Wider Vision ~ Grace Blindell

"And now at this critical point in time, when our outdated world view no longer satisfies, comes this breakthrough: science and mysticism speaking with one voice, the rediscovery of our own (Christian) creation-centred and mystical tradition, and the recognition of the spiritual wisdoms of the native traditions. All uniting and all challenging in a profound way our narrowly drawn boundaries.

Are we willing to open ourselves to this wider vision, to cease our urge to control and dominate, to listen instead to our hearts, to recognise again the integrity and sacredness of this planet which we have so abused? This means entering into a new relationship with 'our Mother the Earth', it means seeing ourselves again in a cosmic context, a larger perspective, which includes fire-ball, galaxy, planet and all other life forms.

If we can move from our 'human-sized' viewpoint and look instead from the cosmic viewpoint, there is a sudden and dramatic widening of the lens through which we look. Redemption is seen to be for all creation, and our human story, far from being diminished, is incorporated in the whole drama of an emerging universe."

Grace Blindell

More at  http://www.greenspirit.org.uk/resources/Blindell.pdf

We Shall All be Lovely ~ William Penn

"Love is indeed Heaven upon Earth; since Heaven above would not be Heaven without it: For where there is not Love; there is Fear: But perfect Love casts out Fear. And yet we naturally fear most to offend what we most Love. What we Love, we'll Hear; what we Love, we'll Trust; and what we Love, we'll serve, ay, and suffer for too. If you love me (says our Blessed Redeemer) keep my Commandments. Why? Why then he'll Love us; then we shall be his Friends; then he'll send us the Comforter; then whatsover we ask, we shall receive; and then where he is we shall be also, and that for ever. Behold the Fruits of Love; the Power, Vertue, Benefit and Beauty of Love! Love is above all; and when it prevails in us all, we shall all be Lovely, and in Love with God and one with another."

~ William Penn

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Penn

A Place in All of Us ~ Andrew Cohen

"There is a place in all of us that has remained innocent, uncorrupted and untouched by the world.  We have to locate that most delicate place. It is a very sensitive place, it's where we feel love - where tenderness and compassion arise, free from self-interest. This place is the hole we have to fall into - and disappear in forever."

~ Andrew Cohen

More at;  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Cohen_(spiritual_teacher)

Artwork from Angie Lewin http://www.angielewin.co.uk/

Simple Stillness ~ Meister Eckhart

"I have occasionally spoken of a light in the soul which is uncreated and uncreatable. . . . This light is not satisfied with the simple, still and divine being which neither gives nor takes, but rather it desires to know from where this being comes. It wants to penetrate to the simple ground, to the still desert, into which distinction never peeped, neither Father, Son nor Holy Spirit. There, in that most inward place, where everyone is a stranger, the light is satisfied, and there it is more inward than it is in itself, for this ground is a simple stillness which is immovable in itself. But all things are moved by this immovability and all the forms of life are conceived by it which, possessing the light of reason, live of themselves."
~Meister Eckhart

More at; http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/meister-eckhart/

Non-Consumerist Lifestyle ~ Duane S. Elgin and Arnold Mitchell

"Simple Living is living in a way that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich. This way of life embraces frugality of consumption, a strong sense of environmental urgency, and a desire to return to living and working environments which are of a more human scale.

The practice of voluntary simplicity is advocated in the teachings of Jesus, the early Christian Church, St. Paul, St. Francis, and many others. It also has it's roots in the teachings of other world religions, the teachings of Gandhi, and the writings of Thoreau. The American Friends Service Committee (The Quakers) define simple living as a 'non-consumerist lifestyle based on being and becoming, not having' "

~ Duane S. Elgin and Arnold Mitchell

Much more at http://www.simpleliving.org/The_Art_of_Simple_Living.html

Artwork from Andrew Wyeth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wyeth

In You and by You ~Thomas A' Kempis

"I find myself nothing but naught and naught, O substance that cannot be weighed!
O sea that cannot be sailed!

