• natural areas,  Plants,  quotes,  trees

    if only we have eyes to see….

    There is a secret hidden in the heart
    a treasure as close to us as our breath
    a mystery living in the midst of our soul.

    Finding it is simple, but may be hard,
    since to do so we must abandon the self
    we thought we were and seek the gift

    that is always ours: this inner spark
    that no darkness can finally extinguish,
    though it keeps us from knowing it.

    This gift is always present to us, if only
    we have eyes to see. And when we do,
    we will find its radiance in everything,

    and at all times, this light that blazes
    on in a darkness that cannot put it out,
    this secret that finds us when we risk

    abandoning ourselves to this presence.

    Meister Eckhart’s Book of Secrets

    We received about 4-5 inches of snow yesterday evening and through the night. I heard that the Denver Metro area received as much as 10 inches. I cleaned off the car then drove out into the winter wonderland.

    The above poem is the prologue from a new book called Meister Eckhart’s Book of Secrets by Mark Burrows and Jon Sweeney. It is a followup book to one called the Book of the Heart. It is their work of converting Eckhart’s writing into poetic meditations. Eckhart did not write poetically but in many ways, as they suggest, “his thought was profoundly poetic.” The romantic in me and my spiritual path have allowed me to enjoy the first book so giving this one a chance.

  • animals,  Meister Eckhart,  natural areas,  quotes

    The Silence

    They call them cottontails for a good reason

    “Nothing in all creation is so like God as silence.”

    Meister Eckhart

    Started the morning with time in nature. The birds were singing. A Great Blue Heron surveyed the kingdom perched on a distant tree. A sunflower looked east greeting the morning sunrise. Cottontails wandered around in search for the best grass to nibble on. I come for the silence and the effect nature has on my soul. It can set me in a good place, clears my mind of irrelevant stuff. Yes, the silence.

  • Avian,  quotes

    Loving all creatures…

    Female Cardinal

    “…the first intention of Nature is the preservation of the universe” and that all beings are striving for that goal.  Indeed, “God loves all creatures equally and fills them with his being.  And we should lovingly meet all creatures in the same way.” Meister Eckhart

    Stepped out of my condo this morning into a very silent world. There is no wind, no sound of cars. The world seems to have quarantined itself. I hear a chickadee singing to me their happy and short song. I did not need to leave the city to experience the quiet. Eerie feeling inside of me. So many people in fear and so many are indifferent. Stopped at the grocery store yesterday afternoon and so many items gone from the shelves. I noticed a newly opend restaurant serving breakfast this morning that no cars in its parking lot. Churches, schools, sporting events have closed. Amazing how such a small creature can affect the world so quickly. Shows how little power and how insignificant we humans really have. Sharing a few of my feelings and thoughts this morning. Stay safe.

  • Black and White,  clouds,  landscape,  quotes

    Inner Solitude

    At the end of the road

    “Spirituality is not to be learned by flight from the world, or by running away from things, or by turning solitary and going apart from the world. Rather, we must learn an inner solitude wherever or with whomsoever we may be. We must learn to penetrate things and find God there.” Meister Eckhart