The Mahogany Tree by William Makepeace Thackeray

Christmas is here;
Winds whistle shrill,
Icy and chill,
Little care we;
Little we fear
Weather without,
Shelter’d about
The Mahogany Tree.

Once on the boughs
Birds of rare plume
Sang, in its bloom;
Night birds are we;
Here we carouse,
Singing, like them,
Perch’d round the stem
Of the jolly old tree.

Here let us sport,
Boys, as we sit—
Laughter and wit
Flashing so free.
Life is but short—
When we are gone,
Let them sing on,
Round the old tree.

Evenings we knew,
Happy as this;
Faces we miss,
Pleasant to see.
Kind hearts and true,
Gentle and just,  
Peace to your dust!
We sing round the tree.

Care, like a dun,
Lurks at the gate:
Let the dog wait;  
Happy we ’ll be!
Drink every one;
Pile up the coals,
Fill the red bowls,
Round the old tree.

Drain we the cup.—
Friend, art afraid?
Spirits are laid
In the Red Sea.
Mantle it up;
Empty it yet;
Let us forget,
Round the old tree.

Sorrows, begone!
Life and its ills,
Duns and their bills,
Bid we to flee.
Come with the dawn,
Blue-devil sprite,
Leave us to-night, 
Round the old tree.

Noël by Anne Porter

When snow is shaken
From the balsam trees
And they're cut down
And brought into our houses

When clustered sparks
Of many-colored fire
Appear at night
In ordinary windows

We hear and sing
The customary carols

They bring us ragged miracles
And hay and candles
And flowering weeds of poetry
That are loved all the more
Because they are so common

But there are carols
That carry phrases
Of the haunting music
Of the other world
A music wild and dangerous
As a prophet's message

Or the fresh truth of children
Who though they come to us
From our own bodies
Are altogether new
With their small limbs
And birdlike voices

They look at us
With their clear eyes
And ask the piercing questions
God alone can answer.

What Was Told by Rumi

What was said to the rose that made it open was said
to me here in my chest.

What was told the cypress that made it strong
and straight, what was

whispered the jasmine so it is what it is, whatever made
sugarcane sweet, whatever

was said to the inhabitants of the town of Chigil in
Turkestan that makes them

so handsome, whatever lets the pomegranate flower blush
like a human face, that is

being said to me now. I blush. Whatever put eloquence in
language, that's happening here.

The great warehouse doors open; I fill with gratitude,
chewing a piece of sugarcane,

in love with the one to whom every that belongs!

Barter by Sara Teasdale

Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder in a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstacy
Give all you have been, or could be.

If you keep seeking the jewel of understanding...

If you keep seeking the jewel of understanding,
then you are a mine of understanding in the making.
If you live to reach the Essence one day,
then your life itself is an expression of the Essence.
Know that in the final analysis you are that
which you search for.

Abu-Said Abil-Kheir (967-1049)

English version by Vraje Abramian

Friends

"It's the friends you can call up at 4 AM that matter."
*Marlene Deitrich

On Our Wall Now

A 'no' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.

*Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

If your head tells you one thing, and your heart tells you another, before you do anything, you should first decide whether you have a better head or a better heart.

*Marilyn vos Savant

May you live every day of your life. *Jonathan Swift


There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart... Pursue those. *Michael Nolan

Those who stand for nothing fall for anything. *Alexander Hamilton


Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.
*RalphWaldo Emerson

Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.
*Babe Ruth

It is never too late to be what you might have been.
*George Eliot (George Eliot was the pen name of English novelist Mary Anne Evans, 1819-1880)

A life lived in fear is a life half lived.
*Anonymous


Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
*Mark Twain

Understand-A-Chant: Om Namah Shivaya

Meaning: "I bow to Shiva."

Shiva is the supreme reality, the inner Self. It is the name given to consciousness that dwells in all. Shiva is the name of your true identity- your self.
According to Hindu mythology there are three Gods who run this creation. The Brahma - who creates the universe, the Vishnu - who preserves the Universe and the Shiva- who in the end destroys the universe. Among the three deities, Shiva, though considered as destroyer, also symbolize the the inner self, which remains intact even after everything ends.

“Namaḥ Śivaya has such power, the mere intonation of these syllables reaps its own reward…Namaḥ Śivāya quells the instinct, cuts through the steel bands and turns this intellect within and on itself, to face itself and see its ignorance. Sages declare that mantra is life, that mantra is action, that mantra is love and that the repetition of mantra, japa, bursts forth wisdom from within.”
—Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Adi Shankaracharya says that the name "Shiva" means
"the one who purifies the one that repeats His name."

The Latest From Our Walls

People often say that motivation doesn't last.

Well neither does bathing -- that's why we recommend it daily.

-Zig Ziglar

Dance like no one is watching.

Sing like no one is listening.

Love like you've never been hurt

and live like it's heaven on Earth.

-Mark Twain

The future belongs to those who believe

in the beauty of their dreams.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Courage doesn't always roar.

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice

at the end of the day, saying,

"I will try again tomorrow".

-Mary Anne Radmacher

May your mind whirl joyful cartwheels of creativity.

May your heart sing sweet lullabies of timelessness.

May your essence be the nectar of the open blossom of your joy.

May your spirit soar throughout the vast cathedral of your being.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

We are not human beings on a spiritual journey.

We are spiritual beings on a human journey.

-Stephen Covey

Miracles are what happens when we get out of the way of ourselves.

-Brad Szollose

Today is your day to dance lightly with life.

It really is.

-Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,

while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

— Lao Tzu

Patience is the art of hoping.

