In Praise of Fire
In the name of Fire,
The Flame,
And the Light:
Praise the pure presence of Fire
That burns from within
Without thought of Time.
– John O’Donohue
Excerpt from “In Praise of Fire,” from his book Benedictus
Photo by Mehdi MeSSrro on Unsplash
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We Travelers
We travelers, walking to the sun, can’t see
Ahead, but looking back the very light
That blinded us shows us the way we came,
Along which blessings now appear, risen
As if from sightlessness to sight, and we,
By blessings brightly lit, keep going toward
That blessed light that yet to us is dark.
-Wendell Berry
Photo by Shanti Natania Grace
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Love is not consolation, it is light.
– Simone Weil
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Unless the Eye Catch Fire
Unless the eye catch fire
The God will not be seen
Unless the ear catch fire
The God will not be heard
Unless the tongue catch fire
The God will not be named
Unless the heart catch fire
The God will not be loved
Unless the mind catch fire
The God will not be known
–Theodore Roszak
Art by Joyti Sahi
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When the heart is on fire, light comes from within.
–Tania Silva
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The Buried Life
But often, in the world’s most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life:
A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
In tracking out our true, original course;
A longing to inquire
Into the mystery of this heart which beats
So wild, so deep in us—to know
Whence our lives come and where they go.
–Matthew Arnold
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Seek only light and freedom,
and do not immerse yourself too deeply in the worldly mire.
–Vincent Van Gogh
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I had the epiphany that laughter was light,
and light was laughter,
and that this was the secret of the universe.
– Donna Tartt, from her novel The Goldfinch
Photo by Cyrus Crossan on Unsplash
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