Another entry for you, Alice, as your teachings continue to unfold.

Noticing comes naturally as I practice slowing down. You once said to me,

“You don’t have to do anything.  Just let the layers unfold until your radiant soul shines through.”

Slowing down allows the light of consciousness to flow more freely; my attention, in a more relaxed and diffuse state, picks up sounds, scents, images that I wouldn’t ordinarily notice.

So, I return your poem to you with my pictures.

Pastor’s Pastorale

rYour poem, my pictures

Or were there time enough

x

to sleep and dream

y

and mull the mind

z

on things as they might seem —

a

but, no

b

we plod

r

(and stumble on our guilts)

d

to God.

How simple then to walk the night

s

and touch the stars or taste the dew

f

smile at such gifts

w

and count ourselves among the few

t

who yes

who pray

yet kiss

and sing to others what they miss:

It’s this! It’s this!

 From the Archives of the Heart

Everything was opening its secrets to me in silence, without a word. Everything shone in my heart now instead of my head. The more I appreciated, the more I could see. It was a whole new way of learning, by listening to silence.         ao, The Beejum Book

Thank you.