Thursday, August 4, 2011

The meaning of a blessing

Artist: Helen Allingham

I continue to be grateful for the life and writings of the Irish poet and philosopher John O'Donohue. His unexpected death at the age of fifty-two came as a shock to those of us who had discovered his contribution to the world-wide community of those who joyfully participate in contemplation and who embrace the spiritual journey. Here's something he said that speaks to what we want for ourselves and each other when we go to the deepest place of wisdom within:

"Our longing for the eternal kindles our imagination to bless. Regardless of how we configure the eternal, the human heart continue to dream of a state of wholeness, that place where everything comes together, where loss will be made good, where blindness will transform into vision, where damage will be made whole, where the clenched question will open in the house of surprise, where the travails of life's journey will enjoy a homecoming. To invoke a blessing is to call some of that wholeness upon a person now."

~~~

3 comments:

  1. 'where damage will be made whole, where the clenched question will open in the house of surprise ... ' I like those ideas, they point towards true hope, like the painting as well.

    Thanks, Caro

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  2. Yes, I love "where the clenched question will open in the house of surprise".

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  3. How beautiful. Such a wonderful place he describes. There is nothing more one could ask for looking from this side.
    Carolyn L.

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