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