Tuesday, December 18, 2018

---- Moments---- The Pacific Ocean


Close to  the beach the waves  pound the sand and toss me, but as I dive into the waters I enter a stillness in which I see the waves sparkle above me. As the light breaks through the surface, I'm awestruck by its power and beauty.  The living sea, the gentle light, the tranquility, and me, all are held in one grand order of simplicity.


It illustrates for me the great spiritual simplicity I find in just being! Its power unifies even in the midst of racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural diversity:
 " Let your communication be, Yea, Yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matt. 5:37)


It's fear that complicates everything by inflaming the human senses. But keep in mind a kick against a shell cannot hurt the pearl. Wisdom's strength lies in the clear reading and recognition of what is essential and immediately supplies constructive ideas.


Each idea clarifies and guides, never pushes or asserts pressure --in stillness it reveals--especially, how to assimilate the concept of the changeless Christ-nature within us, the practical truth of all that glorifies Life.


What grace, what wisdom will give me wings and make my life equal to a dove, that I may rest?


Is human life really like a meadow?  There the lush green grass wet from the morning dew bends its head and supports tender flowers and makes them grow--but oh under cover silently waits a serpent!  My feet look for another road to step away from the foe.


I love a solitary life, it includes the mountaintops, the streams that rush down into the valley and the dark woods, where I like to linger and listen to the owl,  and the golden-winged warbler, a delight to me, as all songs that come out of the throat of a little bird--they have sight of Heaven!


I prefer  their company then to those with deaf ears and cold hearts and blind minds--or bruised senses.



Don't ask me about love-- it changes by the minute, makes some blind to its radiance.
In some moments: I ask Intelligence, "What is it I need to see?"
No answer, but when a call comes requesting it, the answer also comes immediately!


A tranquil peace--brings comfort free from the sneers of pain!
Free from the tearing winds-- and I endure,
And smile---
So my thoughts continue to speak to me about deep  wounds and my injured heart!
Ah, I know not to speak about problems but to them!



When Gautama the Buddha sat under the Botree he made a great discovery: "Only
love goes from me and only love comes to me!'



From the shores there comes a western wind and awakes the flowers in the grassy meadow from dreaming and I--shed a tear.



It is impossible to define Love--as it is to define the infinite!   And above all it defines itself  and the universe. To understand it is to understand Life!



I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not really what I meant.--



So, I drew a circle and took you in!


I'm only one, but still, I am one.  I cannot do everything. But still, I'm always willing to do something, I do not refuse to do something that I can do!



The improvement of understanding is for two ends--first our own increase of knowledge; secondly to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others.


"Action is Eloquence!"  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and with all thy
getting , get understanding." 







"As a drop of water is one with the ocean, a ray of light one with the sun, so are God and man, Father and son, one in being. The Scripture reads: “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being.”


'So let your works lead your words.'

To live is to express yourself-- 




The elements and qualities of the ocean give substance, being to each wave and to every wave. No wave, in and of itself, shares its individual good with any other wave, but each wave, becauase of  its source and being is in the ocean, blesses every other wave.


This allness and oneness of universal Consciousness is a tremendious idea when once we grasp it. 


This allness and oneness stands for the law of reciprocal being.


Will you seek far off, or in the here and now?



I see you face to face.......

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Thanksgiving around the world-- to remember God's bounty throughout the year!

A poem of gratitude to commerate 
Thanksgiving around the world--
to remember God's bounty 
throughout the year!

