May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

Anne Strader

Greetings, dear Friends of Silence. Each leaf of a tree is an entity unto itself, yet could not exist alone. Each leaf, though separate and individual, is part of the one tree. So each of us is unique, with our own special traits, innate abilities and interests. In all the world, there is no one else exactly like you or me; we are each one of a kind. Yet we are all part of the One, the Whole, the All of creation; we are all one as well as unique individuals. When one is hurt, all of us suffer in some way. When one is demeaned, we are all shamed. And when one of us gains understanding, each of us receives a little more light. Each of us contributes to the growth of all as we work toward our own spiritual maturity. In the Silence, may we continue to gain understanding and evolve as individual parts of the Whole, knowing our oneness with the All.

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That moment of unity os the atom of God

Mark Nepo | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

. . . as I move out into the world, I live out my uniqueness, but when I dare to look into my core, I come upon the one common center where all lives begin. In that center, we are one and the same. In this way, we live out the paradox of being both unique and the same. For mysteriously and powerfully, when I look deep enough into you, I find me, and when you dare to hear my fear in the recess of your heart, you recognize it as your secret that you thought no one else knew. And that unexpected wholeness that is more than each of us, but common to all—that moment of unity is the atom of God.

~ from THE BOOK OF AWAKENING by Mark Nepo

The human race is a single being

Saadi | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

The human race is a single being
Created from one jewel.
If one member is struck
All must feel the blow.
Only someone who cares for the pain of others
Can truly be called human.

~ Saadi

The world is one country

Baha'u'llah | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

The world is one country, and humankind its citizens.

~ Baha'u'llah

All life is interrelated

Martin Luther King Jr. | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

All this is simply to say that all life is interrelated. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality; tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. As long as there is poverty in this world, no one can be totally rich even with a billion dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people cannot expect to live more than twenty or thirty years, no one can be totally healthy, even with a clean bill of health from the finest clinic in America. Strangely enough, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way the world is made.

~ Martin Luther King, Jr., thanks to Liz Stewart

Members of the same human family

Henri Nouwen | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

Only when we have the courage to cross the road and look in one another's eyes can we see there that we are children of the same God and members of the same human family.

~ from BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Unique yet part of the whole

Lena Lees | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

A powerful meditation when contemplating the oneness of everything is to find something's unique qualities. For example, observing an island's wholeness and then focusing upon the uniqueness of a single stone. . . . this meditation is simple but powerful. . . . Other examples to meditate upon (other than an individual stone on the island beach) are faces in a crowd or a leaf on a tree. Each person (in the crowd) is unique and yet (at that very moment) part of the whole. The same is true for leaves on the trees. Practicing this deceptively easy meditation helps each of us to see reality.

~ Lena Lees

All things share the same breath

Chief Seattle | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the human, the air . .

~ Chief Seattle

The glory of God is in everyone

Marianne Williamson | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~ Marianne Williamson

Everything merges in one harmony

Wen Siang | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

Happy in the morning
I open my cottage door;
A clear breeze blowing
Comes straight in.
The first sun
Lights the leafy trees;
The shadows it casts
Are crystal clear.
Serene,
In accord with my heart,
Everything merges
In one harmony . . .

~ Wen Siang

Love unifies the divine web of life

Nan Merrill | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

A sacred breath radiating Love unifies the divine web of life.
Any broken part affects all of Creation.

~ from LUMEN CHRISTI...HOLY WISDOM by Nan Merrill

Outbursts of singularity

John Philip Newell | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

. . for the world's well-being and for our own individual well-being, we need to know that all things are interwoven and that each strand in the tapestry is holy. We need to know that our distinct races, our countless species, our many wisdom traditions, our children, and the men and women of every nation are wonderful "outbursts of singularity," each carrying within them the life of the One.

~ from A NEW HARMONY by John Philip Newell

When will we once again be one?

Madeleine L' | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

When will we once again be one? Perhaps galaxy by galaxy, solar system by solar system, planet by planet, all creation must be redeemed. Where were we when the morning stars sang together, and all the children of God shouted for joy?

~ from THE IRRATIONAL SEASON by Madeleine L'Engle

Oneness with the universe

Black Elk | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.

~ Black Elk

To return to a state of oneness

Peggy Jenkins | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)
To discover joy is to return to a state of oneness with the universe.
~ Peggy Jenkins

The portrait of unity, no separation

John Shelby Spong | May 2013 (Vol. XXVI, No. 5)

God is a glimpse into the meaning of the totality of human experiences, where we recognize that we are part of an ultimate grasping after a universal consciousness with which we are one and in which we are whole. . . . God is present whenever a person transcends human boundaries and sees the portrait of unity, not separation. God is the journey beyond the fear of loneliness into a new wholeness . . .

~ from ETERNAL LIFE: A NEW VISION by John Shelby Spong