The soul hungers for beauty, as the body hungers for food... The soul, as the essence of the essence of the human heart-consciousness, longs to see, hear, and touch the Divine One: and to know the Divine Ravishing... Intuition and imagination -- the fertile playground of the soul -- is the mystic spark that forever ignites the passion of the artist, the poet, the mystic, and the sacred activist...
When the great Saint, Neem Karoli Baba, instructed Ram Dass to "feed everyone", the command was both literal and mystical: we are supposed to place both of our feet onto the path of action: in the world and for the world: this 21st century is not in need of anything "half-assed". While you are breathing, you must do what you can to eliminate suffering. But "feed everyone" is also mystical: we need roses along with our bread! We need access to beauty, to wonder, to delight, and to all of the passions that make for a fully human life: we need community! The "burninghand" is the hand attuned to the mysticism of both contemplation and action: our sacred duty is this path, for our feet, our hands, and our hearts... deep contemplative prayer, meditation, chanting, and the mindful discipline of honest intention: in the UNITY of an integrated activism: soup kitchens, work co-ops, free schools, farm cooperatives, intentional community, creative and free art, and the thousands of other ideas alive in the minds and hearts of "paradise possibilitarians"... We are blessed to live in a time in which the Divine is reaching toward us with perhaps an unparalleled passion: meditation is mainstream, yoga centers abound, dervishes are whirling in beauty all around the world, interfaith spirituality is dynamic, and many of the "old" paths are beginning to open to renewal: meanwhile, climate change, violence, exploitation, injustice, inequality, greed, and sundry other manifestations of the Dominator Paradigm have made it impossible to think of "separating" our holy days from the rest of our days: it's now or never folks! Our goal is divinely inspired: the creation of the "Beloved Community" and the restoration of the "Beloved Ideal": we belong to one another and to this precious blue Planet: the only "exceptional-ism" that amounts to a hill of beans is the "exceptional-ism" of "I am You, You are Me, and We are All Together: One"... Isn't this the actual meaning of "Love one another as I have loved you"? (Yeshua the Poet).
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AuthorRobert Daniel Smith was privileged to serve the homeless and marginalized for 30 years in California. He is living now almost within shouting distance of the Twin Cities. He is a poet, artist, writer, and long-time Companion of the Way still dreaming... Archives
May 2022
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