Helm of inmost light3/9/2023 ![]() It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving. Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth. And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space. And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism. There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty. And there are those who have little and give it all. For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow? And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city? And what is fear of need but need itself? Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable? There are those who give little of the much which they have-and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. And he answered: You give but little when you give of your possessions. ![]() Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you.Įven as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. And when he speaks to you believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And with a great voice he said: When love beckons to you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. Now therefore disclose us to ourselves, and tell us all that has been shown you of that which is between birth and death.Īnd he answered, People of Orphalese, of what can I speak save of that which is even now moving within your souls? Love In your aloneness you have watched with our days, and in your wakefulness you have listened to the weeping and the laughter of our sleep. And we will give it unto our children, and they unto their children, and it shall not perish. Yet this we ask ere you leave us, that you speak to us and give us of your truth. Deep is your longing for the land of your memories and the dwelling place of your greater desires and our love would not bind you nor our needs hold you. And now your ship has come, and you must needs go. And he looked upon her with exceeding tenderness, for it was she who had first sought and believed in him when he had been but a day in their city.Īnd she hailed him, saying: Prophet of God, in quest of the uttermost, long have you searched the distances for your ship. And there came out of the sanctuary a woman whose name was Almitra.Īnd she was a seeress. And he and the people proceeded towards the great square before the temple. He only bent his head and those who stood near saw his tears falling upon his breast. Empty and dark shall I raise my lantern, And the guardian of the night shall fill it with oil and he shall light it also.Īnd others came also and entreated him. Shall my heart become a tree heavy-laden with fruit that I may gather and give unto them? And shall my desires flow like a fountain that I may fill their cups? Am I a harp that the hand of the mighty may touch me, or a flute that his breath may pass through me? A seeker of silences am I, and what treasure have I found in silences that I may dispense with confidence? If this is my day of harvest, in what fields have I sowed the seed, and in what unremembered seasons? If this indeed be the hour in which I lift up my lantern, it is not my flame that shall burn therein. And he said to himself: Shall the day of parting be the day of gathering? And shall it be said that my eve was in truth my dawn? And what shall I give unto him who has left his plough in midfurrow, or to him who has stopped the wheel of his winepress? And he heard their voices calling his name, and shouting from field to field telling one another of the coming of his ship. And as he walked he saw from afar men and women leaving their fields and their vineyards and hastening towards the city gates.
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