A Mermaid Knows

Tags

goddess, mermaid, ocean, poetry

by Irene Young

A mermaid dives deep.
She is not afraid of
what may be buried at the
bottom of her fluid heart.

She is not frozen in fear
watching from the dunes.
Instead a mermaid swims the waters
where she bathes in her own
self love.

To be a sea maid, one must breathe
with the wisdom of that freedom
is not walking the shore, but
touching the bottom with faith
that one rebounds to fresh waters,
through open eyes, with clear lungs,
a willing heart, and new skin
to breathe out the old,
and in the daring.

A mermaid knows
memory is both
a chain that binds,
and the key that frees;
And
the truth that heals
in the name of The Mother,
The Daughter, and The Holy Self.
Amen.

the one you feed…

Tags

advice

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. “One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
“The other is Good – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

from Celeste on The Pagan Forum

to love is not to possess…

Tags

love

To love is not to possess,
To own or imprison,
Nor to lose one’s self in another.
Love is to join and separate,
To walk alone and together,
To find a laughing freedom
That lonely isolation does not permit.
It is finally to be able
To be who we really are
No longer clinging in childish dependency
Nor docilely living separate lives in silence,
It is to be perfectly one’s self
And perfectly joined in permanent commitment
To another–and to one’s inner self.
Love only endures when it moves like waves,
Receding and returning gently or passionately,
Or moving lovingly like the tide
In the moon’s own predictable harmony,
Because finally, despite a child’s scars
Or an adult’s deepest wounds,
They are openly free to be
Who they really are–and always secretly were,
In the very core of their being
Where true and lasting love can alone abide.

by James Kavanaugh

Desiderata

Tags

life, life lesson, poetry, wisdom

by Max Ehrmann, 1927

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

One month until Sanity

The semester is almost over, and finals week is looming nigh.  I feel like I have barely enough room to breathe, much less enjoy my family and spring.  But I do have some…

So, whatever you are doing in your busy life, that you have on that never ending list of things that get in the way of what you would rather be doing, stop.  Put it down.  Walk away from the computer.  And go outside.  Find the beauty in a breath of fresh air, or grass on your feet, or rain stinging your face.  Give a loved one a hug, or a cuddle, or a story.  Then go back to your list of things…I promise, that  list of things won’t run away.