In You and by You I find that my substance is nothing, and above all, nothing."
~Thomas A' Kempis

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_%C3%A0_Kempis

All Things are Yours ~ Caitriona Reed

"Take any path, and follow it
till every path becomes your own,
till all things are yours,
all living beloved
till all paths take you
along the path which is yourself."

~Caitriona Reed

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitriona_Reed

Divine Things ~ Walt Whitman

"The earth is rude, silent, incomprehensible at first; Be not discouraged ~ keep on ~ there are divine things, well envelop'd; I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell."

~Walt Whitman

The works of Walt Whitman free on eBooks and Kindle editions (how wonderful is that!);

http://www.manybooks.net/authors/whitmanw.html

More at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman

Artwork from Zoe Anthistle https://www.artbyzoe.co.uk/

Unity and wild Joy ~ Eugene O'Neill

"I lay on the bowsprit, facing astern, with the water foaming into spume under me, the masts with every sail white in the moonlight, towering high above me. I became drunk with the beauty and singing rhythm of it , and for a moment I lost myself - actually lost my life. I was set free! I dissolved in the sea, became white sails and flying spray,became beauty and rhythm, became moonlight and the ship and the high dim-starred sky! I belonged, without past or future, within peace and unity and a wild joy, within something greater than my own life, or the life of Man, to Life itself! To God, if you want to put it that way.

And several other times in my life, when I was swimming far out, or lying alone on a beach, I have had the same experience. Become the sun,the hot sand, green seaweed anchored to a rock, swaying in the tide. Like a saint's vision of beatitude. Like the veil of things as they seem drawn back by an unseen hand. For a second you see - and seeing the secret, are the secret. For a second there is meaning!"

~ Eugene O'Neill

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_O'Neill

Free plays by Eugene O'Neill eBook and Kindle editions:

http://www.manybooks.net/authors/oneilleu.html

Without Distinction ~ James Fenimore Cooper

"Tell them, that the Being we all worship, under different names, will be mindful of their charity; and that the time shall not be distant when we may assemble around His throne without distinction of sex, or rank, or color."

~ James Fenimore Cooper

More at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Fenimore_Cooper

Artwork from  J. Doyle Penrose http://www.westhillsfriends.org/artpenrose.html

No Mistakes ~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

"Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself,
And know that everything in this life has purpose.
There are no mistakes,
No coincidences,
All events are blessings given to us to learn from."

~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

More at;  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_K%C3%BCbler-Ross

Artwork from Susan Stewart https://www.saatchiart.com/account/profile/9832

Inward Peace ~ John of Ruysbroeck

"Unity is this: that a man feel himself to be gathered together with all his powers in the unity of his heart. Unity brings inward peace and restfulness of heart. Unity of heart is a bond which draws together body and soul, heart and senses,and all the outward and inward powers and encloses them in the union of love."

~John of Ruysbroeck

More at;  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Ruysbroeck

Cold Storage ~ Jane Goodall

"When I left home and faced the realities of the world, I put my thoughts of God in cold storage for awhile, because I couldn't reconcile what I believed, deep inside, with what was going on around me. But that early period, when God was as real as the wind that blew from the sea through the pine trees in the garden, left me with inner peace, which, as I grew older, swelled -- until, perforce, I had to open my mind to God again."

~ Jane Goodall

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall

The illustration for this post was the work of a chimpanzee.  More animal art:

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2012/02/when-animals-get-arty.html

A Shadowy Tale ~ Ray Lovegrove

Free Man In Powys: A Shadowy Tale: Apologies to Beatrix Potter ONCE upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter. .

Speak to Your Condition ~ Sam Keen

"Enter each day with the expectation that the happenings of the day may contain a clandestine message addressed to you personally. Expect omens, epiphanies, casual blessings, and teachers who unknowingly speak to your condition."

