the extraordinary magnificence of beauty – 001

the irrationality of subjectivity

"Everyone is a prisoner of his own experience. No one can eliminate prejudices--just recognize them."

 Edward R. Murrow

"It is in this recognition that we disempower them  - and empower our lovingness"

gg

Protecting the earth

Interesting video that helps us understand exactly what we can EFFECTIVELY do to help…

 

Easter Sunday morning

The really great thing about this time of the year is the way in which beauty is tantalizingly revealed a little at a time.

A journey into beauty and magnificence should not be an F1 race, but a gradual ascent into ecstasy.

gg

Maya Angelou – 01

Remembrance - Tsunami

The devastation continues to have a profound effect upon our hearts. Further news that another powerful earthquake shook the area in the past few hours reminds us of the trauma born by so many in the area.

Our thoughts are with you – and our hearts weep with yours.

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

While we are talking of miracles….

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Nelson Mandela

and the poem that has been his inspiration

In Memoriam: Miki Endo

This post is in memory and tribute to a very special young Japanese woman – but is also a recognition that so many in Japan in recent weeks have given much of themselves for the benefit of others.

You may read Miki Endo's  moving and life-saving story HERE

or you can also watch a YouTube short documentary that tells her heroic story HERE

Sometimes, being true to our inner self costs us everything and it is only in that moment that we have fully defined who we are in spirit.

the benefit of experience…….

It has been my life experience that the people who are, arguably, the most spiritual are the ones who do not think that they are. In fact, they hardly think about 'spirituality' at all.

They just do. They don't pontificate, think, study, –they just take action - and their hearts are rivers of kindness and compassion

gg

into the light

 

gg

Discernment

"A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility".-- D. L. Moody

 

"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe, is in the end, of little consequence. The only thing of consequence is what we do".. --  John Ruskin

 

"There are many in religion and/or philosophy who are experts with the words. They have minds that can encompass innumerable definitions provided by yet more such experts.. It is a great sadness when one comes across such as these whose minds have great knowledge yet whose hearts never practised the language of the Spirit, it's dialects of humility and truthfulness, it's rhythm of lovingness". gg

We all have in common…

that our bodies consist of between 55-78% …..WATER

shed another tear or two…

……………… and  rarely, but sometimes, our tears become tears of joy

via

we weep with Japan

via

Around the world a surge of compassion, stronger than any tsunami, reaches out to the peoples of Japan.

There is hardly a human being anywhere who upon seeing these images does not shed a tear in their heart.

gg

the heart of a man on Women's Day

for their devotion, practicality, friendship, dedication, emotional stamina, compassion, ingenuity, intelligence, creativity,inner beauty and, of course, their limitless love - A BIG THANK YOU to all the women whose lives have touched my life

the science of faith

"Suppose you took scrabble sets, or any word game sets, blocks with letters containing every language on Earth and you heap them together, and then you took a scoop and you scooped into that heap, and you flung it out on the lawn there and the letters fell into a line which contained the words, 'to be or not to be that is the question,' that is roughly the odds of an RNA molecule appearing on the Earth." (Dr. Robert Shapiro, Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Chemistry at New York University)

image via worldofmolecules.com

"Our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to understanding the real struggle between Science and the Supernatural. We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community of unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to naturalism ... for we cannot allow a Divine foot in the door." (Richard Lewontin, Geneticist)

blog entry inspired by "A reasonable argument for God's existence"

the soul's alphabet….part 2

love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love

part 1 can be found here

ain't it so

unless you are as a little child….

image courtesy of www.ragnhild-monsen.com

Consider this: since we are all individual then our perceptions, concepts, experiences are equally all individual. They are as individual as a snowflake in a blizzard of living.

This being so, how absurd it is of us to think we can 'understand' another person.

We may remember that as young children playing together we could empathise with another's joy, or another's pain. If we really understand ourself, then we treasure this blessing throughout life - our ability to empathise.

I am not required to understand you, nor you I. What love does require of us is that we so choreograph our empathy that we may accept the beauty of each other as we dance the melody of life. If we look through those childhood empathatic eyes, we will see the miracle of each other.

And in just the same way the snowstorm surrounds us with countless millions of individually beautiful miracles if we will look, so we are surrounded by the vast and staggeringly beautiful landscape of humanity.

gg