Weekender June 29, 2002
Volume 4, Issue 26
Balance
Quote: The Master in the art of living
makes little distinction between
his work and his play,
his labor and his leisure,
his mind and his body,
his education and his religion.
He hardly knows which is which,
He simply pursues his vision of excellence
in whatever he does,
leaving others to decide
whether he is working or playing.
To him he is always doing both.
Zen Buddhist text
Source: "Public Lives, Private Prayers," adapted from the book
of the same name by Mary Reath in Spirituality and Health,
Summer 2001.
Love
Quote: What we can control, where we can make a difference that
moves us beyond our own personal predicament is in our
attitude and our actions, as we try to behave in the best
manner that we possibly can, the most loving way we can
manage at any given moment. I think that old adage, "God
is love" is literally true, whether or not you actually
believe in God. Thinking that way helped me to get past
the me-me-me -- my body, my problems, my condition,
myself.
Christopher Reeve is an actor, director and activist
for spinal cord injury research.
Source: Quoted from his autobiography,
Still Me
(UK link)
in "Are You Religious or Are You Spiritual?" by Katherine Kurs, Spirituality and Health, Spring 2001.
Beauty
Quote: A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry,
and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order
that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the
beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was a
German poet, novelist, playwright, and philosopher.
Source: The Forbes Book of Business Quotations: 14,266 Thoughts on the Business of Life
UK
Love
Quote: There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer;
no disease that enough love will not heal; no door that
enough love will not open... It makes no difference how
deeply seated may be the trouble; how hopeless the
outlook; how muddled the tangle; how great the mistake.
A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all.
If only you could love enough you would be the happiest
and most powerful being in the world.
Emmet Fox was a Christian mystic, popular with
Christian Scientists and Unity. The book this
quote was taken from was required reading as
part of the AA program at its inception.
Source: Love and Relationships: Inspirations for Meditation and Spiritual Growth
by Eileen Campbell
UK
Love
Quote: The language of the heart is longing; the language of the
mind is rationalizing; the language of emotions is feeling.
Spirit speaks them all. Today I would love for all of us to
get it at last: not to focus on what we don't have, but to
be grateful for what we do. For us to accept, give thanks,
bless and share. For us not to hoard or hold back for fear
that there won't be enough. Because Spirit lacks for nothing.
As long as you have a few loaves and fishes, and know what
to do with them, all you have is all you need.
Sarah Ban Breathnach is the author of Simple
Abundance, a NY Times best seller. She also
consults on publishing and multimedia projects
and founded the Simple Abundance Charitable
Fund, a bridge group between charitable causes
and the public, which strives to raise
awareness of the power of doing good and
living "the good life."
Source: Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy
by Sarah Ban Breathnach
UK
Bonus Reading on Authenticity
by Guy Finley
Want to know how free you really are? Good! You're about to be presented with a unique opportunity to learn all about your individual level of inner liberty. As you review each of the inner liberties on the list, just note mentally whether or not that particular freedom belongs to you. Our intention is simply to learn what's true about ourselves, not to prove anything about ourselves. Allow these forty freedoms to awaken and stir that secret part of you that knows living in any kind of bondage is a lie. Then follow your own natural sensing all the way to the free life. You're Well Along Freedom's Path When:
1. You have no desire to change places in life with anyone else. There's one more important point to bring to our attention: never be discouraged over your present location! Discouragement is a negative emotion with more than one trick up its dark sleeve. It tricks you into mentally or emotionally dwelling in the very place you want to leave. Drop all such sorrow permanently by daring to see through this deception of the unconscious mind. Who you really are, your True Nature, is no more tied to the kind of person you've been than the wind is tied to the skies through which it moves. Your past is just that, the past, a place within your psyche with no more reality to it than the picture of a castle on a postcard is made from stone. You have a destination far beyond where you find yourself standing today. It may not seem so at first, but your new findings are a great start. Now keep going. Use this list and your new discoveries to help you ignite your wish to be free. Then step back and welcome the spiritual firestorm. Watch as it burns away the ties that bind. This is what it means to let the Light fight for you. Excerpted from Freedom From the Ties That Bind by Guy Finley © 1994 Llewellyn Publications
© 2002 All Rights Reserved Worldwide Guy Finley |