String the pearls of His love, 
string the garlands of His flowers--
stretch them out,
step into the sunshine
and leave behind the dark-- 
thanks to joy, to love, to peace of mind! 
After all, “thanks” is an action-- 
a “thanks” with just your lips would be flat,
because the true Thanksgiving
comes from the heart.
Be grateful at the start of a day,
not just for that one day
but for each new morning that brings 
light, rest and shelter, 
food and health, and so much more.
There is always a time for gratitude,
and a new beginning-- 
you are alive in those moments
when your heart is aware of its treasure!  
Thanksgiving is the pleasure of peace,
the celebration of work and a simple life--
a mutual celebration that speaks the poetry
of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime
and harvest, and the deep, deep connection 
of all things true and good with God. 
If ever thankless and believing there is
nothing to be thankful for,
he who sits at the table, morose and thankless
for the food thereupon,
is as if he had no food. 
Nothing is your own,
except that which you acknowledge
in deep appreciation,
of which thankfulness is the greatest part!  
A truly thankful heart
hath a continual celebration of goodness--
this is the eternal food!  
LOVE has more than one dwelling;
one in heaven, i.e., in harmony,
and the other in a gracious and thankful heart. 
It takes a purer love to praise God
for those unrealized blessings
than for those you once enjoyed,
or those you have now. 
And though I have no silver and gold,
I'll move in thanks, like an ever-flowing river!
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of a life, 
it turns what we have into enough, 
and adds more and more, 
it turns rejection into receptivity,
confusion yielding to order,
uncertainty to clarity.  Gratitude
makes sense of our life and loving,
brings peace for today and creates
a vision of unity for tomorrow--
Even though we thank God for the grace
we ourselves have received, it should be as easy
to give thanks to God, and to give praise
for the blessings given to those who need it most. 
Our gratitude should never sleep!
Do we not have the sunshine in the morning,
and the moonbeam at night?

Eva-Maria Hogrefe
November 2018

A poem for thanksgiving around the world!


A SONG OF PRAISE


Remember God's bounty throughout the year!
String the pearls of His love, 
string the garlands of His flowers,
stretch them out,
step into the sunshine
and leave behind the dark! 
Thanks to joy, to love, to peace of mind! 
After all, “thanks” is an action, 
 a “thanks” with just your lips
 would  be flat,
because the true Thanksgiving
comes from the heart.
Be grateful at the start of a day
not just for that one day
but for each new morning
that brings light,
 rest and shelter,
food and health, and so much more.
Dear LOVE divine, Thy goodness provides,
and is universal, 
belonging to all ages--and to all minds.
There is always a time for gratitude,
and a new beginning, 
you are alive in those moments
when your heart is aware of its treasure!  
Thanksgiving is the pleasure of peace,
the celebration of work and a simple life--
a mutual celebration that speaks the poetry
of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime
and harvest, and the deep, deep connection 
of all things true and good with God. 
If ever thankless and believing there is
nothing to be thankful for,
 he who sits at the table, morose and thankless
for the food thereupon,
is as if he had no food. 
Nothing is your own,
except that which you acknowledge
in deep appreciation,
of which thankfulness is the greatest part!  
A truly thankful heart
hath a continual celebration of goodness,
this is the eternal food!  
LOVE has more than one dwelling;
one in heaven, i.e., in harmony,
and the other in a gracious and thankful heart. 
It takes a pure love to praise God
for those unrealized blessings
than for those you once enjoyed,
or those you have now. 
And though I have no silver and gold,
I'll move in thanks, like an ever-flowing river!
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of a life, 
it turns what we have into enough, 
and adds more and more, 
it turns rejection into receptivity,
confusion yielding to order,
uncertainty to clarity.  Gratitude
makes sense of our life and loving,
brings peace for today and creates
a vision of unity for tomorrow--
Even though we thank God for the grace
we ourselves have received, it should be as easy
to give thanks to God, and to give praise
for the blessings given to those who need it most. 
Our gratitude should never sleep!
Do we not have the sunshine in the morning,
and the moonbeam at night?

Eva-Maria Hogrefe
November 2018

Friday, November 16, 2018

" Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves:


...be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." (Matt. 10:16)
What is the wisdom of serpents? Hiding from danger. We need to be wise before we can be harmless to ourselves and others!

In ancient times there was king, who also was a spiritual guide and teacher, who required of his prospective student to tour the royal palace while carrying in the  palm of his hand an oil lamp filled to the brim with oil. To be accepted into the class, he had to observe minutely all details and report to the king every item in each palatial room without spilling one drop of oil from the lamp.

