The document discusses the healing power of poetry through summaries of addresses given at the Sydney Unitarian Church. It outlines how [1] words have power and can heal or harm, [2] poetry is a potent form of "literature of power" that can penetrate the unconscious mind, and [3] poetry can help people gain insight and self-knowledge, access deeper frames of reference, and assist with faith journeys - all of which can have therapeutic benefits. Excerpts from well-known poems are provided as examples.
Harmony: The joy of 'unity in diversity' beyond apparent duality Divyanshi Chugh
This is the output of a year-long yoga-based research project on Harmony. It consists a literature review from the works of an Indian yogi and psychologist, Sri Aurobindo, as well as the findings from a deep personal inquiry on "harmony" within oneself.
Harmony: The joy of 'unity in diversity' beyond apparent duality Divyanshi Chugh
This is the output of a year-long yoga-based research project on Harmony. It consists a literature review from the works of an Indian yogi and psychologist, Sri Aurobindo, as well as the findings from a deep personal inquiry on "harmony" within oneself.
An overview of the positive role of anxiety, and how the work of modern European philosophers can inform a unique approach to helping people face up to, and therefore work through, their fear of fear
An introductory interpretation of Carl Jung as Mircea Eliade's shaman. Building from C. Michael Smith's book Jung and Shamanism: In Dialogue, I also interpreted other elements I learned about Jung and his life that connect to shamanism. In this presentation, I learned that shamanism connects a lot to Jung's analytical psychology, and Jung's own role was shamanic.
What is Healing: At What Level of Human Existence Does Healing Begin?David Grinstead, MA
At what level of human existence does healing begin? "There is no sharp line of line of demarcation between the religious, spiritual, emotional, and physical—between the body and the psyche." (Morton Kelsey, Healing and Christianity, 232)
This is the presentation about a very renowned poem 'Invictus' written by William Ernest Henly, an English port from late-Victorian era.
This presentation represents the complete meaning of the poem and the circumstances in which the poem was written.
This poem is about the unconquered soul and has gained popularity by recitation by many well known persons like Nelson Mandela, Morgan Freeman, Daniel Gallagher, etc. and movie named 'Invictus' was also released on 2009 as well there is also a band with the same name.
An overview of the positive role of anxiety, and how the work of modern European philosophers can inform a unique approach to helping people face up to, and therefore work through, their fear of fear
An introductory interpretation of Carl Jung as Mircea Eliade's shaman. Building from C. Michael Smith's book Jung and Shamanism: In Dialogue, I also interpreted other elements I learned about Jung and his life that connect to shamanism. In this presentation, I learned that shamanism connects a lot to Jung's analytical psychology, and Jung's own role was shamanic.
What is Healing: At What Level of Human Existence Does Healing Begin?David Grinstead, MA
At what level of human existence does healing begin? "There is no sharp line of line of demarcation between the religious, spiritual, emotional, and physical—between the body and the psyche." (Morton Kelsey, Healing and Christianity, 232)
This is the presentation about a very renowned poem 'Invictus' written by William Ernest Henly, an English port from late-Victorian era.
This presentation represents the complete meaning of the poem and the circumstances in which the poem was written.
This poem is about the unconquered soul and has gained popularity by recitation by many well known persons like Nelson Mandela, Morgan Freeman, Daniel Gallagher, etc. and movie named 'Invictus' was also released on 2009 as well there is also a band with the same name.
Blind Willie Johnson--Poet of Destitute TimesThe line, Gesa.docxAASTHA76
Blind Willie Johnson--Poet of Destitute Times
The line, “Gesang ist Dasein,” implies that song is what it is to be. Poets think “of the Being of beings. Nature, as the venture. Every being is ventured in a venture” (WPF 132). In other words, poetic language engenders a turn toward the open, toward death and pain. Recall the line, “Fürchtet euch nicht zu leiden,” reminding us that suffering is a monumentally important experience. After all,
Und so drängen wir uns und wollen es leisten,
wollens enthalten in unsern einfachen Händen,
im überfüllteren Blick und im sprachlosen Herzen.
Wollen es warden.—Wem es geben? Am liebsten
alles behalten für immer…Ach, in den andern Bezug,
wehe, was nimmt man hinüber? Nicht das Anschaun, das hier
langsam erlernte, und kein hier Ereignetes. Keins.
