The Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Gianlorenzo Bernini (1652).

Left transept of Santa Maria della Vittoria (17th century) in Rome.

Nada te turbe
 

(Letrilla que llevaba por registro en su breviario)

Nada te turbe;

nada te espante;

todo se pasa;

Dios no se muda,

la paciencia

todo lo alcanza.

Quien a Dios tiene,

nada le falta.

Solo Dios basta

May nothing disturb you!

(St. Teresa of Avila had these verses written in her breviary**)

May nothing disturb you.

May nothing astonish you.

Everything passes.

God does not go away.

Patience

can attain anything.

He who has God within,

does not lack anything.

God is everything!*

(Translation by Jorge W. Suazo)

(*This last verse may be interpreted as "God is enough.")

Carmelo Teresiano

Nada te turbe

Oraciones Diversas

Noche oscura del alma

Canciones del alma que se goza de haber llegado al alto estado de la perfección, que es la unión con Dios, por el camino de la negación espiritual.
 

En una noche oscura,

con ansias de amores inflamada,

(¡oh dichosa ventura!),

salí sin ser notada,

estando ya mi casa sosegada:

A oscuras y segura, 5

por la secreta escala disfrazada,

(¡oh dichosa ventura!)

a oscuras y en celada,

estando ya mi casa sosegada. 10

En la noche dichosa,

en secreto, que nadie me veía,

ni yo miraba cosa,

sin otra luz ni guía

sino la que en el corazón ardía. 15

Aquésta me guïaba

más cierta que la luz del mediodía,

adonde me esperabaquien yo bien me sabía,

en parte donde nadie parecía.

¡Oh noche que me guiaste!, 20

¡oh noche amable más que el alborada!,

¡oh noche que juntaste
amado con amada,
amada en el amado transformada!

El mi pecho florido, 25
que entero para él solo se guardaba,
allí quedó dormido,y yo le regalaba,
y el ventalle de cedros aire daba.

El aire de la almena, 30
cuando yo sus cabellos esparcía,
con su mano serenaen mi cuello hería,
y todos mis sentidos suspendía.

Quedéme y olvidéme, 35
el rostro recliné sobre el amado,
cesó todo, y dejéme,dejando mi cuidado
entre las azucenas olvidado.

Fecha: C. 1577

San Juan de la Cruz (Bio in Spansih)

St. John of the Cross (Bio in English -Wikipedia)

Dark Night of the Soul

Songs of the soul rejoicing at having reached the highest state of perfection, which is union with God, by means of spiritual self-denial.

On a dark night,
inflamed with the passions of love,
(oh favoring fortune!,)
I went out unnoticed,
after my house had been set to rest;

in the dark and safely sure,
by the secret stair disguised,
(oh favoring fortune!,)
in the dark and concealed
after my house had been set to rest;

In the fortunate night,
in secret, for no one saw me,
nor did I see anything,
with no other light or guide
than that which was burning in my heart.

This light guided me
more surely than that of noonday
to where he was waiting for me
I know well who,
in place where no one was to be seen.

Oh night which guided me,
oh night more friendly than the dawn,
oh night that joined lover to beloved,
the beloved being transformed into the lover!

On my flowery breast,
kept wholly for himself alone,
there he went to sleep,
and I caressed him,
and the fanning of the cedars made a breeze.

The breeze from the battlements,
while I spread out his hair,
with its gentle hand
struck my neck
and suspended all my senses.

I stood still and forgot myself,
I leaned my face over the lover,
everything stopped and i abandoned myself,
leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies.

(Translation from Poetry of Spain, Elias L. Rivers, ed.)

“We must never stop dreaming.  Dreams  provide nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body (see far right panel for "visualization" idea).  Many times in our lives we see our dreams shattered and our desires frustrated, but we have to continue dreaming.  If we don’t, our soul dies, and agape* cannot reach it.  [More importantly] …dead dreams begin to rot within us and to infect our entire being.  We become cruel to those around us, and then we begin to direct this cruelty against ourselves."

[Thus], the only way we can rescue our dreams is by being generous with ourselves. Any attempt to inflict self-punishment—no matter how subtle it may be—should be dealt with rigorously.  In order to know when we are being cruel to ourselves, we have to transform any attempt at causing spiritual pain—such as guilt, remorse, indecision, and cowardice---into physical pain.  By transforming spiritual pain into a physical one, we can learn what harm it can cause us.” (See “The Cruelty Exercise” in the right panel)

From Pablo Coelho’s “The Pilgrimage”

*Agape, is one of several Greek words meaning love. The word has been used in different ways by a variety of contemporary and ancient sources, including Biblical authors. Many have thought that this word represents divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, thoughtful love.

*Agape has been expounded on by many Christian writers in a specifically Christian context. In this Christian context, agape has been defined as an intentional response to promote well-being when responding to that which has generated ill-being (Thomas Jay Oord). 

