The Natural

This Sunday we enter February.-- the "short" month, with its midpoint aura of Valentine love--beginning with a vibrant full moon. No way around it, January has been rough across America. Maybe it's the bright full moon, or maybe it's the relief of blue sky and mild weather here in Southern California, but I feel a infinitesimal drop of spring in the atmosphere. And it has me reflecting on that which is natural. Last week, I wrote of human beings as an aspect of nature, and the possibility of opening to the "primal without the primitive." It occurred to me this week that another approach, perhaps a corollary, is turning to that which is natural, in our daily lives. Consider the natural aspects of your daily life as a way of perceiving yourself as an aspect of nature.

A few days ago, I was at the dentist for a routine cleaning. My usual strategy for dental appointments is a kind of dual awareness--I settle into meditation, but maintain enough alertness to shift when the dentist or hygienist needs me to shift. This appointment was routine cleaning, so I settled in and began reflecting on "the natural." I noted how "natural" it is for me to lie back in that dental chair. I started dental visits when I was very young; my mother was a school nurse and made sure our family practiced what she taught in schools--we all had regular dental visits. They were not always a pleasant experience, still, I'm grateful for the interventions and care. As I relaxed in the chair, I considered the hygienist, busy cleaning my teeth. She always seems to enjoy her work, and is very meticulous. I considered whether or not she was "a natural" at what she does. Most likely. I don't know her personal history. Here is where my contemplation snagged. I questioned, is dentistry natural?

The simplest definition of natural is that which is found in, or produced by, nature. We can add, that which conforms to nature--not something artificially changed, or conditioned. But natural can also be defined as that which is in agreement with human nature. Can human nature be artificially changed or conditioned? There are many attempts to do so. Animals in general have inherent ways of natural self-care. Culture refers to groups of humans with shared practices that include personal care and health practices, "natural" to the culture, to the group. Yet modern culture can churn out all sort of products and practices that take us further and further away from nature. On the other hand, relying on only a narrow definition of nature, cuts us off from the gift of human intelligence, discovery, and creativity that spur life forward.

What I was left with was a line of poetry that floated through my mind as the hygienist continued to scrape, "I Thank you God--for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes..." I couldn't place the poem, but later, I looked it up, and found the e.e.cummings poem. (link below). It was all I needed. This week, consider your own natural movement and rhythm in your every day live. Sense what is natural for you, sand what is not. Let the natural lead. (Susan Nettleton)

For Poetry: https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/C/cummingsee/ithankYouGod/index.html https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/N/Nirmala/itishere/index.html https://allpoetry.com/poem/12402226-The-Natural-Way-by-Zakariyya

The Storm

As I reflect on this last Sunday in January, Winter Storm Fern is unleashing it's potentially 'catastrophic force' as it moves across a predicted 2,000 mile area, possibly impacting over 200 million people. A storm of this magnitude necessitated warnings, preparations, and emergency plans--all of which have been initiated. Miraculously, California is not in Fern's path...this time. But I am connected to friends and family across the country, so I too watch and wait. Despite the knowledge we have gathered in meteorology, climatology, and the other atmospheric sciences, we do not control the weather, and we cannot unerringly predict the causes, course, and impact of such a storm. Inevitably, social/political conflict over our changing climate hangs in the air along with our collective uncertainty of the future. Meanwhile, despite sub-zero temperatures, the phenomenal people of Minneapolis, are lining streets in protest of another kind of ICE (the immigration force), in another kind of storm.

As I absorbed the news this weekend, the ending line from a poem by Juan Ramon Jimenez, popped into my thoughts: "Life without calculation." (see link below for the complete poem). Here again, comes the paradox between Nature and Human Beings--our capacity to stand outside of our environment, our world, and reflect--categorize, calculate, while being an expression of Nature ourselves. Humans, as well as storms, are a force of Nature. Collectively, over centuries, we distanced ourselves (from ourselves as Nature), creating an identity of separation from every other form of life, as well as from one another. But another aspect of humans is the potential to come into a realization, or perhaps we can name it as a return, beyond our isolated sense of self. I thought of my friend and teacher, U.G. Krishnamurti, who described the state he attained in his "calamitous" shattering of self, as becoming "primal without the primitive". That phrase has long impacted me.

