Podcast Radical Simple Living

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Before Stillness ~ Quaker Dharma

"At times, I feel like, as Quakers, we become lost in our social activism. It comes first, before stillness. I'm not speaking against activism. Not at all. What I'm advocating is activism grounded in joy and gratitude. Activism grounded in a Technicolor(R) vision of what the world actually is…the continuous unfolding of sacred intention. The world is life itself, the desire to exist, to create, to breathe. Imagine the dynamism of a Society dedicated, not to fixing the problems of the world, but to creating infinitely from our passionate mystical faith. Imagine living your life each day from a core of joy because you can feel the beauty of the unfolding envelope you. Imagine a daily practice that helps you be in this place and in the world simultaneously.

~ The Quaker Dharma



Artwork by Aijung Kim www.aijungkim.com

Monday, October 21, 2013

Giving Priority ~ Jenny Spinks

"Our culture encourages us to consume more and more. This makes us poorer spiritually by depleting the quality of our connections with each other, the earth and the spirit. These connections are what bring us greatest fulfilment. The global emphasis on materialism severely threatens the environment and human relations at many levels. It is part of our commitment as Friends that we try to live our lives under the guidance of the spirit. We have our testimonies of truth, peace, equality and simplicity. We have our processes for business, worship and clearness. We are well positioned globally to reach out to our affluent neighbours and offer wellpracticed alternatives to consumerism. Living the simplicity testimony improves our sense of wellbeing and the well being of the planet. We benefit from giving priority to our spiritual connections and thus resist the seductive pull of materialism. We can support each other as we try to live our lives with integrity"

~ Jenny Spinks


More at http://www.quakers.org.au/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=43

Artwork from Ethel Spowers http://www.bookroomartpress.co.uk/biographies/29.html


Thursday, October 17, 2013

Yours are the Feet ~ Teresa of Avila

"Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours."
Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Words written before his Execution in 1661 ~ William Leddra

"The sweet influences of the Morning Star, like a flood distilling into my innocent habitation, hath filled me with the joy of [God] in the beauty of holiness, that my spirit is, as if it did not inhabit a tabernacle of clay. Oh! My Beloved, I have waited as a dove at the windows of the ark, and I have stood still in that watch, wherein my heart did rejoice, that I might in the love and life speak a few words to you sealed with the Spirit of Promise, that the taste thereof might be a savor of life to your life, and a testimony in you, of my innocent death."

 ~William Leddra




More at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_martyrs
Artwork by Franz Hecht, about whom I can find very little except one or two prints for auction.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Not be Fooled ~ Elsie Boulding

"But we must also trust ourselves. In a world that specializes in props and supports, both physical, psychological and spiritual, and devices to make life easier, let us not be fooled into expecting too little of ourselves. If we keep our eyes turned toward the Kingdom, we will know that all things are possible in God's Sight. Paradoxically, we must not expect too much, either. For even though we are faithful in prayer, there are periods of spiritual dryness which come to us all, periods when the inward obstacles loom very large indeed, and the Kingdom seems to recede."

~Elsie Boulding





Thursday, October 10, 2013

Ordinary Things ~ Virginia Woolf

" To watch a leaf quivering in the rush of air was an exquisite joy. Up in the sky swallows swooping, swerving, flinging themselves in and out, round and round, yet always with perfect control as if elastics held them; and the flies rising and falling; and the sun spotting now this leaf, now that, in mockery, dazzling it with soft gold in pure good temper; and now again some chime (it might be a motor horn) tinkling divinely on the grass stalks—all of this, calm and reasonable as it was, made out of ordinary things as it was, was the truth now; beauty, that was the truth now. Beauty was everywhere.”

~ Virginia Woolf


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

Artwork by Marion Prentice http://artmatters9.wordpress.com/prints/

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Way of Love ~ Wolf Mendl

"What matters is living our lives in the power of love and not worrying too much about the results.  In doing this, the means become part of the end.  Hence we lose the sense of helplessness and futility in the face of the world’s crushing problems.  We also lose the craving for success, always focusing on the goal to the exclusion of the way of getting there.  We must literally not take too much thought for the morrow but throw ourselves wholeheartedly into the present.  That is the beauty of the way of love; it cannot be planned and its end cannot be foretold."

~ Wolf Mendl



More at ~  http://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/dec/09/guardianobituaries4

Artwork by Michelle Han ~ http://www.michellehan.com/

Monday, October 7, 2013

My Quaker Past ~ " Jewish Mom"

 "My nine years at Friends School shaped me as a human being in many ways, and one of the most formative experiences of all was standing up week by week and sharing my own “inner light’ with my friends and classmates and teachers. And just yesterday it occurred to me out of the blue that there is a strong connection between those Meeting for Worship monologues of long ago (and my blog) today.
My mission for this website is that it will be a place where I can share my Inner Light with you .... And most of the time this website is just that, it’s a place where I share only those thoughts and experiences and insights that touch my heart most deeply.What I really want, what I’m really strive for, is to only open my mouth when I have something important to say. When I feel my inner light stirring within me, and I just have to open up my browser and start typing. And send some words straight from my Jewish Mom heart to yours."

