Autumn in the Garden by Henry Van Dyke
When the frosty kiss of Autumn in the dark
Makes its mark
On the flowers, and the misty morning grieves
Over fallen leaves;
Then my olden garden, where the golden soil
Through the toil
Of a hundred years is mellow, rich, and deep,
Whispers in its sleep.
‘Mid the crumpled beds of marigold and phlox,
Where the box
Borders with its glossy green the ancient walks,
There’s a voice that talks
Of the human hopes that bloomed and withered here
Year by year,–
Dreams of joy, that brightened all the labouring hours,
Fading as the flowers.
Yet the whispered story does not deepen grief;
But relief
For the loneliness of sorrow seems to flow
From the Long-Ago,
When I think of other lives that learned, like mine,
To resign,
And remember that the sadness of the fall
Comes alike to all.
What regrets, what longings for the lost were theirs!
And what prayers
For the silent strength that nerves us to endure
Things we cannot cure!
Pacing up and down the garden where they paced,
I have traced
All their well-worn paths of patience, till I find
Comfort in my mind.
Faint and far away their ancient griefs appear:
Yet how near
Is the tender voice, the careworn, kindly face,
Of the human race!
Let us walk together in the garden, dearest heart,
Not apart!
They who know the sorrows other lives have known
Never walk alone.
Daily Zen ~ Kitaibaraki City, Japan
Human nature is developed by profound
Serenity and lightness,
Virtue is developed by harmonious
Joy and open selflessness.
When externals do not confuse
You inwardly,
Your nature finds the condition
That suits it;
When your nature does not disturb
Harmony, virtue rests in its place.
– Huai-nan-tzu
Photograph by Akira Takaue, My Shot
This Month in Photo of the Day: Your Photos
Kitaibaraki City, Japan
(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)
What Makes This a Photo of the Day? I love how minimalist this landscape is—air, water, rock, and light. —Alexa Keefe, Photo of the Day editor
Silence
The old pond has no walls;
a frog just jumps in;
do you say there is an echo?
Silence is one of the primary conditions for our well-being and growth yet we have been so desensitized by the restlessness of alienating systems that we no longer appreciate the wisdom and depth behind silence.
He who yearns for inner clarity should observe periods of quietude and learn to listen to the subtle motions inside his body: the Breath.
It is only in silence that the Voice of the soul, the Word can be perceived, so once we make an habit of being quiet and of yielding to the natural rhythm of our breath, we actually begin to hear the true Sound, the perfection of Life and all its celestial music. That heavenly sound is the Sound which animates the entire Creation and which fills it with peace, mercy and tender energy.
~Aida Toure’
Freedom ~ Bondi Beach, Australia
For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail? ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Bondi Beach, Australia
Photograph by Dylan Maras, My Shot
This Month in Photo of the Day: Your Photos
As I walked along Bondi Beach in Australia I came across this woman in red. I watched her as she fed the seagulls and enjoyed the calmness. When I finally had a chat with her she told me she was from England and has been living in Australia for two years. She told me that every day since she’s lived there, she would go to the market and get the seagulls leftover food for free. When I asked her why she did it, she told me the seagulls can’t do it. They give her peace; she gives them food.
We Are The World ~ Daily Zen ;)
When thousands and thousands of people around the earth are celebrating, singing, dancing, ecstatic, drunk with the divine, there is no possibility of any global suicide. With such festivity and with such laughter, with such sanity and health, with such naturalness and spontaneity, how can there be a war?… Life has been given to you to create, and to rejoice, and to celebrate. When you cry and weep, when you are miserable, you are alone. When you celebrate, the whole existence participates with you. Only in celebration do we meet the ultimate, the eternal. Only in celebration do we go beyond the circle of birth and death.
Osho I Celebrate Myself Chapter 4
Commentary:
Humanity is depicted here as a rainbow of beings, dancing around the mandala of the earth with their hands joined together in joy and gratitude for the gift of life. This card represents a time of communication, of sharing the riches that each of us brings to the whole. There is no clinging here, no grasping. It is a circle without fear of feelings of inferiority and superiority. When we recognize the common source of our humanity, the common origins of our dreams and longings, our hopes and fears, we are able to see that we are all joined together in the great miracle of existence. When we can combine our tremendous inner wealth to create a treasure of love and wisdom that is available to all, we are linked together in the exquisite pattern of eternal creation.
All My Body Calls
for something in this sleeping
earth
we call the spirit.
from lifted arms
where stars run through fingers
and the night is like sand
do I breathe a fragrance of its wisdom
do I call its name
or listen to the drops
that trickle down to earth
and hear
life being given
not only through the moving hands of the forest
but through the hand that reaches in
the dark unmoving regions of the chest
and uncovers slowly
the enormous
indistinct
shape of the ocean.
Finish Every Day
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities
no doubt have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely
and with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with
your old nonsense.
This day is all that is
good and fair.
It is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on yesterdays.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)
Scholar Inscribes Iranian Peace Message
Scholar Inscribes Iranian Peace Message
Iranian scholar Eliza Saeedi has created an inscription in the city of Tabriz which conveys the message of peace from Iran to the world.
Saeedi has donated the inscription to the central library of Tabriz where she works as a researcher in ancient Iranian studies.
The inscription aims to dispel the false impressions created by Western media about Iran being a supporter of war and terrorism.
“It took me five years to finish the inscription and invite all nations and ethnicities to peace and friendship,” said Saeedi.
“The inscription is the first pictorial charter of human rights, which shows Iranians were the first nation to have had a human rights charter and have always been against war and violence,” she added.
Saeedi also said that she would donate a copy of the same inscription to the United Nations museum.
Nature is Divine …
Soft morning meadows,blade or bloom,
bring comfort and promise
The sky a promise of infinite hope
the meadow a canvas of endless beauty
Mother’s breathe blankets and nurtures,
protecting Her sleeping children
Soft and low you can hear Her sing
sweetly in the mist
The Sun God hears Her,
wakes and smiles …
rays of light kiss the mist,
diamonds sparkle and dance on the blooms
Nature, free of public haunt
may teach you more than any sage
Listen to Nature’s sermon,
as the water lovingly washes
the stones of the creekbed
Who needs a church,
Nature is divine …
© Carina D
I like the silence of a church, before the service begins better than any preaching. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~
Silence
Silence is one of the primary conditions for our well-being and growth yet we have been so desensitized by the restlessness of alienating systems that we no longer appreciate the wisdom and depth behind silence.
He who yearns for inner clarity should observe periods of quietude and learn to listen to the subtle motions inside his body: the Breath.
It is only in silence that the Voice of the soul, the Word can be perceived, so once we make an habit of being quiet and of yielding to the natural rhythm of our breath, we actually begin to hear the true Sound, the perfection of Life and all its celestial music. That heavenly sound is the Sound which animates the entire Creation and which fills it with peace, mercy and tender energy.
~Aida Toure’
L'amore e forte come la morte 