The meaning of the requirement was that the applicant had to recognize the importance to keep his attention on the Light, lest the oil of spiritual communion be spilled, while at the same time perform his duties in the world.

The teacher understood that the student couldn't divorce practical wisdom from spirituality.  That union enables us to be so discerning and practical that we cannot be fooled, and become harmless to ourselves and to others!
 

EvaMaria Hogrefe
2018

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Poise---

Repose--
The self-knowledge
Revealed in self-reflection
Advocates for me!
And as I am
Composed,
The moon leaps--
A solitary thought...
Is still.
The sound of falling leaves,
Waning autumn wind--
What voices are these?
Oh, the music of running streams!
Perhaps these are times of demons,
But I'm not disturbed --
Even so, some take my smiles
And give none back--
See how free my soul really is!
I am able to do
What needs to be done, and
Once done,
Carries me along--
You and I know what that is--
Open thought to the breeze
Of fresh autumn air!
Be with the stars,
Inspired--and so
Heaven... evening clear!


Eva Maria Hogrefe
2018

Rev 2019

Saturday, November 3, 2018

A dove---




A dove is born---

engulfed in light

Lifting high

Above fear and dispute

Into space---

My soul opened it's wings

Trying to fly

But a moment of a cold breeze

Freezes it into silence--

Oh fresh, shady, green hills!

Who can see so many different things?

Roses freshly picked at night---

Tears falling like rain from your eyes

Bring the roses back to life---

The moon is poised in the stillness!


Eva-Maria Hogrefe

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

What is and what is not!




Sea: "What are you taking about?"

Sky: "It's the eternal question."

Sea: "What's your answer?"

Sky: "It's the eternal silence."

Birds are flying low…

Sky: "I'll touch you, mighty Sea,

And thereby we start our

Wind-driven dance!"

In pouring rain

Stars are few---

Not sparkling but cold!


Gently speaks the Soul to us,

To point out what is suitable 

For living

And what is not.

But who'd have thought these things

So converge, looking at our heart

This way or that, here, there...

How rare justice is these days,

When some must take the blame

For other's faults!


2018



Tuesday, October 16, 2018

The closed hand


As in the schoolyard game,
He mocks
By his words,
"Guess what I have!"
Is this 
Just an attitude?
Or a devious inclination?
Alas, I go on wanting--
I'm quite unaware
What is happening
Til he shows
The closed hand--daring,
Provoking--
If it were loosened
I'd behold
Desire granted-- or so I
Think, and torment
Grows--it's surprising my hopes
Do not go up in flames!
I wonder if this
Illusion lasts?
I stare at the
Closed hand.
The evil one dictates the laugh--
Or weeps, screams, cries--
His nature erratic--
The hand opens...
Is empty!


2018


The Neapolitan Man




Love touched him,
The sea called--
And he threw himself 
With wide-open arms into
The wave and swam a mile.
And then he stood still in the 
Shallow, cold water 
Like a stature of strength.
What great force moved him!

2018

Who separated me from my friends

"...cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection." (Science and Health, p. 97)-----

What separates me from
My faithful friends?
All my thoughts make life
And its own proof of harmony
Denying error's verity.
I wander along the banks of a river,
Fresh-flowing, lively and deep.
Nothing is lost and I find
A place to rest.
Little songs arouse flowers!--
In the shady meadows and the dark forests,
Sky all stars. The finite gives place
To the infinite, on earth as in heaven---
Sets oneself right!

2018

Friday, September 28, 2018

A Hearing

If I could see
One day up close--
A tranquil peace, free
From frenzied speech,
What grace, what joy!
O will spread me wings--
And like a dove
I'll rise above
The mockery of those who speak
With tainted tongue—
Without restraint
As passions lead,
And faster than dark days
Retreat.

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Fear



Trouble is in our sight--

"The looms of crime, hidden in the dark
Recesses of mortal thought, are every hour
Weaving webs more complicated and subtle."