-Luc de Clapier

Thought for Today

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
- Mother Theresa

Understand-A-Chant: Rama Bolo

Rama Bolo, Rama Bolo, Bolo, Bolo, Ram

Rama Bolo, Rama Bolo, Bolo, Bolo, Ram

Sita Bolo, Sita Bolo, Bolo, Bolo, Ram

Sita Bolo, Sita Bolo, Bolo, Bolo, Ram

Hanuman Bolo, Hanuman Bolo, Bolo, Bolo Ram

Hanuman Bolo, Hanuman Bolo, Bolo, Bolo Ram

RAMA, SITA, and HANUMAN:

Rama, a prince, is also an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Sita is Rama's wife.

Hanuman is a monkey who serves Rama and Sita, and rescues Sita from evil.

BOLO: "Bolo" is the imperative form of the verb "to sing."

"Oh my friends, sing {to the Universe}!

When it gets too damn hard, just sing.

Have no fear, don't give up. Sing!

When it gets too good, sing.

When it falls apart, sing.

When it comes together, sing.

Cry and sing. Sing and cry.

Living sing. Dying sing.

Listening sing.

Singing sing."

-Krishna Das

How Do YOU Feel?

Over the weekend, I discovered a wonderful website called We Feel Fine.

The program used by this website scans blog posts constantly, searching specifically for the words "feel" or "feels". It then pulls that sentence along with any associated pics, and grabs all the info it can: age, sex, place, and even weather. As much as it seems a bit 1984, what it allows you to do is search through feelings worldwide, from as recently as a few hours ago.
It uses a variety of displays to make it fun and interactive, and oddly compelling. You can even click on any given quote to visit that person's blog if you're interested.

What are people in Montreal feeling right now? What is the prevalent feeling worldwide today? You can search by feelings themselves, opening doors to real people and how they're feeling blessed, beautiful, or inspired. It's a unique way to connect at a heart level with strangers, to remind us how connected we always really are.
It made me think of how many people ask how we feel , what we're thinking, and how often we shrug this off with small and defensive answers.

Twenty-five minutes ago, a 23 year old from Warwick, NY, posted "I love the feeling of inhaling cold air conditioned air" even though it seems it was cloudy when they posted.
I would gladly take that information in the place of so many of the worn things we tell one another.

In our society of diminished emotional bonds and increased superficiality, it seems a blessing to have access to these moments of intimacy, as much as it is wonderful to know that these feelings have been shared, and are not sitting stagnant and ignored. As a result, the boundaries between "you" and "I" seem lesser today, and I am relieved to know that four hours ago, someone, somewhere, was "feeling better about myself".

Look To This Day!

Look to this day!

For it is life, the very life of life,
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence
The bliss of growth
The glory of action
The splendor of beauty.

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision,
But today well lived makes every yesterday
A dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day!
Such is the salutation of the dawn.

— Kalidasa

More from Ram Dass

Ram Dass first went to India in 1967. He was still Dr. Richard Alpert, an already eminent Harvard psychologist and psychedelic pioneer with Dr.Timothy Leary. He had continued his psychedelic research until that fateful Eastern trip in 1967, when he traveled to India. In India, he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately known as Maharajji, who gave Ram Dass his name, which means "servant of God." Everything changed then - his intense dharmic life started, and he became a pivotal influence on a culture that has reverberated with the words “Be Here Now” ever since. Ram Dass’s spirit has been a guiding light for three generations, carrying along millions on the journey, helping free them from their bonds as he has worked his way through his own.
(excerpt from biography at ramdass.org)

Be patient.
You'll know when it's time for you to wake up and move ahead.

Our whole spiritual transformation brings us to the point where we realize
that in our own being, we are enough.

Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing
that we are doing at any moment, and being love is a supreme creative act.

My life is a creative act--like a painting, or a concerto.

The heart surrenders everything to the moment.
The mind judges and holds back.

Suffering is the sandpaper of our incarnation.
It does its work of shaping us.

It is important to expect nothing, to take every experience,

including the negative ones, as merely steps on the path, and to proceed.

I’m not interested in being a “lover.” I’m interested in only being love.



The most exquisite paradox… as soon as you give it all up, you can have it all.
As long as you want power, you can't have it.
The minute you don't want power, you'll have more than you ever dreamed possible.



Only that in you which is me can hear what I'm saying.



Your problem is you're... too busy holding onto your unworthiness.



Learn to watch your drama unfold while at the same time
knowing you are more than your drama.



The spiritual journey is individual, highly personal. It can't be organized or regulated.
It isn't true that everyone should follow one path. Listen to your own truth.



If you think you're enlightened go spend a week with your family.



In most of our human relationships, we spend much of our time
reassuring one another that our costumes of identity are on straight



Our interactions with one another reflect a dance between love and fear.



If you want to be surrounded by Souls, become identified with your Soul.
It takes one to know one!

Words from Wayne Dyer

Begin to see yourself as a soul with a body rather than a body with a soul.

Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.

Everything is perfect in the universe - even your desire to improve it.

Everything you are against weakens you. Everything you are for empowers you.



Conflict cannot survive without your participation.



There's nothing wrong with anger provided you use it constructively.

Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.

I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside.

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.



It's never crowded along the extra mile.

Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.

Our intention creates our reality.

We are Divine enough to ask and we are important enough to receive.

You'll see it when you believe it.

What comes out of you when you are squeezed is what is inside of you.

Self-worth comes from one thing - thinking that you are worthy.

It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time.
Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive and you have the power to choose either.



If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.



You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought,
'I release the need for this in my life'.