What does it mean to become primal without the primitive? For example, anthropology might point to the development of tools as early humans moved from beyond the primitive. Primal is the original, before humans separated themselves from nature. Primitive, in this sense, refers to a condition which lacks tools, technology, mathematics and language--that which provides understanding, creativity, and support. I can pull in here that line of poetry, "Life without calculation". Calculation is useful in our development beyond the primitive. It can refer to higher mathematics and probabilities, and concepts that have taken us beyond the primitive in our quest to understand life. Yet, calculation can also have an overlay of separation: calculation to achieve one's own separate interest, regardless of the impact on the whole. With Juan Ramon Jimenez's poem, endless openings await us; calculating our path is irrelevant.

So what does this have to do with massive storms? If you are stuck inside and have a power source, consider this week that you are not a victim of nature; you are home. Whether you are riding out the wind, cold, and ice, sheltered in place, or you are in the throes of protests, wearing layers of winter protection in service to humanity and Life, you remain an aspect of nature. You are equipped with endless possibilities, for thriving, creating, discovering--the primal without the primitive, beyond mere calculation. Expect the way to open to renewal. There is plenty to contemplate while waiting out your storm, until the time of restoration. Peace. (Susan Nettleton)

for poetry: https://108zenbooks.com/2010/07/16/life-without-calculation/ https://poets.org/poem/spellbound\ https://mypoeticside.com/show-classic-poem-30476

Peace Moments

This week I had to opportunity to attend a family and friends celebration for "graduating" students of a Cotillion program. The Cotillion tradition reaches back to 18th Century ballroom dancing, commingled with social skills training for youth, and coming of age ceremonies. There was a sweetness and innocence to the 2026 version of dressed-up California pre-adolescent boys and girls, randomly partnered by their teachers, practicing introductions and conversation, as they learned to compliment one another, and dance. The students were a California mix of backgrounds, barrios, wealthy families as well as struggling ones, that all seemed to be reaching for a stable future by invoking traditions of the past. Cell phones were mostly silenced. No one was watching relentless You Tube videos. No screens. No political commentary. New skills, music, cookies, companionship, and a lovely sunset, clearly brought a space of hope, after a year of upheaval that impacted the whole. This was a delightful evening of Peace.

My intention here is to encourage you to move forward in your own lives, by collecting your present moments of peace. I could critique the flaws of social conditioning; we are all conditioned in one way or another by social pressure. And we are consciously and unconsciously bombarded by threatening forces of one type or another. But we can stop to find ease within. Another friend sent me photos today of her hike up a local mountain trail that has been closed for a year; the area had dangerously damaged, burned and scarred in the January 2025 fires. It has taken a full year for nature and the forest rangers to restore it. This weekend it has finally returned--nature in it's glory!

The way of affirmation of life, of the Good, is not by forcing ourselves to be positive, especially when we feel just the opposite. Yet, rehearsing pain, anger, or fear is not helpful either. When pain--emotional, physical or mental--comes, feel it, acknowledge it, but gently stay open to receive peace. Peace is there. We collect more Peace as we recognize Peace, as we attend to it, and name Peace, even if it is only momentary, it is Real. This week, set aside the phone, the news, the screens for a bit--feel the Peace of silence, the Peace of a nature trail, the Peace of laughter and Dance. Consider that your life is already filled with Peaceful moments, and they expand when recognized and acknowledged. Let it be a week of Peace. (Susan Nettleton)

"World peace through nonviolent means is neither absurd nor unattainable. All other methods have failed. Thus we must begin anew… Those of us who believe in this method can be voices of reason, sanity, and understanding amid the voices of violence, hatred and emotion. We can very well set a mood of peace out of which a system of peace can be built.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. (Dreams of Brighter Tomorrows in Ebony Magazine, March 1965."