Tears come down like raindrops now,
The spiritual-minded cry,
"O Learn!--evil is not power!"
Can you hear Christ's voice
Echo above the flooded streams?
"For out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts,
Murders, adulteries, fornications, theft, false witness,
Blasphemies: They are the things which defile a man."
To follow wickedness in high places is our demise!
But we have God/Good as our fountain of Light!
And the divine Eternal illumines our path!
Moments flash by--
Lightening splits the night!
The God of grace is with us,
And helps us
And upholds us! And renews our strength
And we'll mount as eagles!
Fear not!
Because the I AM THAT I AM

Is with you!


Eva-Maria Hogrefe--September 2018

The literal guidance for my poem l found in 
the biblical passage in Matthew 15:19, and
in Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health: "Animal Magnetism 
Unmasked"--

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Dominion - definitive version

Dominion!


Within my mind the windows of meaning
Open wide--to the day I sought--
And I look out to see what Life has made!

Fish:  No useful idea too deep
          Or hidden for me to understand--

Fowl: No useful idea too lofty
          Or too high for me to understand--

Cattle: No useful idea as would carry
          An overbearing burden--

Creeping creatures: For me to see a useful idea unfold,
          No matter how long it may take--
                          
          As  I have been given the patience
          And the strength to remain
          Steadfast in expecting good!
          If this is me--I AM grateful for an
                        Upright nature!

                        Who does not know the endless arguments
                        Between people?

                        Better is to do nothing contrary to ones'
                        Highest sense of good!
                        
                        I will be ready for the winds,
                        They will blow--merciless!
                        
                        From the sea comes a mighty rain
                        And washes the earth clean

                        Of the dust 
                        And soaks the dry, thirsty ground!

                        The herb-bearing seeds grow
                        And grow-- fruit as the flowers

                        And as the trees--Behold! -- 
                        As they cover the face of the earth!

                        How pleasant 
                        And satisfying to my sight!

                        Is that just my poetic nature
                        Speaking?


                 
                   Inspired by the Bible, Genesis 1:26-31

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Friendship


What is it?

A spiritual impulse?

A law of attraction?

An expectancy of fulfillment through someone else?

As we journey along the shores of time

We sigh and rest,

"Besides the still waters," and

Become friends

to ourselves!

"In water face answereth to face,"

See yourself--

The full moon and its gentle light

Is within you!

You smile and see the flowers

Blooming--at the same moment

Your wishes weave into a gown,

And you meet a friend!

You can never be alone again,

Because you're now a friend to the whole of mankind.

What are you giving? Grace and

Love and Peace

And you, dear friend?

Your words are running like a deep river

And  I listen--

All carrying the current of momentum

That a solid friendship is!

Let bonding have a chance

And grow on the tree of our innermost self!

Friendship is a great universal force,

It means to invest your love where there is no prejudice!

The inner space takes on the shape and

Contour and color of your thoughts--

Always check your heart,

Silver does not kow it is silver

Until it changes into a gem.

Your friendship does not know its greatness

Until knows its helplessness.

Don't be zealous for too much.

Express the freedom of spiritual equality!

The winds and thunder clean the air.

We are together again in the light of a candle--

Flickering.

Unless we are united with all of God's creatures

Through a spirit of friendliness,

We'll not  be aware of our unity with Good, i.e. God---

A kind loving friendship should exist

In all relationships; between parent and child,

And huband and wife, between man and woman.

Do we hear the call ''love each other?"

There are many different kinds of knowing,

Many layers of learning--but all we need is the Now--

The awareness of intelligence and goodness

Of the great artistry of Life's existence!

Because I love, my heart is happy,

Thus I'm not bored, goodness wells up like a spring

And leads me to a simpler way of living.

The candlelight is now blending with a sunbeam,

A new day started and also a new opportunity!

Thanks to God!--A blade of grass bending in the breeze, and

We bow to each other by the virtue of a gentle touch.

Birds sing melodiously in the distant woods,

And we likewise enjoy our togetherness!



Eva-Maria Hogrefe -- August 2018