Pilgrim – Writer – Teacher
In the desert,
Turn toward emptiness,
Fleeing the self.
Stand alone,
Ask no one’s help,
And your being will quiet,
Free from the bondage of things.
Those who cling to the world,
Endeavor to free them;
Those who are free, praise.
Care for the sick,
But live alone,
Happy to drink from the waters of sorrow,
To kindle Love’s fire
With the twigs of a simple life.
Thus you will live in the desert
– Mechthild of Magdeburg
(Translation: Jane Hirshfield)
The Presence is always shining on us as the sun is shining on the earth from on high in the sky. At times we lift up our eyes to the sun and contemplate it directly in its brightness. But even when we turn away and look towards the objects on the surface of the earth, it is still the sun which gives them all those colours which enable us to see them, to distinguish and to recognize them. Even at night, when the sun has disappeared behind the horizon, it is still the sun that gives light and splendour to the moon which, by that time, has taken its place in the heavens. Moreover, even the clouds which at times hide the sun can only be seen by us because they are penetrated by its light.
– Swami Abhishiktananda (Henri Le Saux OSB)