Also die Schmerzen. Also vor allem das Schwersein,
also der Liebe lange Erfahrung,—also
lauter Unsägliches. Aber später,
unter den Sternen, was solls: die und besser unsäglich.
Bringt doch der Wanderer auch vom Hange des Bergrands
nicht eine Hand voll Erde ins Tal, die Allen unsägliche, sondern
ein erworbenes Wort, reines, den gelben un blaun
Enzian. Sind wir vielleicht hier, um zu sagen: Haus,
Brücke, Brunnen, Tor, Krug, Obstbaum, Fenster,— (DE IX).
It is not some aspect of material gain, not “dieser voreilige Vorteil,” but the essential nature of truly existing. Being there, in unshielded presence, in the world. Though, partially, this passage urges a full embrace of the totality of existence, or better, of Being, this is but one of several salient aspects. Firstly, the world beckons in a way; toward being at one with the world, toward saying and experiencing Being itself. In one sense, this has to do with what Heidegger has called to “acknowledge the positive as what is already before us and present” (WPF 123). It is “to turn unshieldedness into the Open,” which means, “to ‘affirm’ unshieldedness within the widest orbit” (WPF 122). Both Heidegger and Rilke urge us to find in the widest orbit everything, including, of course, pleasure and love, but also and perhaps more importantly, pain and death.
Secondly, there is a kind of inner space, an interiority, that “is beyond the arithmetic of calculation, and, free of such boundaries,” and “can overflow into the unbounded whole of the Open” (WPF 125). The location of this space, for Rilke, is the heart. Heidegger’s analysis is helpful: “The widest orbit of beings becomes present in the heart’s inner space…the world’s whole presence is in the widest sense ‘worldly existence.’ That is another name for the Open” (WPF 125). Recall, however, the above-quoted line from the ninth Duino Elegy, in which Rilke refers to our sprachlosen Herzen. Within the heart’s inner space, experience takes reign: “Also die Schmerzen. Also vor allem das Schwersein, also der Liebe lange Erfahrung,—also lauter Unsägliches” (DE IX). In this space, certain central aspects of experience are unsayable or speechless. But the poet’s tas ...
Hymns to the NightNovalis (1772 – 1801) was a poet, mystic, an.docxwilcockiris
Hymns to the Night
Novalis (1772 – 1801) was a poet, mystic, and philosopher. He was influenced by German Idealism, especially the philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and became one of the great poets of German Romanticism.
He developed the spiritual symbol of the Blue Flower, an integral part of his ‘religion of love.’ Appearing for the first time in his unfinished novel, Henry von Ofterdingen, the Blue Flower represents man’s longing for heaven.
His first major work, Hymns to the Night, was written upon the death of his beloved fiancee Sophie, who died of tuberculosis when she was fifteen years old.
HYMNS TO THE NIGHT (translated by George MacDonald)
I.
Before all the wondrous shows of the widespread space around him, what living, sentient thing loves not the all-joyous light, with its colors, its rays and undulations, its gentle omnipresence in the form of the wakening Day? The giant-world of the unresting constellations inhales it as the innermost soul of life, and floats dancing in its azure flood; the sparkling, ever-tranquil stone, the thoughtful, imbibing plant, and the wild, burning multiform beast inhales it; but more than all, the lordly stranger with the sense-filled eyes, the swaying walk, and the sweetly closed, melodious lips. Like a king over earthly nature, it rouses every force to countless transformations, binds and unbinds innumerable alliances, hangs its heavenly form around every earthly substance. Its presence alone reveals the marvelous splendor of the kingdoms of the world.
Aside I turn to the holy, unspeakable, mysterious Night. Afar lies the world, sunk in a deep grave; waste and lonely is its place. In the chords of the bosom blows a deep sadness. I am ready to sink away in drops of dew, and mingle with the ashes.-- The distances of memory, the wishes of youth, the dreams of childhood, the brief joys and vain hopes of a whole long life, arise in gray garments, like an evening vapor after the sunset. In other regions the light has pitched its joyous tents. What if it should never return to its children, who wait for it with the faith of innocence?
