As you may know my wife and I live in the Bangor region of Maine which to date has received only a small portion of the usual snowfall. Yesterday, Saturday, we went to Acadia National Park and I hoped for a few pictures of the woods filled with snow. - there was none. The unusually warm weather and the Gulf Stream melted all snow leaving only a very icy carriage road close to the Jessup trail which is one of our favorite walks. So we could have stayed in the car and with me gripping about not getting my way, or doing what we did, put on the Stablilicers - screw studded ice cleats that give traction in even the hardest of black ice conditions - and off we went for a most enjoyable walk.
The woods here in Maine are always one of the very best places for me to find a return to emotional and spiritual sanity. There is always an exhale into equanimity when I an in Acadia, generally these days walking on the carriage trails which at this time of year are virtually devoid of all but a few people. One of the Gifts I have received over the years is the loss of any fear or loneliness when in off track places where no one else is around. This I believe comes from a trust that God is always with me, and at the same time I know I have acquired enough knowledge to work through any situation that may arrive. These are double Graces which I recognize for what they are even though I have never been tested in places apart.
Winter can be hard or soft all depending on what is an acquired viewpoint, how it is looked at. I prefer the softer approach which allows me to see the beauty of where I am regardless of the weather. Here are two pictures I took on yesterdays walk to emphasize this point. The first is a hard and cold view, the second is what I saw which translated well into the photo. (Actually both are beautiful to these eyes.)
Wisdom is bright and does not grow dim . . . and is found by those who look for her.”
~ Wisdom 6:12-13
Wisdom is not the gathering of more facts and information, as if that would eventually coalesce into truth. Wisdom is precisely a different way of seeing and knowing the “ten thousand things” in a new way. I suggest that wisdom is precisely the freedom to be truly present to what is right in front of you. Presence is wisdom! People who are fully present know how to see fully, rightly, and truthfully.
Presence is the one thing necessary for wisdom, and in many ways, it is the hardest thing of all. Just try to keep 1) your heart space open, 2) your mind without division or resistance, and 3) your body not somewhere else—and all at the same time! Most religions just decided it was easier to believe doctrines and obey often-arbitrary laws than the truly converting work of being present. Those who can be present will know what they need to know, and in a wisdom way.
Richard Rohr
On other sides of spiritual coinage the world is filled with holy people who dedicate their lives to following the Call of God's will for their lives. The mystical branch of Islam are the Sufi Orders filled with people who chose to live their lives looking for union with God here in the world. In all of South East Asia, India, Pakastan, etc. the music of poetry sung as praise and thanksgiving for God's Graces is the largest selling music of all that is available. Most of the songs were written at one time to echo the great poets of the Islamic world, Rumi, Hafiz and many others. The greatest modern day singer of this musical form is Nusrat Fetah Ali Kahn who only lived to age fifty dying of a heart attack prior to a concert in Paris. His popularity in the Islamic world is unparalleled.
Here is a remarkable love song to God sung by Shankar Mahavedan who uses traditional and modern instruments in his arrangements. If you go to the Utube link and watch in full screen view may you be as amazed as I was by the wonderful production of MTV India. The Audio can be listened to and downloaded from the Boxnet link.
Allah Hi Rehem - (Allah simply means "God" )
Audio only: http://www.box.com/s/pop2ycvcrvett9le4m8r
Here are the words:
Allah Hi Rahem (A Sufi Lovesong to God)
God is Merciful, Lord is Loving God is Grace Giving, Lord is Love Outpouring Look how Your Love has adorned my path Since the day I felt Your loving gaze oh God! I have become all Yours With Your showing of grace, we become Your Loved ones Being divinely intoxicated, becoming love stricken, we become inseparable from You In every breath are You, in every soul are You, In every beginning and every end, in every gaze and spoke words - are You God is Merciful, Lord is Loving God is Mercy, Lord is Pure Compassion You are hidden in every recess, in every place Then why this vain search for You? You’re in the warmth and in the cool shade You’re in the near ones and in strangers also are You God, God .. You’re in every fiber of my being You are my love, O my God Every breath I take is a gift from You You are my love, my God There’s nothing greater than receiving You Whenever my eyes gaze at You my heart sings….. God, God .. God is Merciful, Lord is Loving God is Grace Bestowing, God is Love Outpouring by: Ustad Rashid Khan See you next week. Peace and joy in the knowledge of a loving god, Bill Lagerstrom | |
