken to beat?

And there you were Lord, your hands cupping mine, catching the drops as they fell.
And there were your tears, falling with ours.
Sweet communion. Salt, water and wine. 

I dared to believe that my love was enough.
Beaten, bust and poured out as it was.
It was all I could give as I sat in my chair.
With the warmth of your hands holding mine. 

 

Photo credit 

meangirl.deviantart.com

 

 

Feynman, physics and the philosophy of finery

I was working away at the bench in the jewellery workshop today when an old friend walked in. He’s an artistic, atheist, amateur scientist stargazer and I’m a deconstructed Christian, spiritually open, amateur philosopher silversmith but we meet like like two active particles  in a converging flow. 

Anyway, we got into an hour long, utterly fascinating discussion about Feynman, physics, Vedantic philosophy, God and, generally, the nature of existence, which only came to an end when three ladies walked into the jewellery showroom and I needed to attend to them. 

And I did, with this as my opening gambit, ‘I’m sorry, my friend and I were just discussing physics and the nature of reality there. So none of this jewellery really exists, but do take a look around anyway.’ 

Hide and Seek

Our longing to find God is so bittersweet because we feel as if he hides from us and we can get quite desperate in our seeking. 

 The truth is that we hide from God not him from us. In fact, how could he hide, he’s manifest all around us in nature and in each other.

In the biblical story where two of Jesus disciples are walking on the Emmaus road after the crucifixion, he comes and walks with them but they can’t see it is him because they are so immersed in their grief and grasping for what they thought they had lost. However, later on in the story, in the moment when they show love to this apparent stranger and ask him to stay and eat with them, they recognise him as Jesus. 

When we serve others we find  God because we recognise God in them. 

All the great saints in every religion have given their lives in service to all because they have seen God in all. And it is their lives we are called to emulate. 

In emptying ourselves of all ego and desire and taking the role of servant, we finally find the divine. 

It is at this point that the union we are hoping for, looking for and seeking is to be found. 

The bitter sweetness of longing to find our Lord is finally fulfilled in meeting and answering that longing in others by serving them with an attitude of unconditional love. 

The need we thought was our greatest is found to be the greatest thing we have to give away.