Crowded House of Prayer

A quite realistic parable about Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), a Jewish mystical rabbi.

Once the Baal Shem stopped on the threshold of a House of Prayer and refused to go in.  “I cannot go in,” he said.  “It is crowded with teachings and prayers from wall to wall and floor to ceiling.  How could there be room for me?”

And when he saw that those around him were staring at him and did not know what he meant, he added: “The words from the lips of those whose teaching and praying does not come from the hearts lifted to heaven, cannot rise, but fill the house from wall to wall and floor to ceiling.”

Masha'Allah! Also can recall the words of the Sufi Bayazid Bistami who said: "The thickest veils between man and Allah are the wise man’s wisdom, the worshiper’s worship and the devotion of the devout."

Now I Become Myself

Now I become myself. It's taken
Time, many years and places;
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people's faces,
Run madly, as if Time were there,
Terribly old, crying a warning,
"Hurry, you will be dead before—"
(What? Before you reach the morning?
Or the end of the poem is clear?
Or love safe in the walled city?)
Now to stand still, to be here,
Feel my own weight and density!
The black shadow on the paper
Is my hand; the shadow of a word
As thought shapes the shaper
Falls heavy on the page, is heard.
All fuses now, falls into place
From wish to action, word to silence,
My work, my love, my time, my face
Gathered into one intense
Gesture of growing like a plant.
As slowly as the ripening fruit
Fertile, detached, and always spent,
Falls but does not exhaust the root,
So all the poem is, can give,
Grows in me to become the song,
Made so and rooted by love.
Now there is time and Time is young.
O, in this single hour I live
All of myself and do not move.
I, the pursued, who madly ran,
Stand still, stand still, and stop the sun!

--- by May Sarton (1912-1995)

Shivopasana Mantra

From Krishna Yajurveda

nidhanapataye namaH | nidhanapatAntikAya namaH |
UrdhvAya namaH | Urdhvali~NgAya namaH |
hiraNyAya namaH | hiraNyali~NgAya namaH |
suvarNAya namaH | suvarNali~NgAya namaH |
divyAya namaH | divyali~NgAya namaH |
bhavAya namaH| bhavali~NgAya namaH |
sharvAya namaH | sharvali~NgAya namaH |
shivAya namaH | shivali~NgAya namaH |
jvalAya namaH | jvalali~NgAya namaH |
AtmAya namaH | Atmali~NgAya namaH |
paramAya namaH | paramali~NgAya namaH |
etatsomasya sUryasya sarvali~Nga sthApayati pANimantraM pavitram
sadyojAtaM prapadyAmi sadyojAtAya vai namo namaH |
bhave bhave nAtibhave havasva mAm |
bhavodbhavAya namaH||
vAmadevAya namo jyeShThAya namaH
shreShThAya namo rudrAya
namaH kAlAya namaH kalavikaraNAya namo balavikaraNAya namo
balAya namo balapramathAya namaH sarvabhUtadamanAya namo manonmanAya namaH ||
aghorebhyo.atha ghorebhyo ghoraghoratarebhyaH | sarvataH sharva sarvebhyo namaste astu rudrarUpebhyaH ||
tatpuruShAya vidmahe mahAdevAya dhImahi |
 tanno rudraH prachodayAt ||
IshAnaH sarvavidyAnAmIshvaraH sarvabhUtAnAM
brahmAdhipatirbrahmaNo.adhipatirbrahmA shivo me astu sadAshivom||
namo hiraNyabAhave hiraNyavarNAya hiraNyarUpAya hiraNyapataye|
ambikApataya umApataye pashupataye namo namaH ||
RRita satyaM paraM brahma puruShaM kRRiShNapi~Ngalam |
UrdhvaretaM virUpAkShaM vishvarUpAya vai namo namaH ||
sarvo vai rudrastasmai rudrAya namo astu | puruSho vai rudraH sanmaho namo namaH |
vishvaM bhUtaM bhuvanaM chitraM bahudhA jAtaM jAyamAnaM cha yat |
sarvo hyeSha rudrastasmai rudrAya namo astu ||
kadrudrAya prachetase mIDhuShTamAya tavyase | vochema
shantama hRRide |
sarvohyeSha rudrastasmai rudrAya namo astu ||
yasya vaika~NkatyagnihotrahavaNI bhavati
pratyevAsyAhutayastiShThatyatho pratiShThityai ||

OM NAMAH SHIVAYA

The Leopards in the Temple

A Parable about our Kali-Yuga reality by Franz Kafka from his "Parables and Paradoxes"(1961).

Leopards break into the temple and drink to the dregs what is in the sacrificial pitchers; 
this is repeated over and over again; 
finally it can be calculated in advance, 
and it becomes a part of the ceremony.

Deep Peace to You

Song by Donovan, a Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace deep peace
Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you
Deep peace of the wandering wind to you
Deep peace of the flock of stars to you
Deep peace deep peace
Deep peace of the eastern wind to you
Deep peace of the western wind to you
Deep peace of the northern wind to you
Blue wind of the south to you
Pure red of the whirling flame to you
Pure white of the silver moon to you
Pure green of the emerald grass to you
Deep peace deep peace