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45521/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud

https://www.dorothyhunt.org/peace-is-this-moment

https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/K/KalidasEdwar/WayToPeace/index.html

Clarity

As I write today, it's difficult to believe that we are entering only the 2nd full week of 2026, and already the country has been rocked by the American take-over of Venezuela, and now, the death of Renee Good in the ICE shooting tragedy. I have to remind myself that as I see it, my job is not political commentary, but rather to point you back to your spiritual life. It's easy to lose spiritual focus with the onslaught of tragic news. Our overly-present phones make it easy to absorb the news and public response as the first event of the morning. I confess, while uncertain of how to approach my Sunday post, it took me a time of news, messages, and a mug of tea this morning, before I could settle into meditation. What a relief to meditate!

Simply watching my breath once again, reminded me how much life simply takes care of itself. All morning long, as I bustled about, I was breathing, recklessly unaware of that breath sustaining me, connecting me to the circulating breath of others and nature's breath, in the harmony of exchange. I might focus on other aspects of our living bodies that function on their own as well, without our conscious thought, but the breath was at the forefront in today's meditation, while the mind wandered back into the news, and the connections and commitments of the day ahead, including this post. Then, my 51 years of meditation brought me back to the breath again, as thought quietened. One word spoke: Clarity.

In these times of unexpected, repetitive shocks, our emotional and physical reactions--however they come and go--settle, as we find clarity of mind. Sometimes that clarity just spontaneously opens, but it's more likely to open when you recognize the need for it. There is so much "spin" from the culture--social media, news, marketing--that are attempts to leverage and manipulate our individual understanding and interpretation. Our intuitive, personal wisdom--that which gives order and continuity to our intentions, plans, actions--are hijacked, leaving us with confusion and paralysis. Time to clear the field of false thoughts! By false, I mean: that which is not truly Your thought.

This week I encourage you to sit with Clarity. Trust your innate capacity, the ability of your physical body, emotional responses, and intelligence to settle; learn the way that settling happens for you. For me, it is usually though meditation, but not always. A quiet nature walk, or an aimless drive, can free my mind as well. For some, it may come from writing out your thoughts, or through actually talking, expressing your understanding with someone who is able to let you, be you--enough to clarify your own direction. When more news hits, which it will, take the time to refresh your "mental screen", and trust Your unfolding, evolving understanding as it reveals Clarity. (Susan Nettleton) )

For poetry: https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/words-of-wonder/clarity-martin-bril/ https://www.poemstocomfortandinspire.com/post/gift-of-a-clear-mind-short-poem-about-mental-clarity https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/U/UngarLynn/WayItIs/index.html

Begin Once More

Early January, with a New Year, is often like a reset button. We are coming out of holidays, setting our focus on re-entry into daily routines, while simultaneously reflecting on new goals and intentions. Take a moment to consider that even though traditions vary, the New Year is a global event; Saturday, January 3, made that clear, with the global shock of America's clandestine arrest of Venezuela's President--a rocky entry into our collective 'newness". All the more reason to set your personal intentions for 2026, from your own spiritual depths.

As I write today, it is cold, dark, and raining in a week of more storms. New Year's Day though, the storm lifted in the afternoon, and I joined family for an outing. We drove past a crowded display of Rose Bowl parade floats that had weathered the rain, and were parked locally for viewing. The scene was teeming with cars and pedestrian traffic, but the real wonder was the sky. For this brief late afternoon, the sky was magnificently blue, with streaks of gold shifting toward the sun on the horizon. There were heavenly white clouds floating overhead, opening to reveal a full white moon. I was driving, but the stalled traffic let me pause to watch the sky's spectacular promise of better days in 2026. That's how I chose to interpret the vision, even with more rain, rain, rain in the forecast.