What springs up all at once so sweetly boding in my heart, and stills the soft air of sadness? Dost thou also take a pleasure in us, dark Night? What holdest thou under thy mantle, that with hidden power affects my soul? Precious balm drips from thy hand out of its bundle of poppies. Thou upliftest the heavy-laden wings of the soul. Darkly and inexpressibly are we moved: joy-startled, I see a grave face that, tender and worshipful, inclines toward me, and, amid manifold entangled locks, reveals the youthful loveliness of the Mother. How poor and childish a thing seems to me now the Light! how joyous and welcome the departure of the day!-- Didst thou not only therefore, because the Night turns away from thee thy servants, you now strew in the gulfs of space those flashing globes, to proclaim, in seasons of thy absence, thy omnipotence, and thy return?
More heaven.
The writer has endeavored to present a plain
record of some of those who have learned how easy
it is to forget the brown earth while they look at
the blue sky; who, by the simple means at the
command of every one, not only win victory for
themselves but bring brightness into the lives of
others; who are proving daily that man is able to
walk with head erect, eyes facing the hight, and heart
turned toward God.
Based on Edgar Allen Poe's "Philosophy of Composition" where he describes the process by which he composed "The Raven." There is also an overview of poetic devices.
All’interno di un percorso di innovazione didattica le classi 5 Bc e 5Cc, coordinate dalle insegnanti Casalboni, Gasperini e Donini, hanno progettato una presentazione multimediale che parte dallo studio delle incisioni del poeta William Blake (1757- 1827) ed arriva alla produzione poetica realizzata autonomamente da ogni singolo allievo. Gli studenti hanno preso spunto dal concetto di Illuminated Printing ideata dal suddetto poeta inglese. Il progetto ha implicato competenze trasversali, tecniche e linguistiche in particolare, e ha contribuito a far emergere la vena creativa degli studenti.
THE PHOENIX ISLANDS REPUBLIC OF KIRIBATI: AN ANNOTATED AND ILLUSTRATED CHRONO...Dr Ian Ellis-Jones
An historical and descriptive chronological history of the Phoenix Islands, Republic of Kiribati, with annotations and photographs (5th edn). The first to fourth editions were published sub titulo The Phoenix Islands: An Annotated Chronology.
A RATIONAL FAITH: HUMANISM, ENLIGHTENMENT IDEALS, AND UNITARIANISM Dr Ian Ellis-Jones
An Address Delivered at State Parliament House, Sydney New South Wales, on 20 June 2014, at World Humanist Day 2014 Australia---Symposium---‘Enlightenment: The Roots of Humanism’. Copyright 2014 Ian Ellis-Jones. All rights reserved.
Letter dated 4 January 1994 from Ian David Ellis-Jones of Turramurra NSW Australia to the Editor of TIME (Australia) Magazine, with Letter of Reply dated 2 February 1994 from Patrick Smith, Editorial Offices, Time Inc, New York, New York, USA. Letter from Ian David Ellis-Jones Copyright 1994 Ian Ellis-Jones. All Rights Reserved.
An Address Delivered at the Spirit of Life Unitarian Fellowship, Kirribilli, New South Wales, Australia, on Sunday, 2 June 2013. Copyright 2013 Ian Ellis-Jones. All Rights Reserved.
An Address to the Sydney Realist Group (‘Sydney Realists’), Sydney, NSW, Australia, on 7 May 2013. Copyright 2013 Ian Ellis-Jones. All Rights Reserved. Published (in three parts) in the journal The Northern Line, No. 15 March 2014 (pp 13-16), No. 16 May 2014 (pp 10-15), and No. 17 July 2014 (pp 9-13). Note: see also the author’s related paper entitled ‘Andersonian Realism and Buddhist Empiricism’, published in the journal The Northern Line, No. 13 October 2012 (pp 2–13), as well as in the journal The Sydney Realist, No. 25 March 2013 (pp. 6–15), and the author’s paper entitled 'John Anderson: Philosopher and Controversialist Extraordinaire'. (The papers are available on SlideShare.)
An Address Delivered at the Spirit of Life Unitarian Fellowship, Kirribilli, New South Wales, on Sunday, 28 April 2013. Copyright Ian Ellis-Jones 2013.
THE GREAT LEAP BACKWARDS: RETROSPECTIVE APPROVALS, CONSENTS AND CERTIFICATES ...Dr Ian Ellis-Jones
A Paper Presented at the Inaugural Property and Planning Law Conference of The Commercial Law Association of Australia Limited, Sydney NSW, 1 March 2013. Copyright 2013 Ian Ellis-Jones. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication does not constitute legal advice of any kind. The author Ian Ellis-Jones does not guarantee or warrant the current accuracy, legal correctness or up-to-dateness of the information contained in the publication.
An Address Delivered at the Spirit of Life Unitarian Fellowship,
Kirribilli, New South Wales, on Sunday, 24 February 2013. Copyright Ian Ellis-Jones 2013. All Rights Reserved.
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way.pptxCelso Napoleon
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way
SBs – Sunday Bible School
Adult Bible Lessons 2nd quarter 2024 CPAD
MAGAZINE: THE CAREER THAT IS PROPOSED TO US: The Path of Salvation, Holiness and Perseverance to Reach Heaven
Commentator: Pastor Osiel Gomes
Presentation: Missionary Celso Napoleon
Renewed in Grace
The PBHP DYC ~ Reflections on The Dhamma (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma Reflections for the PBHP DYC for the years 1993 – 2012. To motivate and inspire DYC members to keep on practicing the Dhamma and to do the meritorious deed of Dhammaduta work.
The texts are in English.
For the Video with audio narration, comments and texts in English, please check out the Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF2g_43NEa0
What Should be the Christian View of Anime?Joe Muraguri
We will learn what Anime is and see what a Christian should consider before watching anime movies? We will also learn a little bit of Shintoism religion and hentai (the craze of internet pornography today).
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
The Chakra System in our body - A Portal to Interdimensional Consciousness.pptxBharat Technology
each chakra is studied in greater detail, several steps have been included to
strengthen your personal intention to open each chakra more fully. These are designed
to draw forth the highest benefit for your spiritual growth.
Exploring the Mindfulness Understanding Its Benefits.pptxMartaLoveguard
Slide 1: Title: Exploring the Mindfulness: Understanding Its Benefits
Slide 2: Introduction to Mindfulness
Mindfulness, defined as the conscious, non-judgmental observation of the present moment, has deep roots in Buddhist meditation practice but has gained significant popularity in the Western world in recent years. In today's society, filled with distractions and constant stimuli, mindfulness offers a valuable tool for regaining inner peace and reconnecting with our true selves. By cultivating mindfulness, we can develop a heightened awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, leading to a greater sense of clarity and presence in our daily lives.
Slide 3: Benefits of Mindfulness for Mental Well-being
Practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress and anxiety levels, improving overall quality of life.
Mindfulness increases awareness of our emotions and teaches us to manage them better, leading to improved mood.
Regular mindfulness practice can improve our ability to concentrate and focus our attention on the present moment.
Slide 4: Benefits of Mindfulness for Physical Health
Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can contribute to lowering blood pressure, which is beneficial for heart health.
Regular meditation and mindfulness practice can strengthen the immune system, aiding the body in fighting infections.
Mindfulness may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity by reducing stress and improving overall lifestyle habits.
Slide 5: Impact of Mindfulness on Relationships
Mindfulness can help us better understand others and improve communication, leading to healthier relationships.
By focusing on the present moment and being fully attentive, mindfulness helps build stronger and more authentic connections with others.
Mindfulness teaches us how to be present for others in difficult times, leading to increased compassion and understanding.
Slide 6: Mindfulness Techniques and Practices
Focusing on the breath and mindful breathing can be a simple way to enter a state of mindfulness.
Body scan meditation involves focusing on different parts of the body, paying attention to any sensations and feelings.
Practicing mindful walking and eating involves consciously focusing on each step or bite, with full attention to sensory experiences.
Slide 7: Incorporating Mindfulness into Daily Life
You can practice mindfulness in everyday activities such as washing dishes or taking a walk in the park.
Adding mindfulness practice to daily routines can help increase awareness and presence.
Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our needs and better manage our time, leading to balance and harmony in life.
Slide 8: Summary: Embracing Mindfulness for Full Living
Mindfulness can bring numerous benefits for physical and mental health.
