Embodied Love
"The great tragedy of Western religion is that it elevates disembodied love over embodied love, leading us to believe that it is better to be out of our bodies than in them. Even in the dictionary, the definition for carnal, which simply means 'of the flesh,' is charged with the added connotation: 'usually stresses the absence of intellectual or moral influence.' . . . .
"We forgot we were sparks from the same flame, waves of the same sea, that as much as the Divine is around us, the Divine is within us, experiencing itself through every sense in our bodies."
— Divining the Body
Embodying Self—Love
"In the process of divining our bodies, we embody the Divine as the mystics did. We feel the beloved in every cell, sense the sacred one in every heartbeat, every touch, every image our eyes encounter, every sound our ears behold. Transcending duality, we shift from a sense of "self" and "other" to a sense of self in other. When we embrace the Divine within ourselves, it becomes natural to find and love the Divine in others. It is our nature to do this. If we love ourselves tenderly, that feeling of compassion and kindness will seep out of us and transform every relationship in our lives . . . to undo the damage we've sustained living in a culture that thrives on our self-hatred. It is a sanctification of our human bodies, a consecration of ourselves as hosts to the Great Beloved. It is a journey of awe and reverence through the sacred terrain of foot and hand, back and breast, heart and brain. The path to peace is the pathway through ourselves, starting with the inward step, the brave, gentle step toward the Divine within."
— Divining the Body
Our Feet Are Secret Portals
"Our feet are our connection to Mother Earth. They ground us, balance us, take us wherever we choose on our journey to wholeness. They are the part of our sacred garment of flesh that allows us to move toward others in communion, toward nature in a quest for quiet, to other lands and cultures for adventure and learning. Our feet draw in energy from the earth every moment of our lives, as our lungs draw in air, our eyes draw in images, our ears draw in sounds. Heaven and earth converge in our bodies, entering in through the crowns of our heads and the soles of our feet. Our feet are sacred portals, thresholds over which great energy enters us from Mother Earth."
— Divining the Body
The Immanence of God
" 'God's being immanent depends on us,' says Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. We are the ones who give shape to the invisible one. We are the ones who can disarm the violent with the power of our thoughts, our touch, our gentle ways. We are the ones who weave threads of light into all our stories, whose words are a balm to the world's wounds. We are the ones who heal the loneliness, soften the hardness with a touch on the cheek, a hand on the arm. 'God does not have hands, we do. Our hands are God's,' writes Rabbi Lawrence Kushner."
— Divining the Body
My Back
" 'Thank you, back,' I began, shifting my attention up to the most injured part of me as I called to mind all the ways my back had served me in my life. 'Thank you for supporting me, for carrying me and my belongings everywhere I've moved in this world. Thank you for helping me to carry others who've been too weak to carry themselves. Thank you for carrying me into the majesty of the Himalayas, into the hunger and haunting mysteries of Calcutta, into the numinous quietude of temples and monasteries and cathedrals around the world. Thank you for carrying me into the lives of people who have taught me everything I know about love and kindness and not giving up no matter what. Thank you for bearing the weight of my cameras, my guitars, my tape recorders, so I could bring music to others and bring back home the music and images of people from other places.' "
— Divining the Body
Learning Originality
"Originality is a practice that can be learned, or rather rediscovered, reclaimed, with a certain amount of attention and surrender. As with any creative endeavor, originality in thinking, in being, requires a heightened state of alertness, a bridging of the poles, a show of fearlessness and willingness to forfeit the known for the unknown, the learned for the experienced. It requires a trust deeper than the sea, for what it asks for is a letting go, an unmooring from the safe harbor of certainty for a journey into the mists of mystery and possibility."
— The Art of Original Thinking
Beyond Dualities
"The art of original thinking is the art of thinking beyond dualities. It is the art of immersing ourselves so thoroughly in the idea of oneness that the creations, the visions, the solutions we offer the world are in the service of the whole human family."
— The Art of Original Thinking
The Outer Brought Inward
"Mysticism is an experience of communion. It is an embodied awareness of oneness, an intuitive recognition that the whole is in all of the parts. If religion were intelligence, mysticism would be wisdom. If religion were the recipe, mysticism would be the meal. Mysticism is the outer brought inward. It is not the knowledge of something, but the experience of something. "
— The Art of Original Thinking
Empty Chairs
"Chairs, even empty chairs, have such a presence about them. I once passed by a circle of empty chairs in the Adirondacks and could have sworn I heard whispers and murmurs and giggles. Chairs embody the spirit of the people who sat there, holding in their realm an essence unseen.
"I think in time we'll be able to see that essence; we will draw back the curtain between this world and that and enter into the fullness of vision, past duality into the One."
— God Is at Eye Level
Finding Passion
"Mystics and sages have long held that Divinity is within us, of us, that all life is One Life, imbued with the same sacredness, worthy of our reverence and adoration. As we grow in this awareness, becoming more intimate with ourselves, with nature, with each other, more attuned to the spirit within, our capacity to see and feel and heal expands.
