Light & Love

Soul Cafe

Light & Love

“Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space.  It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe.  It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished.”

~Author Unknown

“Light is good from whatever lamp it shines.”

-Abdu'l-Baha

“The sun, a radiant orb, emanating light and warmth. A luminous king who rules the day, shining a blinding light at noon, and a soft glow at sunset, blistering heat in July and a welcome, comforting warmth in January. It is the most consistent element in the world, appearing each day in the east, where it begins its daily march across the sky to set in the west - a symbol of God's benevolence.”

~Author Unknown

“…. just as the solar cycle has its four seasons, the cycle of the Sun of Reality has its distinct and successive periods. Each brings its vernal season or springtime. When the Sun of Reality returns to quicken the world of mankind a divine bounty descends from the heaven of generosity. The realm of thoughts and ideals is set in motion and blessed with new life. Minds are developed, hopes brighten, aspirations become spiritual, the virtues of the human world appear with freshened power of growth and the image and likeness of God become visible in man. It is the springtime of the inner world. After the spring, summer comes with its fullness and fruitage spiritual!”

-Abdu'l-Baha

“A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home.” 

~Author Unknown

“Like the sun we cannot gaze directly into it, for this would blind us. Yet we can sense its presence, as the spiritual source of our lives and of all creation. It is a power that transcends all limitations, all definitions, all actions, feelings, and thoughts.”

~Author Unknown

“The sun is the life-giver to the physical bodies of all creatures upon earth; without its warmth their growth would be stunted, their development would be arrested, they would decay and die. Even so do the souls of men need the Sun of Truth to shed its rays upon their souls, to develop them, to educate and encourage them. As the sun is to the body of a man so is the Sun of Truth to his soul.”

-Abdu'l-Baha

“A man may have attained to a high degree of material progress, but without the light of truth his soul is stunted and starved. Another man may have no material gifts, may be at the bottom of the social ladder, but, having received the warmth of the Sun of Truth his soul is great and his spiritual understanding is enlightened.”

-Abdu'l-Baha

“He that has light within his own clear breast
May sit in the centre, and enjoy bright day:
But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts
Benighted walks under the mid-day sun;
Himself his own dungeon.”

~John Milton

“…the rays of the sun must shine upon the earth, and the solar heat develop the earthly beings; if the rays and heat of the sun did not shine upon the earth, the earth would be uninhabited, without meaning; and its development would be retarded. In the same way, if the perfections of the spirit did not appear in this world, this world would be unenlightened and absolutely brutal. By the appearance of the spirit in the physical form, this world is enlightened. As the spirit of man is the cause of the life of the body, so the world is in the condition of the body, and man is in the condition of the spirit. If there were no man, the perfections of the spirit would not appear, and the light of the mind would not be resplendent in this world. This world would be like a body without a soul.”

-Abdu'l-Baha

Reflections

1.     What does a soulful summer look like?

2.     What stops us from living a life filled with light & warmth?

3.     How do you know when a moment is sacred?

4.     How would you pursue your inner light?

5.     What is the most soulful gift you can give someone?

6.     Is cultivating love & light in the heart painful?

7.     When do we know we are living a life that sheds light & warmth in the world?