An evening of music, poetry, and prayer

Starting this month, we are hosting an evening for music, poetry, and prayer at our home on every first Saturday of the month. It’s a time for us to pause in our busy lives and reflect on things that are the most important to us, such as love, peace, unity, etc.

Last night, our theme was “joy.” Here are a few selections from the readings and music. For people who cannot join us physically, please join us virtually.

~ ~ ~

He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy.
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sun rise.

- William Blake

~ ~ ~

Be happy and joyous because the bestowals of God are intended for you and the life of the Ho Spirit is breathing upon you."

-Bahá'í Writings

~ ~ ~

Listen, o fortunate ones, to my joyful song,
That all my desires have been fulfilled.
I have obtained God, the Supreme Being,
And all my griefs have disappeared.
My sorrows, afflictions, and sufferings have departed
By listening to the true Word.

The saints and the holy are filled with joy,
When they hear the Word from the perfect Preceptor.
He who hears the Word is made pure,
He who speaks is made holy,
The Eternal Preceptor will fill their hearts.
I proclaim, for those who attach themselves to the Enlightener’s feet,
The heavenly music plays.

- Japji (Sikh Scripture)

~ ~`~

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

- The Bible

~ ~ ~

Let your joy
Be the joy
Born of My Most Great Name,
A Name that bringeth rapture
To the heart,
And filleth with ecstasy
The minds
Of all who have
Drawn nigh unto God.

- Baha’u’llah

~ ~ ~

We create a sacred space with beautiful flowers and candle lights, listen soothing and spiritually enchanted music, and read poems and holy writings from different religions. It’s an oasis of well-being for the body, mind and soul.

The Obligatory Prayer

Sitting on the rock of Eagle Falls at the Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, when my heart was closest to the nature, I said the obligatory prayer:

"I bear witness, O my God,
that Thou hast created me
to know Thee and to worship Thee.

"I testify, at this moment,
to my powerlessness and to Thy might,
to my poverty and to Thy wealth.

"There is none other God but Thee,
the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

So powerful that my mind's eye
Sees the light of eternity.

So dim, and so bright, that I know
The pass is narrow and long.

So blissful that I am shown the way,
And my heart throbs with joy.

Life and Death of A Tree

This Independence Day weekend, we went to Lake Tahoe. A hike to Eagle Falls gave me unexpected inspiration....

At the bridge of Eagle Falls,
A dying tree
Stands, strikingly,
Against the vitals of green.

A few inches below its roots,
The life-giving water creek
runs, ceaselessly,
toward the valley.

To the sky above,
The lifeless branch,
Stretches, desperately,
As if asking for its life back.

Alas, a narrow distance,
A thin line
Separates, eternally,
Life and death.

Nearby, beside it,
A young tree
Martyrs, peacefully,
To be in the arms of the eternal.

In Solitude

Copyright 2007 Helen Wang

In solitude, I pause to freeze the moment
so that I can be;

In solitude, I journey far in distance
so that I can feel;

In solitude, I stand in the shadow of the moon
so that I can see the sun;

In solitude, I create eternity from transients
so that they can last.

I Am Grateful

Copyright 2007 P. S. Clarke

I am grateful that the sky is blue, trees green, and life peaceful;
I am grateful that the tea is brewing, music chanting, and home beautiful.

I am grateful that the right books were given to me at the right times;
And I am grateful that I heeded the beckoning signs.

I am grateful that I am walking in my childhood’s dream,
and that dream is not lost;
I am grateful that I have kept my sanity in this insane world,
and the world is spinning.

I am grateful for the faith that has sustained me through the darkest nights;
I am grateful for a love that has endeared me at crimson morns.

I am grateful that all the pains, although still hurting, are healing;
I am grateful that all the hopes, however far reaching, are coming.

I am grateful for the bounty of God that is boundless,
and I am grateful that I pray -
I am grateful for little things in life – the rose petal, sweet peach and cherry
blossoms, for only I know how grateful I am!