Sophia's Children

Mechthild of Magdeburg on Walking the Talk

"If you love Jesus Christ more than you fear human judgment, then you will not only speak of compassion, but act with it. Compassion means seeing your friend and your enemy in equal need, and helping both equally. It demands that you seek and find the stranger, the broken, the prisoner, and comfort him and offer her your help. Herein lies the holy compassion of God that causes the devil much distress."

~ Mechthild of Magdeburg

[This quote was found on the web site of a rather unusual church community in the United Kingdom --Check out what they're about and how they view their Christian Mission with 'enlightened eyes of the heart'.  All Hallows.]

Hildegard & Veriditas

While doing a little research this morning, I came across a quote I had jotted down some time ago, from Hildegard von Bingen. Hildegard of Bingen was a 12th Century Christian mystic remembered for, among other things, her writings, music and artistic mandala-like paintings expressing "Veriditas" -- the greening of the soul through connection with the sacred in all things, most of all Nature. I'll share more on these topics later, but for now, the quote:

"We cannot live in a world that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not HOME. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light." ~ Hildegard von Bingen (1098 - 1179).

For more musings on Hildegard to inspire your own connections to and remembrance of Veriditas, see Terrence McKenna's work, and a lovely article by Santa Clara University Professor, Diane Dreher.

Until next time, may you live and dream of 'greening' through your connection to the Sacred in all things!

Love and blessings,
Jamie

A few good quotes...

A good quotation can become a sort of mantra or centering-point for a meditation ... or just the right 'medicine' for reminding us of something important at just the moment when we need reminding! Here are a few good quotations that came across my path recently:

** "Unkind criticism is never part of a meaningful critique of you. Its purpose is not to teach or to help, its purpose is to punish." ~ Barbara Sher

** "What you must dare is to be yourself." ~ Dag Hammarskjold

** "Wolves and wild women are a lot alike. Both are endangered species. Bot have been maligned, unappreciated and unwelcomed by the forces of civilization, both recognized as dangerous to the well-ordered dictates of patriarchy." ~ Sedonia Cahill

** "If you have ever been called defiant, incorrigible, forward, cunning, insurgent, unruly, rebellious, you're on the right track." ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

The last two are from note cards from Sacred Spiral Press. (I almost typed in 'note bards' ... perhaps a reminder in and of itself!)

Sincerely,
Jamie