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Regarding The Dark


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A friend sent me these quotes today...and I think you might appreciate them.

Parker Palmer (from December) Soon, in my patch on this planet, we mark the Winter Solstice. As we move through the shortest day andlongest night of the year, we also start moving toward the rising of the light.For several millennia, it's been hard for our species to resist the metaphor inthat fact! But I wonder… Are we soeager to get to the light that we fail to dwell in the darkness long enough tolearn what it has to teach us? As we all know, there are a lot of "longest nights" inlife, and some of them seem impossibly long… As one who has spent months in thedark night of depression, I know how important it has been to let darknessbecome my teacher. The poets know this, too...

Theodore Roethke says: "In a dark time, the eye begins to see."

Wendell Berry says:

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.

To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,

and find that the dark,too, blooms and sings,

and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

Rilke says, very simply,"I have faith in the night."

So perhaps on this Winter Solstice, before we start turning toward the light, we need to spendsome time embracing the darkness—or letting it embrace us. There are life-giving lessons to be learned there, even in our darkest times.

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I have a book called "The Dark Night of the Soul" and it teaches what is so important about that dark night...it is there that we glean the greatest lessons.

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I agree Kay. John of the cross, I think, coined the term . Darkness is tough. We all know it well, but filled with lessons. Mary

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That is the book! I am surprised someone else knows it. Few read books like that. I got a lot from it.

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Kay, my library is filled with books like that. John of the Cross was a mystic along with Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila and more. Their writings are ancient and relevant. There is an audio download ($18 I fear) about him also at SoundsTrue.com. http://www.soundstru....productdetails

Sounds True has a whole list of FREE podcasts that are very uplifting and helpful. I put them on my iPod or just listen on your computer. http://www.soundstru...freeinterviews/

I read a lot of self help and spirituality and there are so many free items that it helps my budget.

Peace

Mary

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OMG, Mary, kindred spirit! I also have Teresa of Avila, and many others...I love St. Augustine's writings, and Jeanne Guyon's, I have many many books of the mystics! I taught a class on prayer at my former church and studied for months. St. John of the Cross...Jean Pierre de Causaud (sp?), excellent books. I need to get back in to them...it might help me accept what I'm going through now without fear...

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I do not know Jean Guyon but will check him/her. You may like Pierre de Chardin also. I also read anything Deepak Chopra writes especially his latest about Life after Death and also Science and Spirituality which are merging. You may like the podcast on Sounds True by Bruce Lipton on life after life.....pretty good stuff.

Mary

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Madame Guyon is a her. :)

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