We eventually made our way through the traffic and headed to nearby Altadena, the epicenter of the Eaton Fire disaster of January 7, 2025. Our destination was a beloved park in the hills that had been decimated in the fire. In the past year, Altadena raised some $60 million in Public-private funds for restoration of parks. We had read this particular one had been completely rebuilt. It seemed the perfect place for an outdoor welcoming of a New Year. And it was. It's a beautiful, upgraded, modern playground, with the mountain above, and the city below, in an energy that vibrates with the power of human and Nature's resilience. The park was packed with children, parents, (grandparents!), laughter and even music from playful pipe instruments. We stayed until dark.

This first full week of 2026, while you mull over your New Year intentions and digest the news, I encourage you to go beyond your personal goals, and include the affirmation of collective resilience, healing, and innovation. In a year that seems to have been about "taking away", the New Year can affirm an openness to Newness of Heart, Newness of Intellect, Newness of Discovery, Newness of Creativity. The world is large; the cosmos even larger. Don't let the losses of last year, or new political shocks swarm you. It really is time to begin again. (Susan Nettleton)

Below is an affirmation inspired from Tagore, samplings of New Year Affirmations inspired from Larry Morris's poetry, and a New Thought link with more 2026 affirmations. Pick yours! "And Joy is everywhere": http://www.inspirationpeak.com/cgi-bin/poetry.cgi?record=22 "I'm grateful that this is enough": https://hillsidesource.com/before-the-clouds "I am where I belong": https://hillsidesource.com/your-guidance-for-me-poem "A new beginning is already forming inside me, printed in my heart": https://hillsidesource.com/freshstart For more affirmations: https://folxwithfaith.org/2026_affirmations/

Goodbye 2025...

Last week brought weather week to L.A. County as heavy rains upended many Christmas plans. Still, after unrelenting rain and flash flood alerts on Christmas Eve, the sky Christmas morning had a brief moment of glory; when I opened the kitchen binds, there was actually a shocking patch of clear blue sky with surrounding white clouds. Those clouds were already receding into the gray and black overhanging the mountain, but I was cheered by the unexpected reminder that the storm would not last, even if we had to evacuate. (The suitcases were packed and on standby at the door.) The space of sunlight brought to mind the Biblical story of Noah's Arc, the rainbow, and the evening dove that carried the olive branch, bringing a message of safety and peace: the world continues. The storm here has now passed, but we are already warned of another one forming for New Year's Eve, while snow storms blast the northeast. Across the planet, storms form and dissolve--aspects of the ongoing shifts in Nature and human activity.

This week is traditionally the world's year-end-review. Inevitably, we begin planning 2026, while we are bidding goodbye to 2025. It's been an unusually disruptive year in the U.S., which has had world-wide impact--all the more reason to spend sometime in spiritual reflection, before charting your intentions. And, all the more reason to begin with review of the positive aspects of your life, alongside the hardships and losses. Over the years, Hillside has practiced forgiveness on New Year's Eve, a powerful time of meditation, release, and healing that truly opens the way to celebrate the fading past and incoming future. This year, perhaps because it has been so disruptive for so many, it seems very important to also acknowledge the wondrous aspects of life--beauty, laughter, discovery, companionship, and the simplest moments of delight that have nothing to do with politics, exploitation, money, or fame, yet have everything to do with Life.

This week, consider a year review of delightful moments. The other morning, I decided to wash a few dishes left in my sink, before any evacuation call came. As I squirted some dish soap in the sink, an iridescent bubble, about the size of a quarter, suddenly flew up, heading for my face--I reflexly drew back, but it propelled forward aimed at my nose. Instinctively, I took a deep breath and blew it away. The bubble shot back to the kitchen window and popped! The whole event was so absurd, I burst out laughing. There was something magical about it, lifting the burden of the heavy rain, the Christmas pressure, and ushering in the childhood delight of my grandchildren. Later in evening meditation, the inner voice spoke, "Maybe Life is actually about joy, discovery, light and laughter." I considered the master Ryokan who immersed himself in play as the highest expression of his Zen (poem in link below) and then I considered a powerful line by the unmatched German poet Rilke, "Nearby is the country they call life.

You will know it by its seriousness" (link below). Unquestionably, 2025 brought highly serious events; I'm sure 2026 will have it's share of serious events. But what would Life be, what would Earth be without Laughter? Why not welcome the New Year with renewed delight? Consider that delight and laughter keep us strong, even in serious times. Happy New Year! (Susan Nettleton)

https://thedewdrop.org/2020/06/03/ryokan-playing-with-the-children/ https://bloomofthepresent.org/go-to-the-limits-of-your-longing-by-rainer-maria-rilke/ https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54327/to-the-new-year https://poetrysociety.org/poetry-in-motion/the-moment

Christmas Light

This Sunday, we begin Christmas week and Sunday is December 21, the Winter Solstice of the Northern Hemisphere. Christmas, always on December 25, follows this Winter Solstice. As the upper tilt of the earth moves the maximum distance from the Sun, we experience the shortest time of daylight and the darkest night of the year. From that point forward, daylight will begin to lengthen, and the dark nights, shorten. Over the centuries of discovery, and various whens and whys, Christmas was formally set to follow this peak of darkness and the return movement to increasing light. To me, here in the Northern hemisphere, these events have become an annual reminder that 'darkness' doesn't stay and the Light is never extinguished, despite threats and tragedies. We brighten what we can, care for each other, share, give, and find reverence and awe in the ancient stories, music, prayer, and community. And as Christmas celebrations close, we prepare to begin again, with release, forgiveness, and affirmation of a new time and a new cycle of nature's events--a New Year. The Christmas story is a story of birth and rebirth, again and again and again, in undying Light.

This week holds spaces for spiritual reflection on the Light that always returns, and our own capacity for renewal and rebirth. Traditional Christianity expresses that capacity through the birth of Jesus. Jesus himself is quoted in John 18;12 as saying, '‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life.” In Matthew 5:15-16, Jesus declares, "You are the light of the world — like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." While tradition has this declaration limited to the disciples, New Thought captures this moment as Jesus' affirmation of the miracle of human existence and our capacity to open to the Light that we all bring to this miraculous Universe. As my ministerial mentor David Alkins expressed it, Jesus was the Way-Show-er, revealing, living, expressing this endless Light. Follow the Light.

Consider this week, the birth of Light, endlessly renewing and re-emerging out of the darkness. Consider too, that re-emergence begins in innocence, as a baby is innocent, expanding, growing into full maturation and expression, like the phases of the moon, in enduring cycles. As Psalm 19 sings, "The Heavens declare the Glory of God". Yes, It recedes, but also, yes, It returns. Have a Light-filled Christmas. (Susan Nettleton)

for poetry: https://wordsfortheyear.com/2018/12/25/christmas-light-by-may-sarton/

https://hillsidesource.com/end-of-seeking-larry-poem

https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/B/BacharachNaf/APoemforthe/index.html

Finding the Level

There's a strange mix of energy out and about this December. Luckily the weather here has been calm, clear and warm, a December summer that fades into dark at 5 p.m. The various neighborhoods surrounding L.A. are holding Winter Festivals anyway, with hot chocolate stands, one-of-a-kind crafts, tree lighting ceremonies, and local music. I admire the quest for tradition, even in this time of jolting changes. Attendance is down.

The other morning, my neighbor left a pile of lemons on the curb--it's understood that they are available for anyone to take--his offering in an abundant December harvest, even in the short daylight. I took two large ones home to sit in a bowl with my tangerine harvest, and felt content.

That night was strange, though. Around 10:00 p.m. there was a helicopter circling the neighborhood, loud and low. Very loud and low. Given the times, it was quite disconcerting. Was it ICE? Had there been some adverse event that no one had announced yet? Was it really a helicopter, or a drone. Too loud for a drone I decided. I did a quick search and found several people were also searching on a neighborhood app. Finally a neighborhood post announced confidently that is was a police helicopter. and speculated that it was a night training exercise. Whether that was true or not, I don't know, but a sense of community awareness brought calm.

In my meditation, these lines from Emily Dickinson came: "Futile the winds to a heart in port; done with the compass, done with the chart! Rowing in Eden, ah, the sea; might I but moor, tonight, in thee." I decided to be moored, despite the disruptive night.

The next morning, I opened the blinds to still, quiet Beauty. The mountain was still; the sky resolutely clear. Only a slight morning breeze stirred the tangerines still on the tree. The oranges were vibrant, the pomelo's and grapefruits had just a blush of green. The grass held scattered brown, yellow, and red leaves as a reminder of late fall. I thought, "Maybe this is indeed Eden, and we only get a glimpse of it, outside the veil." This time in meditation, just watching my breath, not controlling the breath in any kind of practice, just watching the breath, came the words of T.S. Eliot: "Teach us to care, and not to care, teach us to sit still."

We can't ignore the struggles of the world, looming catastrophes, or human suffering. Yet, we are also here to take in those moments of Eden. Our task is to find our place, and contribute our share of Good. Meditation, in all its various forms, can clarify our day to day actual path. Every morning, Life comes rushing in. Every day is new event. This week, with Hanukkah beginning this Sunday and Christmas on it's way, is a natural time to give yourself the gift of a"re-set"in stillness. (Susan Nettleton).

for more poetry: https://optimisticbeacon.com/2025/08/03/sound-of-stillness-basho-cicadas-cry/ https://www.yogawithsusana.com/post/today-by-mary-oliver https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/L/LevertovDeni/OfBeing/index.html

Sweetness

Sometimes in meditation, when my mind is quiet and on the cusp of true silence, a word pops into my head and then dissolves. This past week, I had such meditation, and the word, "Sweetness" floated by, slow enough for me to note it. It's not really a word I use very much, even in December when kitchens are churning sweet holiday treats. I mulled it over a bit, and even wrote it down after the meditation. For a few days, I'd been nursing a small, annoying cut on my cuticle with antibiotic ointment. It wasn't healing. So I sprinkled a bit sugar on the cut, and by afternoon, it was healed. Sometimes, just a sprinkling of sweetness is healing. My meditation went deeper though. than a cut cuticle. It raised the question: Is it possible, even in these unfathomable times of change, to consider a larger sweetness to life? What followed, was one of my favorite quotes from Franz Kafka:

“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”

Kafka may seem a strange choice for a spiritual reflection on sweetness, but the quote points to the world's joy at your discovery of the World. There is a World of Greater Reality, hidden inside the world of society and culture. Equally, you can reverse the order of this; turn it "inside out", and see that we commonly talk about "world", really meaning the human concept of world, inside a Vast Mystery of World--the Cosmic Order, the World of Greater Reality.

Consider just the concept of yourself as a living, individual body. There is the outward body, enclosed and covered by skin and hair, but that is far from all that is there. "Inside" are more layers of skin, fat, and muscle. Then we have bones, and blood vessels, and life-generating organs. Within those, are phenomenal processes of exchange, connections, circuitry, chemical reactions, and other essential life forms--our microorganisms, "bodies" within "the body". Then again, look to the world "outside' the perimeter of what we name our body. Consider the exchange of breath with one another, and with the complimentary systems of nature, and carbon dioxide/oxygen exchange. Consider our dependency on water, and food, and the elements that are necessary for living. Consider our dependency --at some time or another--on other humans, as well as other creatures.

