Temet Nosce (Know Thyself)

This page exists as what used to be known as a "Commonplace Book" for the purpose of maintaining a log of the poetry and philosophy that inspires and propels much of my own thought and writing, and to share, with fellow sojourners, a collection of the beauty and wisdom of kindred souls throughout time. My hope is that we will collectively work towards the goal of a deep and sustaining self-knowledge that will, then, inspire and guide us to pursue beauty, peace and justice in our world.

“He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe



Tuesday, October 20, 2015

"Guiding Presence" Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, Choctaw

"How often have I lost my way? More times than I can remember. Even when I thought the path ahead was clear, when I felt confident in all that I believed, still I would discover I had been sleepwalking into confusion, wandering in places far from the direction I thought I had chosen. And that may be the problem: the idea that I choose my own destiny. I make choices, but I am not the only source of options. We all inhabit histories, long histories, complex and layered. Our lives are not straight lines, but ant-like trails of starts and stops, encounters unexpected, impacts undeserved, emotions moving like currents deep beneath the surface of appearance. The surprise is not that we may lose our way, or that other forces push us like the winds at sea, but that when we are confused there is a presence that can guide us, a love that can sustain us, a vision of light that parts the mists and shows us how to navigate to safer shores. How often has this holy friend found me when I most needed it? More times than I can remember. "

~ Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, Choctaw
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