Inspiration.
Here are some poems that resonate with me.
Both of these were written many centuries ago – affirming that the human condition and wish for fulfilment is universal across time and across continents.
The Guest House
“This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
”
A Blessing
“May the light of your soul guide you.
May you be present in what you do.
May you never become lost in the bland absences.
May the day never burden.
May the dawn find you awake and alert,
approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.
May your soul calm, console and renew you.
”
STILLNESS AND LISTENING
“Stillness is not just an indulgence for those with enough resources - it is a necessity for anyone who wishes to gather less visible resources.”
Picor Iyer in The Art of Stillness
“We are simply training ourselves in being open and receptive so that we can learn to see all things - all thoughts, all emotions, sensations, sounds - will rise and fall in and out of a larger space.”
Jillian Pransky in “Deep Listening”
TODAY
“I get so lost in where I want to go, I forget that the place I am in is already quite magical” Rupi Kaur
“Today is a gift. That is why we call it the present.” Eleanor Roosevelt
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Arthur Ashe
“Let today be what today needs to be.” Morgan Harper Nichols
WHAT TO REMEMBER WHEN WAKING
In that first hardly noticed moment when you wake,
there is a small opening into the new day
which closes the moment you begin your plans.
What you can plan is too small for you to live.
(by David White)
If you have any questions at all about counselling or psychotherapy that you would like to ask, please feel free to email me.