O You Who’ve gone on Pilgrimage
Come, Come, Whoever You Are, Come
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Ours is a Journey of Hope
What You Seek Is Seeking You~Rumi
Photo:journeyforwisdom.com
‘Our expressions are many,
and your beauty is one
And it is to your beauty
that all of them allude.’
Beauty in words, others' and mine
As I was thinking what to say, think or write on this first day of the 2018 , I thought it would be appropriate to offer a couple of reflective, inspiring and timeless pieces of poetic wisdom, as we all embark on our new journeys in this New Year.
To my mind, there is no doubt that, we need all the wisdom we can receive, especially in relation to the dark thoughts, the shame and the malice from which no person is immune. We need hope, love, beauty and wisdom to guide us in all we do. We need to be agents of goodness and light, whilst projecting them onto others.
Taking this path, I am sure, in due course, the world would probably be less fractured and in pain than it is….today.
Roof of the Hafez Tomb, Shiraz, Iran. Photo:bing.com
‘This being human’
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 honorably.
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 whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.-Rumi
The Happy Virus
I caught the happy virus last night
When I was out singing beneath the stars.
It is remarkably contagious -
So kiss me.-Hafez
The Subject Tonight is Love
And for tomorrow night as well,
As a matter of fact
I know of no better topic
For us to discuss
Until we all
Die!-Hafez
To place you in my heart may turn you into thought
I will not do that.
To hold you with my eyes may turn you into thorn.
I will not do that.
I will set you on my breath , so you will become my life.-Rumi
Lovers, Happy new year to you all!
The fragrance of coming new year.
May every single soul of this world
have a very happy new year.
O Earth, O Moon, O Sky:
Happy new year to you
and to the Seven Heavens!
The sign of new year's arrival
has just appeared
in the palms of my hands.
Lovers,
May this new year bring
lots of joy and happiness to you all.
Lovers,
If you're wishing me a happy new year,
then I must also say:
Happy new year to you, to me,
and to all the Lovers out there!- Rumi
(The translated poems above are by Daniel Ladinsky, Coleman Bark and Sologak1).
The Persian poet Rumi
The Persian poet Hafez
Our Journey of Hope to Lucca, Tuscany, 2018
And now it is my pleasure to invite you to join us at Our Journey of Hope, in search of hope, love, beauty and wisdom in all we do, at our 2018 Lucca, Tuscany Conference
Our Journey of Hope is about many things. It is about challenging the norm. It is about volunteerism and service. It is about serving our communities, our world, and caring for our planet, our home. It is about finding out more about ourselves than we ever imagined possible. It is about having a dream. It is about a mission and our vocation in life. It is about believing in our journey and stories. It is about hope.
‘It is hope that can give meaning to life and which will give us the courage to continue on our way into the future together.’
And this is why our 2018 LUCCA Conference offers a journey of hope to all those hoping for a better world, a world of wisdom and beauty, peace and justice, fairness and kindness, caring for our Sacred Earth and Mother Nature. Please consider joining us. Let us march together, taking action in the interest of the common good, to design and construct the better world, we are all yearning for.
For Conference details please see:
The GCGI-SES Lucca Forum: Here's to 2018, Our Journey of Hope, caring for Our Sacred Earth