If the clearest connection to God is inside the heart, when you move more and more into that love center, the ache of being two, of feeling separation, dissolves... Whatever is deeply loved — friend, grandchild, late afternoon light, masonry, tennis, whatever absorbs you — this may be a reflection of how you move in the invisible world of spirit. It is your beauty, the elegant point where everything is one. The unio mystica is a lived thing ... a transformed intention, an intensity, and the peace of walking inside it: The Friend.
~ from THE ILLUMINATED RUME, commentary by Coleman Barks
Whether your destiny is glory or disgrace, Purify yourself of hatre and love of self. Polish your mirror, and that sublime Beauty From the regions of mystery Will flame out in your heart As it did for the saints and prophets. Then, with your heart on fire with that Splendor The secret of the Beloved will no longer be hidden.
~ by Jami in PERFUME OF THE DESERT edited by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut
"What is essential is to keep the heart always open to beauty."
What could be harder in an age like ours? And yet, it is just because our age is so harsh and brutal that it is more than ever essential to create around us, in our homes and offices and meeting places, a sacred environment. To do so is to awaken the poet in each of us, the poet and the lover of life and beauty. Creating a sacred environment is not complicated; it just requires concentration and the constant reminder that the one important thing in your life is to keep your heart open to Divine Love.
~ from MARY'S VINEYARD by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut
