INVOCATION

by Clare Cameron

"Dear sweet presences

Who love to the uttermost,

Those about me clothed in flesh

And others clothed in Light

Attend my prayer.

To those in shadow

Of life’s delusions

And suffering inflicted on others,

Where tentacles reach out to bind –

Come, be there

Bring swords of Light.

Stir the dark waters

And free the cleansing streams.

We too need purification,

And darkness share.

Sweet presences,

Our eyes are clouded.

Shine your Light through them!

And at the appointed time

Instruct us to bear

The swords of Light

In the service of Love.

And where there was corruption

There shall be lilies

Stainless and fair

Because you were with us

There."

from the book "Hidden Beauty of the Commonplace: A Nature Mystic's Reflactions upon True Freedom" by Philip Pegler

 

A Rosicrucian Prayer

Lord from Thy hands cometh all good. All blessings and all benedictions come from Thy hand. With Thy fingers Thou hast written the character of Nature which none may read unless he be taught in Thy school. Therefore let us lift up our eyes to Thee, O Lord, even as servants look upon the hands of their mas­ter and as maids look upon the hands of their mistress, that Thou mayest help us.

O Lord our God, who should not praise Thee, who should not glorify Thee, the King of Glory! For all things come from Thee and hearken unto Thee, and must all return to Thee again, being received either in Thy love or Thy wrath. Nothing can escape Thee, all things must serve Thy honor and glory. Thou alone and none other art the Lord. Thou dost what Thou wilt with Thy mighty arm, nothing can escape Thee.

Thou alone dost help the humble, the meek and the poor, those who are devoted to Thee with all their heart, in their hour of need, those who humble themselves in the dust before Thee, to them Thou art gracious.

Who should not praise Thee, O Thou King of Glory; there is none like unto Thee, whose dwelling place is in heaven and in a troubled and virtuous holy heart. O Great God; Thou all in all! O Nature! thou everything from nothing, what more then shall I say? I am nothing in myself, I am everything in thee, and I live in thine everything from nothing: live Thou then in me, and so bring me unto the all in Thee. Amen.

— From “Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians of the 16^th and 17^th Centuries” 

by “A Brother of the Fraternity”

Desiderata

Latin for "desired things," a prose-poem by Max Ehrmann (1927) 

"Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

"Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

"Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

"Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

"Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

"Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

"Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

"And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy."

Conquering Ourselves

"As Rosicrucian students we are not out to conquer the world. We are here to conquer ourselves. As we conquer ourselves and strengthen our weaknesses we are helping to strengthen the links in the chain of life. We all know that we do help or hinder those about us by the attitude we take toward them and life. Let us strive to develop our inner faculties and spiritual natures that through Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Feeling and Right Action we may help not only those immediately about us but stimulate and create harmonious mutual understanding, friendly feeling and constructive co-operation among all our associates." 

- From A Way of Life for the Rosicrucian Student (1955) by One of the Brethren

Keeping it Real

I found this insightful article on the website of The Daily Om. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

___________________

Taking the Risk: Permission to Be Real by Madisyn Taylor

When we present ourselves to the world without a mask and keep it real, we offer the same opportunity for others to do the same.

Most of us are familiar with the idea of keeping it real and have an intuitive sense about what that means. People who keep it real don’t hide behind a mask to keep themselves safe from their fear of how they might be perceived. They don’t present a false self in order to appear more perfect, more powerful, or more independent. People who keep it real present themselves as they truly are, the good parts and the parts most of us would rather hide, sharing their full selves with the people who are lucky enough to know them.

Being real in this way is not an easy thing to do as we live in a culture that often shows us images of physical and material perfection. As a result, we all want to look younger, thinner, wealthier, and more successful. We are rewarded externally when we succeed at this masquerade, but people who are real remind us that, internally, we suffer. Whenever we feel that who we are is not enough and that we need to be bigger, better, or more exciting, we send a message to ourselves that we are not enough. Meanwhile, people who are not trying to be something more than they are walk into a room and bring a feeling of ease, humor, and warmth with them. They acknowledge their wrinkles and laugh at their personal eccentricities without putting themselves down.

People like this inspire us to let go of our own defenses and relax for a moment in the truth of who we really are. In their presence, we feel safe enough to take off our masks and experience the freedom of not hiding behind a barrier. Those of us who were lucky enough to have a parent who was able to keep it real may find it easier to be that way ourselves. The rest of us may have to work a little harder to let go of our pretenses and share the beauty and humor of our real selves. Our reward for taking such a risk is that as we do, we will attract and inspire others, giving them the permission to be real too.