Where is salvation’s justice
if some errors are unforgivable,
and warrant vengeance in place of
healing and return of peace?
—A Course in Miracles
Latest Blog Posts — Page 2
Five Remedies for Sorrow
1. Pleasure (excepting sin)
walking, reading, slowly, softly
walking, reading, slowly, softly
2. Tears
slowly, softly
3. The compassion of friends
Rilke, Teddy, Toni, Jonathan
4. Contemplation of the truth
I need do nothing.
5. Sleep and baths
slowly, softly
—Saint Thomas Aquinas
The Power of Decision
I must die. I must be imprisoned. I must suffer exile.
But must I die groaning? Must I whine as well?
Can anyone hinder me from going into exile with a smile?
The master threatens to chain me: what say you? Chain me?
My leg you will chain—yes, but not my will—no,
not even Zeus can conquer that.
―Epictetus
Responsibility
I must have the right to say “No.” Only I can give myself this right on a meaningful basis. My no is a function of some of the deepest compassionate feelings for myself. This no of mine represents whatever force I can bring against anything in me or outside of me which I recognize as being antithetical to my well-being. This no represents me at my most grown up. This no makes my yes meaningful. Without this no I am without healthy, self-preserving defenses against infantile aspects of myself … Without this no I am indefensible against the demands of other people and their desires.
―Compassion and Self-Hate, Theodore Isaac Rubin
Happy Birthday
A Navajo blessing says, “May you walk in beauty.” Not just see beauty or create it, but walk in it, inhabit it, and move through the world as if beauty is your gravity. When you’re at the height of your lyrical powers, Libra, you do this naturally. You are especially receptive to the aesthetic soul of things. You can draw out the harmony beneath surface friction and improvise grace in the midst of chaos. I’m happy to tell you that you are currently at the height of these lyrical powers. I hope you’ll be bold in expressing them. Even if others aren’t consciously aware and appreciative of what you’re doing, beautify every situation you’re in. —Rob Brezsny