Tag Archives: beauty

Living Beauty Every Day

19 Saturday Mar 2016

Posted by in Mystic Voices, Uncategorized

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“Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened.  Don’t open the door to the study
and begin reading.  Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

-Rumi (translated by John Moyne and Coleman Barks)

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This quatrain of Rumi has resonated with me for over 20 years. How many mornings do we wake up with dread or worry, “empty and frightened” about the day ahead? Too often our inclination is to dive into work to keep the fears at bay. Rumi thinks this is a bad idea.

Rather than busy our selves immediately with tasks, emails, phone calls and spreadsheets, what if we started each day playing guitar, flute or piano, or singing a song, or just 15 minutes of standing near a tree or watching the sun climb in the sky? What is it we most love to do? How would our lives be different if we started each day with that?

What beauty can you love and bathe in today?

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Jalal ad-Din Muhammed Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufimystic. Rumi’s influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions; people of all faiths and nations have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world’s languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the “most popular poet” and the “best selling poet” in the United States.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.

Let Life Take Your Breath Away

22 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in Contemporary Sages, Uncategorized

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“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by those moments that take our breath away.”

-George Carlin

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Comics can be rabbis too, and humor can carry great teachings. This missive from the late great George Carlin is one of my favorites. It reminds us to spend more time in wonder and awe (the word awe is related to the word awareness); to re-member ( as in putting the pieces together) who we are and what we are part of.

The Psalmist sang, “Ma Gadlu ma’asecha Yah, Meod amku mach’she’votekha. How great are your works Yah! How deep are your thoughts!” We can fill ourselves with awe if we just  take a moment to drink in the wonder around us, whether we are at the edge of the Grand Canyon or looking at the intricate structure of a cut flower on our table. The natural world (which we are part of, not separate from), holds amazement before us always. Even the face of the person passing by us is a wonder greater than the moon and stars if we really see what we are looking at.

So take a little break right now, and look around until you find something that fills you with awe. Awe-Full. Quite a different meaning than what we usually settle for, yes?

What fills you with awe and takes your breath away today?

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George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social criticand author. Carlin was noted for his black comedy and his thoughts on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and various taboo subjects.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.