~ Sam Keen

More at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Keen

Artwork from Leslie Van der Sluys http://www.leslievandersluys.com.au/

Life of Simplicity ~ Dag Hammarskjold

"In the point of rest at the center of our being, we encounter a world where all things are at rest in the same way. Then a tree becomes a mystery, a cloud a revelation, each man a cosmos of whose riches we can only catch glimpses. The life of simplicity is simple, but it opens to us a book in which we never get beyond the first syllable."

~Dag Hammarskjold 

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dag_Hammarskj%C3%B6ld

Insignificant Chatter ~ Kent Nerburn

"The greatness of nature can overwhelm the insignificant chatter by which we measure most of our days. If you have the wisdom and the courage to go to nature alone, the larger rhythms, the eternal hum, will make itself known all the sooner. When you have found it, it will always be there for you. The peace without will become the peace within, and you will be able to return to it in your heart wherever you find yourself."

~ Kent Nerburn

More at  http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/teachers/teachers.php?id=244

Artwork from David Aldersade
https://www.greenpebble.co.uk/collections/david-alderslade

Soul Mate ~ Bob Marley

"You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life." 

— Bob Marley

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Love_Peace_Concert

Home Folks ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness -- just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.” 

― Laura Ingalls Wilder

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Ingalls_Wilder

Artwork from the outstanding Garth Williams http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Williams

Torn in Two ~ Henry Ward Beecher

"I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive.  Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note - torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one."

  ~Henry Ward Beecher

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ward_Beecher

Heat of the Going ~ Jean Webster

“I'm going to enjoy every second, and I'm going to know I'm enjoying it while I'm enjoying it. Most people don't live; they just race. They are trying to reach some goal far away on the horizon, and in the heat of the going they get so breathless and panting that they lose sight of the beautiful, tranquil country they are passing through; and then the first thing they know, they are old and worn out, and it doesn't make any difference whether they've reached the goal or not.”

― Jean Webster

Free eBooks and Kindle editions from Jean Webster:
http://www.manybooks.net/authors/websterjean.html

More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Webster (Unhappy reading I'm afraid!)

Comfortably Alone ~ Rachel Sontag

“I was lonely. I felt it deeply and permanently, that this state of being on my own might never disappear. But I welcomed the lonliness, which had everything to do with being anonymous. It's never lonliness that nibbles away at a person's insides, but not having room inside themselves to be comfortably alone.”

― Rachel Sontag

More at: http://redroom.com/member/rachel-h-sontag/bio

World of Peace ~ Robert Maynard Hutchins

"The goal toward which all history tends is peace, not peace through the medium of war, not peace through a process of universal intimidation, not peace through a program of mutual impoverishment, not peace by any means that leaves the world too weak or too frightened to go on fighting, but peace pure and simple based on that will to peace which has animated the overwhelming majority of mankind through countless ages. This will to peace does not arise out of a cowardly desire to preserve one's life and property, but out of conviction that the fullest development of the highest powers of men can be achieved only in a world of peace."

 ~ Robert Maynard Hutchins

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Maynard_Hutchins

Doubt ~ John Patrick Shanley

"A cargo ship sank one night. It caught fire and went down. And only this one sailor survived. He found a lifeboat, rigged a sail…and being of a nautical discipline…turned his eyes to the Heavens and read the stars. He set a course for his home, and exhausted, fell asleep. Clouds rolled in. And for the next twenty nights, he could no longer see the stars. He thought he was on course, but there was no way to be certain. And as the days rolled on, and the sailor wasted away, he began to have doubts. Had he set his course right? Was he still going on towards his home? Or was he horribly lost… and doomed to a terrible death? No way to know. The message of the constellations - had he imagined it because of his desperate circumstance? Or had he seen truth once… and now had to hold on to it without further reassurance? There are those of you in church today who know exactly the crisis of faith I describe. And I want to say to you: DOUBT can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone. "

~ John Patrick Shanley (From the play and film 'Doubt')

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Patrick_Shanley

Complexity of Life ~ Edwin Way Teale

"Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves."
  ~Edwin Way Teale

More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Way_Teale