Regular mindfulness practice can help achieve a fuller and more satisfying life.
Mindfulness has the power to change our perspective and way of perceiving the world, leading to deeper se
HANUMAN STORIES: TIMELESS TEACHINGS FOR TODAY’S WORLDLearnyoga
Hanuman Stories: Timeless Teachings for Today’s World" delves into the inspiring tales of Hanuman, highlighting lessons of devotion, strength, and selfless service that resonate in modern life. These stories illustrate how Hanuman's unwavering faith and courage can guide us through challenges and foster resilience. Through these timeless narratives, readers can find profound wisdom to apply in their daily lives.
1. THE HEALING POWER OF POETRY
SALIENT POINTS AND EXCERPTS FROM ADDRESSES DELIVERED AT
THE SYDNEY UNITARIAN CHURCH ON 14 OCTOBER 2007 AND 4 NOVEMBER 2007
By The Rev Dr Ian Ellis-Jones
Minister, Sydney Unitarian Church
The Power of words
Words have power. They go forth as a vibratory force that can be felt through the whole
body of the person who speaks or hears them.
The power of the written or spoken word can change lives. Yes, words, whether uttered
or unexpressed, can heal, and they can also make us sick.
There is hope in words - a hope about the ability to communicate something important
and powerful, a hope about the essential state of being and the potentiality for change,
healing and renewal. Hope drives us to want things, and with “want power” change
occurs, and often at a very deep and sustained level.
Types of literature
Thomas de Quincy (one of the most important nonfictional prose writers of the early
19th cent) wrote that there are basically 2 types of literature, namely, literature of
information, and literature of power.
Literature of power
Literature of power is literature that moves a person. Pythagoras referred to this type of
literature as possessing an energy that could, under certain conditions, enter into the life
of an individual with a transforming effect.
2. 2
Joy Mills (From Inner to Outer Transformation, 1996) writes that in order for literature of
power to achieve its purpose, we must recognize that true understanding, true wisdom -
and, I would add, true healing – comes from within us, and has to be awakened.
Literature of power has a “secret” and very personal language all of its own and can
bring our minds to a condition of interior silence in which we become receptive and open
to healing, and which can help us to see things as they really are.
The nature of poetry
William Hazlitt, the English writer remembered for his humanistic essays and literary
criticism, wrote that the person “who has a contempt for poetry cannot have much
respect for himself or anything else.”
Poetry, which Voltaire described as “the music of the soul”, is a particularly potent form
of literature of power. It is more potent than prose because it has a “dreamlike quality”
(Dr Smiley Blanton, The Healing Power of Poetry, 1960) that can penetrate the
unconscious mind and convey thoughts and feelings to the reader/listener on a different
channel, so to speak, than prose, and it can more easily arouse intense personal
emotion, and thus create a therapeutic “communion of feeling”.
The healing power of poetry
According to the psychiatrist Smiley Blanton poetry can be used as a “specific means
of therapy”, adding that the therapeutic value of a poem is enhanced when you have
made it your own, in a sense, by committing it to memory. What is sometimes referred to
as “muscular mystical poetry” (eg that of William Blake) can be especially powerful.
In what ways is poetry therapeutic?
First, according to Blanton, poetry can help people find that inner peace and serenity
which makes life worth living.
Secondly, poetry can, writes Blanton, help us to see ourselves as we really are, to see
the deeper, hidden self – our real personality. By means of poetry, we can self-
3. 3
knowledge and insight – which can, in and of itself, be a form of therapy as well as a
means to therapy.
Blanton quotes Robert Browning (“Paracelsus”): “…to know/Rather consists in opening
out a way/ Whence the imprisoned splendour may escape,/ Than in effecting entry for a
light/ Supposed to be without.” In other words, the “truth within” (Blanton) is the key to
solving our problems. Poetry can greatly assist us in making contact with that “inmost
centre in us all,/ Where truth abides in fullness” (Browning).
Also, writes Blanton, the insight into ourselves gained through poetry puts us in contact
with the material that is in our “deeper unconscious mind”, enabling us to go below the
superficial level of living. We thus acquire, and can then utilize, certain frames of
reference which are inherently healing.