More at  http://jewishmom.com/2012/07/15/my-quaker-past (Well worth reading the whole article ~ very moving.)





Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Crowning Conclusion ~John William Graham

"Every mans religion begins and ends with God, and from our thought of Him flows every religious belief we hold. This thought is also the crowning conclusion of all our thoughts, and so grows with the growth of men and Churches. Happy is the man who is at home with God, whose thought of Him colours every decision and penetrates all conduct."

~John William Graham

More at  http://archive.org/details/warfromquakerpoi00grahuoft


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Inner Solitude ~ Meister Eckhart


"People look in vain places for peace.
They seek it in the world outside,
in places, people, ways, activities.
but no peace is found in this way.
They are looking in the wrong direction,
and the longer they look
the less they find what they are looking for.
~

Spirituality is not to be learned by flight from the world,
by running away from things,
or by turning solitary and going apart from the world.
Rather, we learn an inner solitude
wherever or with whomsoever we may be.
We must learn to penetrate things and find God there."

~ Meister Eckhart


Click (below) and Discover

~ Ron Franscell A.E. Housman Adrian Fisher Advices and Queries Ageing Agnes L. Tierney Albert E. Day Aldo Leopold Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Alexie Torres-Fleming Alice Reinheimer Alice Stokes Paul Alice Walker Alone Amish André Kostelanetz Andrew Cohen Animals Ann Barnes Ann Preston Anna Sewell Anthony T. Hincks Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Arnold Bennett Arnold Mitchell Art Arthur Gish Arthur Miller Ashley Wilcox Autumn Baltimore Yearly Meeting Basil the Great Ben Pink Dandelion Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Spock Bernard Canter Bernard of Clairvaux Betty Friedan Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Bill McKibben Bill Mollison Bob Dylan Bob Marley Boris Pasternak Britain Yearly Meeting Bruce Arnold Bruderhof C.S. Lewis Caitriona Reed Carl Honoré Carol Deppe Carol Holst Caroline Stephen Celtic Wisdom Charles Dudley Warner Charles E. Kellogg Charles H. Spurgeon Charlie Chaplin Charlotte Brontë Chellie Pingree Children Ching Ning Chu Christina Rossetti Christopher Bamford Christopher Morley Claudio Oliver Comments about Quakers Community Conflict Contemplative Scholar Corita Kent Craig Barnett Craig Jensen Creation Creativity D H Lawrence D. H. Lawrence Dag Hammarskjold Daniel Stulac Daniele Varè David Attenborough David J. Clark Dean Ornish Death Dennis Kucinich Derek Walcott Desmond Tutu Dinah Craik Dinah Maria Mulock Craik Diversity Donald B. Kraybill Donald Soper Donna Tartt Dora Willson Doris Lessing Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Law Nolte Dostoyevsky Douglas V. Steere Duane S. Elgin E. B. White E. F. Schumacher E. Nesbit E.F. Schumacher E.F. Schumacher. Green wisdom Eberhard Arnold Ed Begley Jr Edna St. Vincent Millay Education Edward Abbey Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edwin Way Teale Elise Boulding Elizabeth Bathurst Elizabeth Berg Elizabeth Fry Elizabeth Goudge Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Elizabeth Marshall Thomas Elizabeth Watson Ellen M. Ross Elsie Boulding Emil Fuchs Emily Greene Balch Eugene O'Neill Eve Balfour Evelyn Sturge Evelyn Underhill F. Scott Fitzgerald Faith Faith Baldwin Fall Family Life Family lLife Farming Faults Fear Food Forgiveness Forgivingness Francis Brown Francis de Sales Francis Howgill Frank Zappa Franz Winkler Frederick Parker-Rhodes Freedom Friendship Frugality Fyodor Dostoyevsky G. K. Chesterton Gardening Garrison Keillor Gary Snyder Geen Wisdom Gene Logsdon Geoffrey Durham George Amoss Jr George Bernard Shaw George Fox Gerard Manley Hopkins Gert Giovanni Boccaccio Goethe Grace Blindell Gratitude Green Green Wisdom Growing Grace Farm Gustave Flaubert H.G. Wells Hal Borland Hamlin Garland Hannah Heinzekehr Harriet Beecher Stowe Haruki Murakami Harvey Gillman Hay Quaker Health Helen Fox