Last Night As I Was Sleeping - Antonio Machado

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
Water of a new life
That I have never drunk?

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.

Last night as I slept,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.

(TRANSLATION BY ROBERT BLY)

Quote from "Letters to a Young Poet" - Rilke

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and...try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer."

The Holy Longing -- Goethe

Tell a wise person, or else keep it silent.
Because the massman will mock it right away.
I praise what is truly alive,
what longs to be burned to death.

In the calm water of the love-nights,
where you were begotten, where you have been begotten,
a strange feeling comes over you
when you are the silent candle burning.

Now you are no longer caught
in the obsession with darkness,
and a desire for higher lovemaking
sweeps you upward.

Distance does not make you falter,
now, arriving in magic, flying,
and finally, insane for the light,
you are the butterfly and you are gone.

And so long as you haven't experienced
this: to die and so to grow,
you are only a troubled guest
on the dark earth.

When They Revolutionize the Cocktail Parties

By Marilyn Sandberg

"Hello, what are you afraid of?"
"Death."
"Me too."
"When you hear a Mahler symphony?"
"No, when I wake up in the night."
"Me too."
"Nice meeting you."
"Same here."

Spiritual Partnership Guidelines - Zukav/Francis

Practice using these Guidelines everywhere – at home, with family, at work.
And remember to enjoy yourself!

COMMITMENT – MAKING MY SPIRITUAL GROWTH (CREATING AUTHENTIC POWER) MY HIGHEST PRIORITY

• Focus on what I can learn about myself all the time, especially from my reactions (such as anger, fear, jealousy, resentment, and impatience) instead of judging or blaming others or myself.
• Notice my emotions (by feeling the physical sensations in my energy centers).
• Notice my thoughts (such as planning my reply, judging, analyzing, comparing, day-dreaming, etc.)
• Notice my intention (such as blaming, judging, needing to be right, wanting admiration, escaping into thoughts (intellectualizing), trying to convince, etc.)

COURAGE – STRETCHING MYSELF BEYOND THE LIMITED PERSPECTIVES OF THE FRIGHTENED PARTS OF MY PERSONALITY.

• Take responsibility for my feelings, experiences, and actions (no blaming).
• Practice integrity at all times (often requires action, such as speaking when frightened parts of my personality don’t want to speak and not speaking when they feel compelled to speak).
• Say or do what is most difficult (sharing what I notice, if appropriate, when someone speaks or acts from a frightened part of her personality; sharing about myself what I am frightened to say and know that I need to say.)

COMPASSION – SEEING MYSELF AND OTHERS AS SOULS WHO SOMETIMES HAVE FRIGHTENED PARTS OF THEIR PERSONALITIES ACTIVE.

• Change my perspective from fearful to loving (choose to see myself and others in a loving or appreciative way).
• Release any distance I feel from anyone.
• Be present while others are speaking (not preparing replies, judging, etc.)

COMMUNICATION AND ACTION – STRIVING TO MAKE ALL MY INTERACTIONS CONSCIOUS AND LOVING.

• Consult my intuition.
• Choose my intention before I speak or act.
• Act from the healthiest part of my personality that I can find (rather than caretaking, fixing, teaching, judging, blaming, gossiping, etc.)
• Speak personally and specifically rather than generally and abstractly (use “I” statements rather than “we” or “you” statements).
• Release attachment to the outcome (trust the Universe). If I find myself attached, begin again with Commitment, Courage, Compassion.

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Thought Manifests as Word

Thought manifests as word.

Word manifests as deed.

Deed develops into habit.

And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care.

And let it spring from love

Born out of concern for all beings.

The Buddha (563?-483? B.C.E.)Siddhartha Gautama

Indian philosopher and founder of Buddhism