Book Description:  Here Paulo Coelho details his journey across Spain along the legendary road of San Tiago [Santiago], which pilgrims have traveled since Middle Ages. On this contemporary quest, he encounters a Chaucerian variety of mysterious guides and devilish opponents and learns to understand the nature of truth through the simplicity of life. The Pilgrimage holds an important place in Paulo Coelho’s literary canon. His first book, it not only paved the way for his phenomenal novel The Alchemist , but it also fully expresses his humanist philosophy and the depth of his unique search for meaning.

(From Pablo Coelho’s “The Pilgrimage”)

This is my original contribution to the idea of dreams.  I believe in the power of visualization, and a concrete, real object helps to convey that idea!

• Gather three (3) stones/rocks/glass beads  of different colors, place them in a bag.

• Meditate on your dreams—past, present, and future and charge that energy into the beads.

• Keep them with you as a reminder of your dreams so that they will never die!

1.  These are the dreams you have fulfilled or forgotten
2.  These are the dreams you are currently accomplishing!
3.  These are the dreams you want to accomplish or fulfill in the future.

Jorge W. Suazo

One way one can learn more about dreams and how to achieve happiness is to follow the laws of karma.  And "a law is the process by process by which unmanifest becomes the manifest, and the process by which the dreamer manifests his dreams." (from Sortlifeout based on Seven Laws for Spiritual Success).

Deepak Chopra, in Seven Laws for Spiritual Success, tells us about following these natural laws of life to be successful and happy.  From the Back Cover.  This is a book you will cherish for a lifetime, for within its pages are the secrets to making all your dreams come true. In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra distils the essence of his teachings into seven simple, yet powerful principles that can be easily applied to create success in all areas of your life.

Book Description: Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it.

In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life.

The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Editor)

From the Publisher:

The Secret is truly the most outstanding book to date that we have published. I am so pleased that Rhonda Byrne was able to bring together this life-changing information so masterfully.

She first did it for the movie of the same name that she produced, which has been a phenomenon in its own right. She then added, in only ones month's time, incredible additional content to the transcript of the film that brings even more clarity to the reader.

This is absolutely a book that people from all walks of life can read and then "get" the concept of The Secret. It allows them to then take it and apply it to their lives. Children, teenagers and adults of all ages are reporting miraculous stories of positive changes as a result.

Rhonda Byrne is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of The Secret and to making sure that now, finally, the whole world knows about The Secret. You will want to share this with your friends and family and they will be grateful for it.

This book gives hope for what many have been waiting for-- a shift in the way the world thinks. Its a very exciting time that we are living in, and I as well as everyone at Beyond Words and Atria Books are grateful to be a part of it.

---Cynthia Black, President, Beyond Words  Publishing

NEW BOOK

  First came the book.

Then the movie.

Now the questions are answered.

The Purpose: Evolution

The Arena: Daily Life

The Time: Now

The Method: Action

It begins on the ground.

It starts where you are.

And it works at every level.

Book Description:

At many points in Dan Millman’s seminal story of personal transformation, the old warrior Socrates shrugs off Dan’s questions with a laconic “It’s the House Rules.” Here, Millman takes more than 100 of the book’s most interesting and enigmatic passages and explores in detail the key ideas behind them, showing their genesis in spiritual philosophies old and new.

Drawing on 25 years of experience since first writing the book, he reveals an evolving sensibility and perspective, drawing practical lessons that readers can apply directly to their lives from even the most mysterious passages. Millman gives readers fresh insight and wisdom by clarifying seemingly paradoxical statements and applying essential teachings to life's toughest questions.

Whether readers are coming to Way of the Peaceful Warrior for the first time or belong to its legions of long-time fans, The Peaceful Warrior Companion deepens their experience of this beloved spiritual classic.

Comments (from Amazon):

Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior represents a rare opportunity to update and clarify the teachings in my first book. Due to the continuing popularity of Way of the Peaceful Warrior, and the release of the Peaceful Warrior movie, this new book feels both timely and necessary.

Many new readers still imagine me as that young man depicted in the book (and in the movie). But that young man is only a fading snapshot, and life is a moving picture -- I've continued to learn and evolve over the past quarter century. Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior reflects and reveals the fruits of that evolution.

As I state in the Introduction: "...More than forty years have passed since our first meeting on a starry winter’s night in 1966. It wasn’t until 1980, fourteen years later, that I related the experiences and lessons that followed [but] I could only hear and remember what I’d learned from my then-current state of awareness. . ."

Whether or not you've read Way of the Peaceful Warrior recently (or ever -- or only seen the movie, which covers only two-thirds of that first book), you'll discover that Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior stands on its own as an independent source of essential reminders about real life -- about living with a peaceful heart and warrior spirit.

The wisdom in this book is not my own, or even that of Socrates. It belong to all of us.

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