Helen Nearing Henri Frederic Amiel Henri Nouwen Henri-Frédéric Amiel Henry David Thoreau Henry T. Hodgkin Henry Van Dyke Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Ward Beecher Herb Walters Herman Melville Hermann Hesse Hilda Clark Home Hope Horace B Pointing Howard H. Brinton Humility. Iris Graville Iris Murdoch Isaac Newton Isaac Penington Isabel Allende Islamic Wisdom J. Field J.D. Belanger Jack Kornfield James D. Wilson James Fenimore Cooper James Fennimore Cooper James Nayler James Parnell James Riemermann James Thurber Jan Struther Jana Llewellyn Jane Addams Jane Austen Jane Goodall Janet Scott Jean Toomer Jean Webster Jeanne Roy Jennifer Kavanagh Jenny Spinks Jewish Wisdom Jimmy Carter Joel Salatin Johann Christoph Arnold John Dear John Donne John Dunston John Everard John Field John Fowles John Greenleaf Whittier John Howard Yoder John Lubbock John Milton John Muir John Nicholson John O'Donohue John of Ruysbroeck John Patrick Shanley John Robbins John Ruskin John Seymour John Steinbeck John W Rountree John William Grahamuaker Wisdom John Wood John Woolman Jon Krakauer Jonathan Edwards Joni Mitchell Josef Pieper Joseph Brackett Joseph Campbell Joseph Conrad Joshua Loth Liebman Joy Joy Clarkson Kallistos Ware Kathryn Damiano Keith Stewart Kenneth Boulding Kenneth Grahame Kent Nerburn Kristen Boye Kristin Kimball L. Frank Baum L.M. Montgomery Larry McMurtry Laura Ingalls Wilder Leila Lees Leo Tolstoy Leonard Cohen Leonardo da Vinci Lewis Carroll Leymah Gbowee Little Falls Friends Lois Rock Lorna M. Marsden Lorraine Anderson Louisa May Alcott Louise Dickinson Rich Love Lucy Maud Montgomery M. Scott Peck Madeleine L'Engle Marcus Aurelius Margaret Fell Margaret Mead Marie Curie Mariellen O. Gilpin Mark Birch Mark Boyle Mary J. Tabor Masanobu Fukuoka Matt Kinsi Matthew Landis Max Carter May Sarton Maya Angelou Meister Eckhart Melancholy Jane Mennonite Mennonite Wisdom Michael Pollan Michel de Montaigne Mildred Tonge Miriam Toews Mohammed Faris Monica Muhammad Ali Naomi King Natalie Goldberg Nathaniel Hawthorne Nature Neil Young Nicolas Gallicus Nikos Kazantzakis Nilton Bonder Non-violence. Nonconformity Norma Jacob Norman Wirzba Oliver Cromwell Oscar Wilde Pamela Haines Parenting Parker J. Palmer Paul A. Lacey Paul Lacey Paul Newman Paulo Coelho Peace Peace. Pearl S. Buck Pete Dunne Philip Britts Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Piet Hein Plainness Pleasure Poetry Poetry. Prayer Primo Levi Prison Quaker action Quaker history Quaker Lives Quaker Scientists Quaker views Quaker Wisdom Quaker Women Quiet Rachel Carson Rachel Sontag Rainer Maria Rilke Ray Bradbury Ray Lovegrove Rebecca James Hecking Redeeming the Dirt Renewal Rhoda Janzen Richard J Foster Richard P. Feynman Richard Proenneke Richard Scatchard Robert Barclay Robert Browning Robert Burns Robert E. Lee Robert E. Reuman Robert Griswold Robert Hart Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Maynard Hutchins Robertson Davies Roger Bartlett Roger Scruton Rudy Henry Wiebe Rufus Jones Rufus M. Jones Sean Stewart. Seasons Self-sufficiency Shakers Shirley Williams Silence Simon Heywood Simplicity Slavery Slow Sm Keen Soil Solitude Stephen Batchelor Stephen Crisp Stephen Jay Gould Sterling Olmstead Sue Bender Susan B. Anthony Susanne Kromberg Sustainability Sylvia Townsend Warner T.H.White Teresa of Avila The Jones Family The Northumbria Community The Quaker Dharma The Quaker Scholar Thomas A' Kempis Thomas Clarkson Thomas de Quincey Thomas Kelly Thomas Moore Thomas More Thomas R. Kelly Thomas Traherne Thornton Wilder Time Tom Walsh Tove Jansson Trust Truth U.A. Fanthorpe Ubantu Unitarian Wisdom Universal Wisdom Universal; wisdom Ursula Franklin Vegetarian Wisdom Veronica Nicholson Victor Hugo Victoria Pearson Virginia Shurman Virginia Woolf W Ross Chapman Walt Whitman Walter James War Warren E. Burger Wealth Wee Dragon Wendell Berry Will Bonsall Willa Cather William Blake William Charles Braithwaite William George Jordan William H. Sessions William Henry Channing William Law William Leddra William Penn William Wordsworth Willis D. Nutting Winter Wisdom Wolf Mendl Work Worship