Thursday, December 27, 2007
New Year's Blessings
(image from source)
The following lovely New Year's blessing comes from Lawrence Edwards, who is responsible for creating and maintaining the organization called "Anam Cara." For more on Anam Cara and to sign up for the free newsletter, go to
http://www.anamcara-ny.org "Anam Cara" means "soul friend." May we all be soul friends to one another during the coming year and all future years as well.
Anam Cara, Inc. Newsletter
Perennial Wisdom For The Soul's Journey
Greetings and Namaste!
In the northern hemisphere, especially in the northern latitudes, our nights have lengthened as we move towards the winter solstice with its longest period of darkness in the year. In a sense it's the darkness that calls forth the light. This age is known in the Eastern traditions as the dark age, Kali Yuga, where the Light of Dharma, the Light of Love, the Light of Spirit is most challenged by the darkness of the ordinary ego mind - individual and collective - with it's profound ignorance and emptiness driving it into states of craving, fear and mad grasping at power. We all see how this is inflicting untold suffering and death on countless beings. This nearly overwhelming darkness calls to each one of us to bring forth the Light. The Buddha said he chose to take birth in Kali Yuga because of its darkness and this being the time of the greatest need of all beings for relief from suffering.
Whether we see ourselves as honoring our Buddha nature or our Christ nature or our Divine nature or our Goddess nature or simply our highest human nature - by radiating Light into the darkness through our acts of generosity, compassion and loving kindness we are serving the Divine in all Her forms. We must never give in to the numbness that this time of tragic suffering on such massive scales can bring. You are that seed of Light, that flame that can always beat back the darkness, always.
When the ordinary ego mind awakens and discovers its purpose is simply to serve through love and compassion, it also sees how insignificant it is, how small in comparison to the task the Divine has given it - to relieve the suffering of others. It can feel overwhelmed until it sees that it can fulfill that Divine command by simply helping whoever is near in whatever way it can. That simplicity sets us free from overwhelm and numbness and the ego inflation of trying to take on all suffering only to collapse. We can always take action, however small, to bring love, compassion, patience and kindness into the world.
May our every breath, every thought and every act help to alleviate the suffering of others. This is the way of Christ, Buddha, bodhisattvas, sages and saints of every tradition. This is what it is to realize our most sublime human nature.
(The following poem is from John O'Donohue, whose book is called "Anam Cara)"
A Prayer of Blessing
May you awaken to the mystery of being here
and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
May you have joy and peace in the temple
of your senses.
May you receive great encouragement
when new frontiers beckon.
May you respond to the call of your gift
and find the courage to follow its path.
May the flame of anger free you from falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame
and may anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror
an inner dignity of soul.
May you take time to celebrate the quiet miracles
that seek no attention.
May you be consoled in the
secret symmetry of your soul.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift
woven around the heart of wonder.~
John O'Donohue ~
Author of the book, "Anam Cara"
