“The greatest blessing is to be near good, wise, kindhearted friends. We can’t be happy unless we have a sane, healthy space within us and around us. We need a habitat this is beautiful and nourishing, one that gives us the safety and freedom we need..

Our community can be a family that sustains us. We can’t handpick everybody with whom we interact in our daily life, but we can choose to live among those who are kind and virtuous. When we can interact with those who are honorable and have great virtue, we’re creating conditions that will bring us lasting happiness.”

From Peace Is This Moment by Thich Nhat Hanh

“When a state declares war on individuals, that means that something is wrong with that state. Then we have to find another concept of sanctuary. What is it? Here again I come to my Jewish tradition, and with delight I discover that when we speak of sanctuary in the Jewish tradition, it refers to human beings. Sanctuary, then, is not a place. Sanctuary is a human being. Any human being is a sanctuary. Every human being is a dwelling of God – man or woman or child, Christian or Jewish or Buddhist. Any person, by virtue of being a son or daughter of humanity, is a living sanctuary whom nobody has the right to invade.”

From The Refugee by Elie Wiesel (1928 – 2016), writer, holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, born on this day

Feast of St Michael and All Angels

“I have refused to live
locked in the orderly house of
reasons and proofs.
The world I live in and believe in
is wider than that. And anyway,
what’s wrong with Maybe?

You wouldn’t believe what once or
twice I have seen. I’ll just
tell you this:
only if there are angels in your head will you
ever, possibly, see one.”

Mary Oliver

“Tell your story.
Shout it. Write it.
Whisper it if you have to.
But tell it.
Some won’t understand it.
Some will outright reject it.
But many will
thank you for it.
And then the most
magical thing will happen.
One by one, voices will start
whispering, ‘Me, too.’
And your tribe will gather.
And you will never
feel alone again.”

L. R. Knost

“One night in the desert, my feet became fettered with sleep. A camel-driver awoke me, saying: “Arise; since you heed not the sound of the bell, perhaps you desire to be left behind! I, like you, would sleep awhile, but the desert stretches ahead. How will you reach the journey’s end if you sleep when the drum of departure beats?”
Happy are they who have prepared their baggage before the beat of the drum! The sleepers by the wayside raise not their heads and the caravan has passed out of sight.
He who was early awake surpassed all on the road; what availed it to awaken when the caravan had gone?
This is the time to sow the deeds of the harvest you would reap.
Strive now, when the water reaches not beyond your waist; delay not until the flood has passed over your head.
Waste not your time in sorrow and regret, for opportunity is precious and Time is a sword.”

Saadi (1210 – 1292)

“Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind
Cannot bear very much reality.
Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.”

From Burnt Norton by T S Eliot (1888 – 1965), born on this day

“Never be afraid. Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion, against injustice and lying and greed.”

William Faulkner (1897 – 1962), born on this day

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late.. to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”

From The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940), born on this day

“The next time you refuse to sing
because you’ll never fill a stadium
or decline the joy of dance
for fear of looking ridiculous
or you resist risking the new adventure
because you’re not entirely ready
or you dim your shine
because you’re not completely healed and whole
the next time you hold yourself suspect
because you’re not entirely qualified
just remember
a bird doesn’t sing because it’s talented
a bird sings because it has a song
the moon doesn’t only shine when it’s whole
it can show up
with a single sliver of itself
and still light an entire night sky
show up. sing. shine.
the world needs you
as you are.”

Angi Sullins, artist and poet

Autumn Equinox

“Now day and night are equal in both hemispheres.

We too experience balance and integration as we reconnect to our inner selves. We become aware of the changing season, which gives us the chance to start again. This is a good time to release the past and move forward with clarity as we begin to prepare for the coming Winter and to incubate new seeds within.

This is a time of ripening fruits, nuts, berries, mushrooms and seeds. Trees and plants are letting their energy fall back down into their roots. Leaves are dropping to the Earth to make compost, rich in nutrition and goodness, providing the best conditions for future new growth.

This is the time for long-term planning and nurturing. The seeds of ideas and the seeds of hope that we plant now will re-emerge in the Spring, strengthened and consolidated by their time in the dark and stabilized by their strong roots.

It is time to celebrate the power of balance, to move beyond our old habits of polarity, the ‘us and them’ mentality which has led to war, misery and poverty. Now we seek inspiring new ways to bring harmony and equality into our lives and the world.”

From Earth Wisdom by Glennie Kindred