| Prayer |
You, darkness, of whom I am born— I love you more than the flame that limits the world to the circle it illumines and excludes all the rest. But the dark embraces everything: shapes and shadows, creatures and me, people, nations—just as they are. It lets me imagine a great presence stirring beside me. I believe in the night. Du Dunkelheit aus de rich stamme by Rilke Let us be at peace within ourselves Silence Let us accept that we are profoundly loved and need never be afraid. Silence Let us be aware of the source of all being that is common to us all and to all living creatures. Silence Let us be filled with the presence of the great compassion towards ourselves and towards all living beings. Silence Realizing that we are all nourished from the same source of life, may we so live that others be not deprived of air, food, water, or the chance to live. Silence Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be a cause of suffering to one another. Silence With humility let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on the earth. Silence May God kindle in us the fire of love to bring us alive and give warmth to the world. Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth; lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust; lead me from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe.From: A New Zealand Prayer Book, 1989 Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Harper Collins Publishers, p.163, 164 |
| Meditation |
I Have Learned So much from God That I can no longer Call Myself A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, A Buddhist, a Jew. The Truth has shared so much of Itself With me That I can no longer call myself a man, a woman, an angel, Or even pure Soul. Love has Befriended Hafiz so completely It has turned to ash And freed Me Of every concept and image My mind has ever known.I Have Learned So Much by Hafiz |
| Affirmation |
Remember the sky that you were born under, know each of the star’s stories. Remember the moon, know who she is. I met her in a bar once in Iowa City. Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the strongest point of time. Remember sundown and the giving away to night. Remember your birth, how your mother struggled to give you form and breath. You are evidence of her life, and her mother’s, and hers. Remember your father. He is your life, also. Remember the earth whose skin you are: red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth brown earth, we are earth. Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems. Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the origin of this universe. I heard her singing Kiowa war dance songs at the corner of Fourth and Central once. Remember that you are all people and that all people are you. Remember that you are this universe and that this universe is you. Remember that all is in motion, is growing, is you. Remember that language comes from this. Remember the dance that language is, that life is. Remember.Remember by Joy Harjo |
