“A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of another and many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own. The great instrument of moral good is the imagination.”

Percy Bysshe Shelley, expelled from Oxford University on this day in 1811 for co-writing and distributing an atheist pamphlet

Pathless by Alfred K Lamotte,

““There is strength in gentleness… gentler, gentler, so gentle it hardly has any substance… the breath of Silence. Then it is infinitely powerful, infinitely creative.” ~Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
That path is best
whose first breath is all
you will ever need
because it is the stream
of wonder
that created the world,
whirling earth
and stars like milkweed
over the bee-wildered
meadow.
Now it is midnight.
Stay awake.
This is when
the Goddess comes,
lovely, nearly naked,
draped in her golden veil
of stillness.
Almost, almost.
Use the flowing
to polish your heart.”

Greeting the Spring by David Ensley,

“Sing of the EAST, the realm of AIR,
There gifts of sight and wisdom fair.
Dancing March breeze on this blest morn.
We celebrate the SPRING newly born.

Sing of the SOUTH, where FIRE burns bright,
There gifts of passion and ardent light.
Length’ning warm days on this blest morn.
We celebrate the SPRING newly born.

Sing of the WEST, deep WATER clear,
There gifts of health and love draw near,
Flowing with life on this blest morn.
We celebrate the SPRING newly born.

Sing of the NORTH, and strength of EARTH.
There gifts of life in joyous rebirth.
Springing up green on this blest morn.
We celebrate the SPRING newly born.

Sing of the LADY, and LORD of Green Wood,
Joyful Spring Maiden, and Shepherd Good,
Bringing us joy on this blest morn.
We celebrate the SPRING newly born.

Sing of the SPIRIT, Source of all,
Giver of life, to you we call,
Moving in us on this blest morn
We celebrate the SPRING newly born.”

“Promise me,
Promise me this day,
Promise me now,
While the Sun is overhead exactly at the zenith.
Promise me,
Even as they strike you down with a mountain of hatred and violence,
Even as they step on you and crush you like a worm,
Even as they dismember and disembowel you,
Remember brother,
Remember, man is not our enemy.
The only thing worthy of you is compassion –
invincible, limitless, unconditional.
Hatred will never let you face the beast in man.
One day, when you face this beast alone with your courage intact, your eyes kind, untroubled (even as no one sees them), out of your smile will bloom a flower.
And those who love you will behold you across ten thousand worlds of birth and dying.
Alone again, I will go on with bent head, knowing that love has become eternal.
On the long, rough road the Sun and Moon will continue to shine.
Man is not the enemy. Our enemy is hatred, anger, ignorance, and fear.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

“The soul is a breath of living spirit, that with excellent sensitivity, permeates the entire body to give it life.
Just so, the breath of the air makes the earth fruitful.
Thus the air is the soul of the earth, moistening it, greening it…

The air, with its penetrating strength, characterizes the victorious banner that is trust.
It gives light to the fire’s flame and sprinkles the imagination of believers with the dew of hope.
Thus does trust show the way.
Those who breathe this dew long for heavenly things.
They carry within refreshing, fulfilling, greening love, with which they hasten to the aid of all.
With the passion of heavenly yearning, they produce rich fruit.”

Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179)

“Building bridges between our divisions,
I reach out to you; Will you reach out to me?
With all of our voices and all of our visions,
Friends, we could make such sweet harmony.”
Greenham Common Women

“Before you were formed in the womb, your days were numbered and set in place. They are the chapters of the lessons you came here to learn, the faces of the wisdom this world has to teach you, the gateways to the treasures this lifetime alone can bestow.
A day enters, opens its doors, tells its story, and then returns above, never to visit again. Never—for no two days of your life will share the same wisdom.”
Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

“It is said that before
entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path
she has travelled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing
forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more
than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way.
The river cannot go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible
in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will
fear disappear,
because that’s where
the river will know
it’s not about disappearing
into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.”

Khalil Gibran

From St Patrick’s breastplate prayer,

“I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendour of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.”

from Earth Bound: Daily Meditations for All Seasons by Brian Nelson,

“”I’d rather be a forest than a street,” writes Paul Simon in his song “El Condor Pasa.” But perhaps the biggest choice offered in the lyrics is not between two types of existence – sparrow or snail, hammer or nail. Perhaps the biggest question is raised by the next lyric: “Yes I would … if I could.”

Are you so sure you can’t decide to be a forest rather than a street? If Whitman can tell us, “I am large … I contain multitudes,” then maybe it’s up to you whether you are a forest or a street. Maybe it’s a false dichotomy, and you can be a forest when you feel like it, a street when it suits you. You have both forest and street within you – travel them whenever the urge strikes you.”