11-Feb-2005
Beloved Friends,
So many of you signed up to receive my newsletter the
first week it appeared on my website - thank you!
You'll receive this newsletter every other Friday
around noon, so you'll have the weekend to look it
over. Please remember: readers of this newsletter
consist of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sufis and
Buddhists, and I'll try to represent the
mystical/spiritual aspects of all of these, as well as
others.
This week's "Out of the Mouths of Masters" is the
beautiful prayer of Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubting, let me bring Your faith.
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is despairing, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, Your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring Your joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I might seek
Not so much to be consoled,
As to console;
To be understood,
As to understand;
And not so much to be loved,
As to love another.
For it is in giving
That we now receive.
It is in pardoning
That we are now pardoned.
And it is in dying
That we are now born again..
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred,
Let me bring Your love.
MY RECOMMENDATION of the week is Rabbi Tirzah
Firestone's incredible CD, Ashreynu! My morning's
prayer and meditation almost always include a
selection from this CD - a collection of "Jewish
chants for Meditation and Prayer." Ashreynu is
enchantingly beautiful and never fails to bring me
more deeply into the Divine Presence. The CD is available through Rabbi Tirzah's website: www.tirzahfirestone.com.
HOWE'S HAPPENINGS:
The first week after my new book, "Sitting With
Sufis", arrives in bookstores will be a busy one! If
you're near Southern Illinois, here are my scheduled
events for that week:
Tuesday, March 8, tune in to NPR's "Morning
Conversation" with Jennifer Fuller at 8:30am. WSIU-FM,
Carbondale, IL.
Friday, March 11, join us at 8pm at the Longbranch
Coffeehouse in Carbondale, IL for a talk, reading and
book signing.
Saturday, March 12, I'll be reading from and signing
copies of my book at Barnes & Noble in Carbondale, IL.
1-3pm
Check my website for additional engagements and
details: www.maryblyehowe.com.
GET REAL
Many of you asked that I include in this newsletter my
own personal thoughts and stories as I travel the
mystical and spiritual path. In response to this
request, I'll now be including this column.
Why the title "Get Real"? Simply because mystical
experiences, for most of us, are rare, the mystical path is a difficult one to walk, and because we need to understand the frustrations and disappointments that accompany the mystical/spiritual life, as well as its "highs".
Mystical experiences mean nothing if they don't change
our lives, and further, they come only as we seek the
Divine, not the experience.
HURT AND HEALING
Several months ago, I made a religious decision that
hurt and angered many people. During this time, I had
to deal with a great deal of guilt, sorrow and pain. I
apologized repeatedly to people I'd hurt. I spent time
with them, calling, stopping by to talk, and explaining my decision.
Then one afternoon, someone made a remark to me that,
at first, thrust me back into guilt, then dissolved me
into tears, then plunged me into a deep depression and
an intensity of anger that I've seldom felt - and
certainly rarely expressed. In my anger, I, unfortunately, lambasted the wrong people.
Where, I wondered, were the benefits of all my many
hours of spiritual and mystical practices?
First of all, my practices allowed me to quickly
"bounce back" from my depression and anger. Spiritual
disciplines do not, and will never, make me perfect.
But regular prayer and meditation, along with my
mystical practices, give me the ability to return,
with increasing rapidity, to that quiet, Divine place
within. I couldn't take back my nasty words, but I
could sincerely apologize, despite my own continued
hurt and disappointment in people I loved. I could
authentically forgive those whom I felt had wronged
me. And I could accept, at a deep level, that we're
all just human beings, capable of various levels of
love, acceptance and insight.
Second, I found that I needed, in addition to my
private practices, a loving, spiritual community. Two friends, one of them a rabbi, simply let me sit
and cry. Another friend reminded me he was always
there for me, and still another offered to let me
write angry emails and send them to him (!). Other
friends listened, acknowledged my hurt, and reminded
me that they were there for me.
I need my spiritual practices, but I also need my
friends, and I'm grateful for both.
Each evening, I try to remember to conclude the day
with prayer. My favorite is from the Reconstructionist
siddur (the Jewish prayer book): The Bedtime Shema. It goes like this:
Behold, I now forgive whoever has provoked my anger or
annoyance [I add the words, ‘and
whoever I have provoked or annoyed'],
whoever has done wrong to me [I add the words ‘and
whoever I have wronged'],
whether to my body or my spirit,
or to my honor, or to all that may belong to me,
whether willingly, or inadvertently, or by design,
whether by speech or deed...
It is only through a daily devotion to spiritual
practices that I can make these words spring from my
heart.
IF THIS NEWSLETTER uplifted your heart and drew you
closer to the Divine, please forward it to others who might enjoy it. Thank you!
Blessings,
Mary
