May we know the sublime Love
that we are part of.
May it sustain us.
It IS us.
Gratitude Prayer
Purnima (Book 7 of Waldmeer): Purnima Passage
Purnima means full moon. Full moons are auspicious occasions for new beginnings, so we begin, again. Merlyn and Gabriel stood awkwardly at the entrance of Twenty Mile Track. Awkward because they barely knew each other, and this seemed too big an adventure for virtual strangers. Nevertheless, there they were, brought together by some unknown force. The force wasn’t exactly unknown. It was Amira, after all, and she wasn’t unknown. Gabriel certainly knew her. Knew her more than anyone else. Knew her until that night a few months ago when she left this world.
Three Mystical Poems by Meister Eckhart
Here is my video of three Meister Eckhart mystical poems:
- Why So Many Souls
- Always Kissing
- Intimate
Prana (Book 6 of Waldmeer): Inspection
After six months of living in Store Creek with the cold weather, it was good to finally arrive at spring’s doorstep. Merlyn wondered if that was why Ben had decided to visit today. He said it was a rental inspection. But that was just a joke. At least, Merlyn hoped it was a joke. Although it was two years since their separation, they had been married for three years. Nothing needed inspecting. Merlyn’s mind was put at ease once he arrived. He appeared to have no interest in checking on anything. He chatted for an hour or two before saying that it was time to return to the city and that he had a big week ahead of him at the State Ballet.
Simple Pleasures
Little Oakey
My grandfather, Michael John Pope, was a pioneer farmer in outback New South Wales, Australia. He built his small, four-room home, Little Oakey, from the creek-stones of the area. Behind the house was a wattle and daub (clay) kitchen and cellar. In that little home with his wife, Mary Jane, he raised five children in what would be considered, by today’s standards, primitive isolation. Such was life in the outback. It was and, essentially, still is harsh, relentless, and intensely beautiful. It becomes part of the soul and is embedded into one’s psyche as primal home.
One Day the World Stopped—poem
We all stayed in—
couldn’t touch,
shouldn’t meet,
mustn’t dance.
God forbid
we kiss.
Pittown (Book 5 of Waldmeer): Remarkably Ordinary
Before her eyes opened, Merlyn sensed the soft, red glow behind the makeshift curtain, which hung unevenly over the window. The unit was relatively modern and clean and had heating and cooling that worked. Pittown, as a suburb, was ordinary, but she could afford the rent on her own. Remarkably ordinary, thought Merlyn as she walked a couple of doors to the one decent cafe.
Faith (Book 4 of Waldmeer): Look After My Boy
Spring had come and gone in Waldmeer and it was well into summer. As Waldmeer is in the Southern Hemisphere, summer carries with it a new year. Gabriel and Aristotle were travelling in the car to Waldmeer from Gabriel’s apartment in Darnall. It was Aristotle’s idea. Gabriel didn’t like going to Waldmeer anymore. Since Amira had mysteriously disappeared in early spring and her nasty cousin, Eve, had taken over the house, the whole of Waldmeer felt different. It was as if a light had gone out and a dark cloud had spread over the town. Nevertheless, Aristotle wanted to visit, so Gabriel said yes. Gabriel said yes to almost everything Aristotle wanted.
Breath of God
The fruits of serious spiritual devotion have an unmistakable flavour, sometimes even more retrospectively. It had been a challenging few years. I was twenty-six and had been progressing through an existential crisis, an involuntary falling apart of life’s meaning. I felt a profound human aloneness, and with all my praying, I failed to feel God’s love in any way that could help my state of being. Besides the care and protection of my two little children and my spiritual studies, I had no interest in anything. Everything seemed trite to me, meaningless and often painfully intolerable. I had lost faith in everything human to give solace to my soul. It was not intentional. It is simply what happened over the space of a few years. I was at the bottom of the valley—all things lost, but nothing gained.
What else could I do but pray? Only God could rescue me. I did not doubt that God would do so, but first, it seemed that all would be taken away so that new ground would be available for working with. One morning, during the earlier years of this struggle, I walked along a path at a quiet beach near our home. I had my toddler in a stroller and my baby in a tie-on carrier. It was a beautiful suburb in seaside Sydney and all the more beautiful for the glorious day. However, try as I did, none of this had any ability to lift my spirits.
The preceding few days had been particularly difficult. Even the tiny bit of hope I was given after prayer seemed to have disappeared. Tears of grief and despair were my increasingly constant companion, though I knew not what I grieved. Much later, I realised it was the necessary grieving that accompanies the loosening of the ego’s hold over our consciousness. It is the inevitable struggle of being born human, yet the soul seeks release from the bondage of thought that constantly revolves around the precious one—ourselves. We grow up trying to develop enough of an ego to be able to survive and thrive in the world. That, in itself, is a mighty effort. Even before we have it mastered, the deeper Self starts speaking to us, whispering in our ear that this life is not enough. Then we, almost without noticing, begin the quest to pull apart the ego we so courageously tried to build.
Having no other option but to go forward, I walked along the beach boardwalk with my little ones hoping that the natural beauty would, even marginally, rescue me. After a while, I must have forgotten about myself. I was looking out to sea, and the grandness of it all caught my attention. I forgot, for a moment, to feel so bad. That was the chance. And given a chance, It came rushing in. It was so brief that it was over before I even noticed it. But there it was, nevertheless, unmistakable. It came like an invisible breeze brushing past me, coming from the sea, returning beyond, into the Infinite. It wasn’t a breeze. It was the breath of God.
As soon as it went, I called internally, No, stop! Come back. I have been trying to find you. Stay with me. I need you.
I knew it was the Divine by the lightness it brought. It was a sweet presence, softening the mind. It was a very welcome breath of fresh air. It could not stay at that time, but it would later return and become a progressively more comfortable acquaintance. The veil was beginning to part.
Not As It Seems
If we can’t see people clearly, we can end up trusting people and situations that are not in our best interest and dismissing people and situations that would make our life better and happier. It is not just in regards to little things, but if we understand the far-reaching and powerful effect of thought, we realise that it can even be a life-and-death matter. Thought is very powerful, and the underlying intention is everything.
What is This For?
To get to the underlying intention of anything, it helps to ask ourselves, What is this for? We can ask it about everything. Eventually, it is not necessary to ask it so often as experience and wisdom lead the way with little effort. Once asked, we must listen for the answer. Don’t listen to the ego’s answer. Its answer will usually be the opposite of the truth. Ask with an open mind. If we discover that we are deceiving ourselves about some matter or that we have been deceived by someone else (intentionally or not), then that is a good discovery. Once we know what a particular venture or relationship is based on, we will also know its outcome. To those inexperienced in such thought processes, this may seem like magic or foolishness. It is not magic. It is simply understanding the human mind. And it is not foolish. Those who do not understand their own minds can never be fulfilled or happy.
