Now the old has already passed away<
But the new is too new to be born today
So I'm throwing out seeds on the winter snow<
As the cold wind begins to blow
Standing here on a new threshold
I can see a warm dim light in the window...
I pass from mystery to mystery, so I won't lie
I don't know what happens when people die
but I hope that I see you...
In the distance I see a glow
There's a light, there's a light, there's light
In the window.
To discover the universe is a big step toward knowing ourselves.
As humans we are born of the Earth, nourished by the Earth, healed by
the Earth. The natural world tells us: I will feed you, I will clothe
you, I will shelter you, I will heal you. Only do not so devour me or
use me that you destroy my capacity to mediate the divine and the human.
For I offer you a communication with the divine. In the vastness
of the sea, in the snow-covered mountains, in the rivers flowing through
the valleys, in the serenity of the landscape, and in the foreboding of
the great storms that sweep over the land — I offer you inspiration
for your music, your art, your dance. All these benefits the Earth
gives to us: individually, communally, and throughout the entire Earth.
~ Thomas Berry in MAKING PEACE ed. by McConnell and van Gelder