This is the Sweetness, this wondrous exchange and balance. It can be overwhelming to contemplate its intricacies; it's a lot easier to just think of the world as people, culture and society--what we approve of, or disapprove of--when the World is so much more. Yet, Kafka presents us a World that freely offers to unmask itself. Not only is it willing, it is sweetly excited, even ecstatic, to open to you. As Larry Morris wrote, "What do we really want at this time of the year— beyond the gifts, the lights, the music, the celebrations— but to feel God's sweetness and fire in every cell of our being." The fire is the energy that moves Life along; the sweetness, is the Love the World is freely offering. Why not accept the sweet gift? (Susan Nettleton)

Poetry: https://wordsfortheyear.com/2014/02/11/the-sweetness-of-dogs/ https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45530/most-sweet-it-is https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50537/love-and-friendship https://poets.org/poem/just-say

All is Well

As November fades into the often frenetic energy of December, this is a good week to bring this passing month of gratitude to a simple (on the surface, at least) contemplation: All is Well. I know, we all know, from a purely human-social-political-news perspective, all is not well. From a deeper, spiritual perspective though of the Wholeness of Life, consider Life as an Ultimate Expression of Good, of Love, of Well-being. Last week, while getting ready for Thanksgiving, I was rummaging through my refrigerator's freezer compartment, and not finding what I wanted, I slammed the door shut, accidentally knocking off a refrigerator magnet. It actually hit me on the head, then fell to the floor. It's an a old magnet from Unity Village Prayer Ministry. They sent it to me years ago, in thanks for a donation. This is it:

As I picked it up, I took it as one of my kitchen realizations, a reminder. It's time to settle inside and give way to the larger reality of Life, "No matter the circumstances, all is well." I pause here momentarily, to qualify the world "soul". To me, that simply means the spiritual mystery of my individual expression of life. How "soul" relates to life and death, rebirth, resurrection, or absorption, remains a mystery. But whatever the actual expression, God is Good, Life is Good, All is Well. My reflection on the magnet, inevitably lead me back to one of my favorite passages of T.S. Eliot's poetry.

“Quick now, here, now, always A condition of complete simplicity 
(Costing not less than everything) 
 And all shall be well and 
All manner of thing shall be well 
When the tongues of flame are in-folded 
Into the crowned knot of fire And the fire and the rose are one.” 


― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

The middle lines on "all shall be well' are actually woven into the poem from the writings of Julian of Norwich (14th century). She was a Christian mystic who withdrew from the life of society to live in a monastic cell. She spoke and wrote as a spiritual visionary and poet, during the bleak years of Black Plague. The assurance that all shall be well, came from a visionary exchange with Jesus. She wrote, "Jesus answered with these words, saying: 'All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.' ... This was said so tenderly, without blame of any kind toward me or anybody else." {Wikipedia, As Victor Perton, founder of the Australian Centre for Optimism, wrote: "Julian’s radical optimism, forged in an era of immense suffering, offers a profound framework for navigating the complex challenges of 2025. She reminds us that optimism is not denial. It is courage. And it endures."

All is well now, and all shall be well in the ongoing process of Life. Sometimes we can grasp that in the moment, when our attention is focused--not on the past and not on the future--but when we are aware, attending to the moment, aware of Its Goodness, Its Beauty, and the Sweetness of Life. In the limitations of humanhood, we don't stay in that moment. Yet, we can choose to affirm it, and in affirming it, we deepen our understanding. Let it lead you into a lovely December. (Susan Nettleton)

For more poetry: https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/T/Tukaram/Thouartmorek/index.html

https://wordsfortheyear.com/2020/04/25/gift-by-czeslaw-milosz/

https://www.sharonsinger.ca/poem-of-the-week/blog-post-title-one-knf44-kcyss-reltd-4pkyg-6byx3-blgjt-m6yet-mtetc-sdexz-a4pcl-w797w-bgsfz-mzsrh