"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The Soul that riseth with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And rises from afar.
Not in entire firgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing coulds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!...
O joy! that in our embers
Is something that doth live,
That nature yet remembers
What was so fugitive...
Hence in a season of calm weather
Though inland far we be
Our souls have sight of that immortal sea
Which brought us hither,
Can in a moment travel thither,
And see the children sport upon the shower,
And hear the mighty waters rolling evermore."
--
William Wordsworth, England (1770-1850)
--
This is the first entry in the book The Soul Aflame, a modern book of hours. I have often tried to meditate on this collection of poems and quotations, insights into the wisdom of ages collected in this book. Sometimes it takes me a little while to wrap my mind around the underlying works in the pages of this book.
I open the conversation up to you...
3 comments:
Hi. I've been reading The Soul Aflame for a few months now, and it has been very helpful ... and fun. I've also been reading so much other soul-stirring, mind-centering "stuff," as well as engaging others in my "community" who are interested.
I like these quotes from the book, among others: “You must concentrate upon and concentrate yourself wholly to each day, as though a fire were raging in your hair.” Deshimaru
and
“The heart of men has been so made by God that, like a flint, it contains a hidden fire which is evolved by music and harmony, and renders man beside himself with ecstasy. These harmonies are echoes of that higher world of reality which we call the world of spirits …they fan into flame whatever love is already dormant in the heart.” Al-Ghazzali
I've also been reading Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours, Rilke's Book of Hours, A Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer, and The Soul of Rumi.
Peace
You can connect with me on Facebook, if you'd like.
Peace,
Nick Connell
Nick- for some reason blogger wasn't notifying me of posts on this blog! I'm so sad I'm.... 2 years late? on finding your posts. There's 13 people with your name on FB, which one are you? I hope to connect with you soon! (sooner than 2013?) *wink*grin*
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