"We see what is missing and offer that. We feel where there is pain, and place our hands upon it. We come to cherish life, to offer ourselves in service, in joy. And our work then becomes meaningful, useful, blissful.
"If you wonder how to find passion in your life, look to see where you are needed, and go there joyfully, full of fire and loving-kindness. Focus your eye on every detail, every expression, every movement, and do not look away until you have see the Divine. This is the vision, the awareness that will heal our wounds, repair our brokenness, and safeguard this world for those to come.
This, and nothing less."
— God Is at Eye Level
Spiritual Paths
"To be on a spiritual path is to take responsibility for creating our own creed, based on our commitments, and to respect the rights of others to do the same. It also means to reflect anew on what beliefs we've inherited to be sure they are compatible with our wisdom and compassion. To be on a spiritual path is to embrace the mystical paradox that while we are singular, physical beings on this journey, we are also profoundly connected to one another, animated and sustained by the same vast Spirit that abides in the star, the petal of an iris, the howl of the wolf."
— Finding the On-Ramp to Your Spiritual Path
Movement of the Spirit
"We must trust that Spirit will move us in all the appropriate ways. We must be there for and with one another, ready to dissolve boundaries and bestow blessings. The grace is in the movement of Spirit; the creative combustion; the risk of being real, vulnerable, and original. One has to be open. Spirit flies in through open windows."
— Finding the On-Ramp to Your Spiritual Path
The Artist's Creed
"I believe I am worth the time it takes to create
whatever I feel called to create.
I believe that my work is worthy of its own space,
which is worthy of the name sacred.
I believe that, whenever I enter this space, I have the right
to work in silence, uninterrupted, for as long as I choose.
I believe that the moment I open myself to the gifts of the Muse,
I open myself to the Source of All Creation
and become One with the Mother of Life Itself."
— Marry your Muse
Dear Child
"You give your time to doubt and fear
when no value comes of that.
Better to give time to the journey inward,
to that voice that needs you
to sound its truth.
"Turn your ear
to the stories that call you,
the memories that linger
and wait for reclaiming.
"Your desire to create
Is the calling of these tales.
It is the tales that stir you,
the tales that hold all the words
you will ever need.
Just listen now and remember."
— Marry your Muse
Giving the Artist Within Half a Chance
"We have created in our culture an institution called 'art' for the sake of commerce and economy. Let us not confuse this with the art of our lives. Let us not be limited in our self-expression by those whose work it is to judge or profit from the creations of a choice few. That is only one aspect of a multifaceted jewel.
"Each of us is born to create. Every living being has some gift to express that will benefit the whole, and it is for each of us to discern what it is we bring to the table. This indeed is the hardest work- not the actual doing or being, but knowing what it is that we are called to be and do. . . .
"Dig into your deep down. See what is there to be expressed and what medium it wants for expression. Forget the art teachers, the choir directors, the critics, the editors, the publishers- all the people who have led you over the years believe you are not good enough. All the artists of the world who create for the sake of creating call on you to do your part. It's time now to join the circle, find your voice, use your gifts. You have waited long enough. We need you."
— Marry your Muse
Photography
"Photography, I discovered, is as much about seeing inside ourselves as it is about looking out at the world. All creative activity joins spirit to matter and so can transform. But photography is special. It is all about focus and attention, image and shadow, figure and ground, darkness and light."
— God Is at Eye Level
How to Be a Mystic
"Wake up every morning with thank you on your lips
Brush your teeth with gratitude bubbling up in your mouth
Leave the newspaper folded, the answering machine on and the door to your prayer place closed to world till you have taken the call from the One Who Speaks in Silence.
Let your mind empty and fill with ten thousand thoughts and re-member there is nothing that is not holy.
Be aware that the words you speak on Monday become the life you live on Thursday.
Look deeply enough into the eyes of those who speak to you that you see yourself in there.
Embrace thoughts that are contrary to yours and travel to the place where there is nothing to defend.
Crawl into bed at the end of the day singing thank you and thank you a hundred times."
— No Ordinary Time
Compline (9:00 P.M.)
"To live inspired, spiritually intelligent lives doesn't take genius, money, or luck. It takes time, the courage to go within, and the commitment to a daily practice of communion with the Infinite. It is this union that enables us to ignore the petty voices within and around us and preserve our magnitude amid waves of mediocrity. Just as our bodies need food and water to sustain them, our souls need solitude and silence. It's the medium of their expression. Without this, we have no means to hear their message."
— No Ordinary Time
Preparing for the Sacrament of Holy Unity
"I want a choir of Chinese peasants, Israeli kindergartners, Japanese Bonsai masters, Navajo weavers, Zuni potters, Tlingit totem pole makers, and African Diamond miners.
Once assembled, we will celebrate the sacrament that contains them all.
We will sing till the earth wobbles in her orbit,
give praise and tanks till wine runs from the Sugar maple.
We will bow to the holiness we see in each other
forgiving the past, blessing the present,
committing to a future that is good for everyone.
And this will be the sacrament of Holy Unity
a welcome to the dawning of an Uncommon Era."
— No Ordinary Time
