Kahlil Gibran "On Prayer"

"...His power came from some great reservoir of spiritual life else it could not have been so universal and so potent, but the majesty and beauty of the language with which he clothed it all his own." --Claude Bragdon

On Prayer from "The Prophet"  | GIBRAN

Then a priestess said, Speak to us of  Prayer.

      And he answered, saying:
      You pray in your distress and in your need;
would that you might pray also in the fullness
of your joy and in your days of abundance.

      For what is prayer but the expansion of
yourself into the living ether?
      And if it is for your comfort to pour your
darkness into space, it is also for your delight
to pour forth the dawning of your heart.
      And if you cannot but weep when your soul
summons you to prayer, she should spur you 
again and yet again, though weeping, until you
shall come laughing.
      When you pray you rise to meet in the air
those who are praying at that very hour, and whom
save in prayer you may not meet.
      Therefore let your visit to that temple invisible
be for naught but ecstasy and sweet communion.
      For if you should enter the temple for no
other purpose than asking you shall not receive:
      And if you should enter into it to humble
yourself you shall not be lifted:
      Or even if you should enter into it to beg
for the good of others you shall not be heard.
      It is enough that you enter the temple
invisible.

      I cannot teach you how to pray in words.
      God listens not to your words save when
He Himself utters them through your lips.
      And I cannot teach you the prayer of the
seas and the forest and the mountains.
      But you who are born of the mountains
and the forest and the seas can find their
prayer in your heart,
     And if you but listen in the stillness of the
night you shall hear them saying in silence,
      "Our God, who art our winged self, it
is thy will in us that willeth.
      It is thy desire in us that desireth.
      It is thy urge in us that would turn our
nights, which are thine, into days which are
thine also.
      We cannot ask thee for aught, for thou
knowest our needs before they are born in us:
      Thou art our need; and in giving us more
of thyself thou givest us all."  ~~

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Kahlil Gibran "On Marriage"

"...His power came from some great reservior of spiritual life else it could not have been so universal and so potent, but the majesty and beauty of the language with which he clothed it all his own." --Claude Bragdon

On Marriage from "The Prophet" | GIBRAN

Then Almitra spoke again and said, And
what of Marriage, master?
      And he answered saying:
      You were born together, and together you
shall be forevermore.
      You shall be together when the white
wings of death scatter your days.
      Ay, you shall be together even in the
silent memory of God.
      But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
      And let the winds of the heavens dance
between you.

      Love one another, but make not a bond
of love:
      Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.
      Fill each other's cup but drink not from
one cup.
      Give one another of your bread but eat
 not from the same loaf.
      Sing and dance together and be joyous,
 but let each one of you be alone,
      Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.

      Give your hearts, but not into each
other's keeping.
      For only the hand of Life can contain
your hearts.
      And stand together yet not too near
together:
      For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
      And the oak tree and the cypress grow
not in each other's shadow. ~~

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Kahlil Gibran "On Love"

"...His power came from some great reservior of spiritual life else it could not have been so universal and so potent, but the majesty and beauty of the language with which he clothed it all his own."  --Claude Bragdon

On Love, from "The Prophet" | GIBRAN

Then said Almitra, Speak to us of Love--

     And he raised his head and looked upon

the people [of Orphalese], and there fell a stillness

upon them.  And with a great voice he said:

     When love beckons to you, follow him, 
     Though his ways are hard and steep.
     And when his wings enfold you yield to
him,
     Though the sword hidden among his
pinions may wound you.
     And when he speaks to you believe in
him,
     Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the North wind lays waste the garden.

    For even as love crowns you so shall he
crucify you.  Even as he is for your growth
so is he for your pruning.
      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.
      Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto
himself.
      He threshes you to make you naked.
      He sifts you to free you from your husks.
      He grinds you to whiteness.
      He kneads you until you are pliant;
      And then he assigns you to his sacred
fire, that you may become sacred bread for
God's sacred feast.

      All these things shall love do unto you
that you may know the secrets of your
heart, and in that knowledge become a
fragment of Life's heart.

      But if in your fear you would seek only
love's peace and love's pleasure,
      Then it is better for you that you cover
your nakedness and pass out of love's
threshing-floor,
      Into the seasonless world where you
shall laugh, but not all of your laughter,
and weep, but not all of your tears.

      Love gives naught but itself and takes
naught but from itself,
      Love possesses not nor would it be
possessed;
      For love is sufficient unto love.

      When you love you should not say,
"God is in my heart," but rather, "I am
in the heart of God."
      And think not you can direct the course
of love, for love, if it finds you worthy,
directs your course.

      Love has no other desire but to fulfill
itself.
      But if you love and must needs have
desires, let these be your desires:
      To melt and be like a running brook
that sings its melody to the night.
      To know the pain of too much tenderness.
      To be wounded by your own under-
standing of love;
      And to bleed willingly and joyfully,
      To wake at dawn with a winged heart
and give thanks for another day of loving;
      To rest at the noon hour and meditate
love's ecstasy;
      To return home at eventide with grati-
tude;
      And then to sleep with a prayer for the
beloved in your heart and a song of praise
upon your lips.  ~~


So who was this
literary hero Kahlil Gibran?    Read more





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Part 4 - "The Stages of Love"

Selfless Love for a Specific Person --by Robert Elias

An essential stage in the evolution of love is being able to love others regardless of their behavior. Probably the closest most of us have come to experiencing such love is towards our children. There are some parents who have totally selfless love for their children. They maintain steady love for "their child" even if he or she does not live up to the parents' expectations, even if he or she rejects and abuses the parents, and even if he or she becomes a dangerous criminal.

This love is not universal nor is it totally unconditional because there is one condition, that the other is "my child" and not someone else's. We might also experience this type of selfless love for a specific person when he or she is "our student" or under "our care or responsibility." This type of love often has to do with the role of protector or feeling responsibility for someone. It enables us to accept all types of behavior from others and continue accepting and loving them with understanding and compassion.

In some cases, we may also feel such love for persons who belong to the same grouping, i.e. nationality, religion or social class. In these cases, we do not gain something tangible from these individuals. We do not require anything from them. Our love is not dependent upon their abiding by a certain type of behavior or even reciprocating our love. Our love is more selfless but still specific and not universal.
 

Universal Self-less Love--

The next stage is to expand our feelings of unconditional love and acceptance to a wider circle of people and eventually to all beings - including animals, plants and insects. This love, however, is still directed toward form. We are focused on the temporary form being occupied by these beings; thus we feel a sense of sadness when they experience suffering or unhappiness, or if and when we loose them. We perceive their form as reality. We feel love and acceptance for that person, but we still live within the illusion that the form is the reality. We forget that behind that form there is an immortal ever-blissful consciousness, which is just temporarily projecting that form toward the earth plane level.

Universal consciousness is never in pain, never suffers, is never unhappy and can never die. That consciousness is the ultimate reality of the being or beings whom we love. Those who experience this universal selfless love often choose careers or lifestyles that allow them to serve the whole in some way. They may join service groups such as the Peace Corps or other voluntary service organizations. They feel a need to express that love through actions which better the quality of life for those around them, especially for those who are suffering, lonely or unhappy. Their interest expands beyond the limits of themselves and their immediate family.

They begin to realize that all beings are brothers and sisters in one spiritual family of all humanity. As their awareness grows, they perceive even animals, plants and insects as belonging to "their family." They seek to express this love through acts of service and care.

 

--Be Well

 

 



Cont'd Part 5 - "The Stages of Love"

About the author: Robert Elias Najemy's recently released book "The Psychology of Happiness" (ISBN 0-9710116-05) is available at:   http://tinyurl.com/956t8yv