Stillness is vital to the world of the soul. If as you age you become more still, you will discover that stillness can be a great companion. The fragments of your life will have time to unify, and the places where your soul-shelter is wounded or broken will have time to knit and heal. You will be able to return to yourself. In this stillness, you will engage your soul. Many people miss out on themselves completely as they journey through life. They know others, they know places, they know skills, they know their work, but tragically, they do not know themselves at all. Aging can be a lovely time of ripening when you actually meet yourself, indeed maybe for the first time. There are beautiful lines from T. S. Eliot that say:
'And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.'
JOHN O'DONOHUE
Excerpt from his book, Anam Cara
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County Kerry, Ireland
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TO COME HOME TO YOURSELF
May all that is unforgiven in you,
Be released.
May your fears yield
Their deepest tranquillities.
May all that is unlived in you,
Blossom into a future,
Graced with love.
JOHN O'DONOHUE
From his books: To Bless the Space Between Us (US) / Benedictus (Europe)
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Ballyvaughan / Co. Clare, Ireland
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FOR PEACE
As the fever of day calms towards twilight
May all that is strained in us come to ease.
We pray for all who suffered violence today,
May an unexpected serenity surprise them.
For those who risk their lives each day for peace,
May their hearts glimpse providence at the heart of history.
That those who make riches from violence and war
Might hear in their dreams the cries of the lost.
That we might see through our fear of each other
A new vision to heal our fatal attraction to aggression.
That those who enjoy the privilege of peace
Might not forget their tormented brothers and sisters.
That the wolf might lie down with the lamb,
That our swords be beaten into ploughshares
And no hurt or harm be done
Anywhere along the holy mountain.
©JOHN O'DONOHUE
From his book, Benedictus
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Holy Cross Church - Kenmare, Ireland
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