Food for the Soul | April 1st, 2020

4/1/2020

Dear Friends,

“Taste and see that life is good.” You must think: she is nuts! Living in the current corona virus infused world is hard, and I would like to help you to let go, to disconnect for a moment. I invite you to be open to experiencing the beauty and goodness that is all around us.

A PRAYER   –   A PRACTICE   –   A POEM

A PRAYER

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord;
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord;
You heavens, bless the Lord;
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord; bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord;
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord;
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord;
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord;
Frost and cold, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord;
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness bless the Lord;
Lightning and clouds, bless the Lord.
Let the earth bless the Lord;
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord
everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord;
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord;
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord;
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
……………..

Let us bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost;
Let us praise and exalt God above all forever.
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven;
Praiseworthy and glorious forever.

(From Canticle of the Three Youths, Book of Daniel 3:26-90))

A PRACTICE

“Through the use of our senses today’s practice will help us to develop a deeper sense of awe about everything that is. Let us first quiet the mind by sitting peacefully, resting our hands on our lap, letting go of the thoughts and worries of the day. Try to feel your body. Direct your awareness to the different sensations of your body, moving slowly – one by one – through the different senses. Consciously feel the weight, position, and temperature of your body, smell the air, listen to the sounds around you. Slowly get up and start moving around, while intently taking in your surroundings through their colors, shapes, shadows, sounds and other details. Linger with each new sensation. Now focus on one single object that catches your attention.  If you are outdoors a flower, a leaf, a rock, even the bark of a tree would be perfect. Dwell on this object with all your senses. Take in every detail. Spend time with this object, and realize its beauty and perfection. Don’t rush this experience. Sit in awe of this object and of your own being. When you are ready, silently say: This is God’s being. Continue to repeat the phrase several times as a mantra until something happens inside, like a wave of joy, sense of astonishment, sudden insight, swell of appreciation, or shift in consciousness. This is God’s being. When you have experienced enough, return your attention to everyday consciousness. Do this as often as time and life’s circumstances allow.”

(Paraphrased from John C. Robinson: The Divine Human: The Final Transformation of Sacred Aging).

A POEM

Ode to a Lemon, by Pablo Neruda

Out of lemon flowers loosed on the moonlight,
love’s lashed and insatiable essences, sodden with fragrance,
the lemon tree’s yellow emerges,
the lemons move down from the tree’s planetarium
delicate merchandise!
The harbors are big with it –
bazaars for the light and the barbarous gold.
We open the halves of a miracle,
and a clotting of acids brims
into the starry divisions:
creation’s original juices,
irreducible,
changeless,
alive:
so the freshness lives on in a lemon,
in the sweet-smelling house of the rind,
the proportions, arcane and acerb.
Cutting the lemon the knife leaves a little cathedral:
alcoves unguessed by the eye that open acidulous glass to the light;
topazes riding the droplets, altars, aromatic facades.
So, while the hand holds the cut of the lemon,
half a word on a trencher,
the gold of the universe wells to the touch:
a cup yellow with miracles,
a breast and a nipple perfuming the earth;
a flashing made fruitage, the diminutive fire of a planet.