Dr Norman Vincent Peale agrees. He writes that poetry is “a profound form of insight”
that is capable of reaching with searching and penetrating force into deeper
consciousness and answers the human need, “Oh, that someone would utter the
thoughts that would arise in me” (Alfred, Lord Tennyson).
Peale writes that poetry can, and often does, float inarticulate but profound thoughts to
the surface of the mind – in so doing, it can have definite curative effects. He writes of
poetry’s “heath-giving qualities to the mind and spirit”.
Further, poetry can bring about what Havelock Ellis referred to as “a complete psychic
change”, or “conversion” experience, in which the 2 psychic spheres (intellectual and
emotional), previously in more-or-less constant friction, active or passive, are suddenly
united in harmony.
Finally, poetry can also assist us on our faith journey throughout life, especially at times
when we are more-or-less otherwise nonfunctional during periods of heightened anxiety,
depression, grief and pain.
4. 4
The healing power of poetry in action
Matthew Arnold, in his nostalgic 19th century poem “Dover Beach”, expresses regret
that belief in the supernatural world is slowly slipping away. The sea of faith is
withdrawing like the ebbing tide. Here are some excerpts from that poem:
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
Yet, there is an answer, and many Unitarians have found it deep within themslevs. It is
beautifully expressed in the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley:
Out of the night that covers me
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud,
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
5. 5
Life is a journey, and we must summon the courage to meet whatever happens with a
resolute spirit. Here are some immortal words from Alfred, Lord Tennyson, from his
epic poem “Ulysses”:
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks;
The long day wanes; the slow moon climbs; the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends.
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
the sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;
It may be that we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are ---
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Sure, as night follows day, each day is a struggle. Our journey throughout life is a
struggle, and it will take the whole day long to get there, but there will be help along the
way, so we must never despair. So writes Christina Rossetti in her poem “Up-hill”:
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labor you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.
6. 6
The traditional Unitarian emphasis on “salvation by character” is well-articulated in this
delightful poem from Sir Henry Wotton entitled “Character of a Happy Life”:
How happy is he born and taught
That serveth not another's will;
Whose armour is his honest thought
And simple truth his utmost skill!
Whose passions not his masters are,
Whose soul is still prepared for death,
Not tied unto the world with care
Of public fame, or private breath;
Who envies none that chance doth raise
Or vice; Who never understood
How deepest wounds are given by praise;
Nor rules of state, but rules of good:
Who hath his life from rumours freed,
Whose conscience is his strong retreat;
Whose state can neither flatterers feed,
Nor ruin make accusers great;
Who God doth late and early pray
More of His grace than gifts to lend;
And entertains the harmless day
With a well-chosen book or friend;
This man is freed from servile bands
Of hope to rise, or fear to fall;
Lord of himself, though not of lands;
And having nothing, yet hath all.
So many of our troubles are the result of self-absorption, self-centredness and self-
obsession, Helping others helps to make life worthwhile. George Eliot, in her poem
“Making Life Worthwhile”, has written:
May every soul that touches mine ---
Be it the slightest contact ---
Get therefore some good;
Some little grace; one kindly thought;
One aspiration yet unfelt;
One bit of courage
For the darkening sky;
One gleam of faith
To brave the thickening ills of life;
One glimpse of brighter skies
Beyond the gathering mists ---
To make this life worthwhile
And heaven a surer heritage.
7. 7
And when it’s time to face or otherwise deal with death, this poem from Walter De La
Mare, entitled “Farewell”, seems particularly apt, especially for Unitarians, liberal
Christians and other freethinkers:
When I lie where shades of darkness
Shall no more assail mine eyes,
Nor the rain make lamentation
When the wind sighs;
How will fare the world whose wonder
Was the very proof of me?
Memory fades, must the remembered
Perishing be?
Oh, when this my dust surrenders
Hand, foot, lip, to dust again,
May these loved and loving faces
Please other men!
May the rusting harvest hedgerow
Still the Traveller's Joy entwine,
And as happy children gather
Posies once mine.
Look thy last on all things lovely,
Every hour. Let no night
Seal thy sense in deathly slumber
Till to delight
Thou have paid thy utmost blessing;
Since that all things thou wouldst praise
Beauty took from those who loved them
In other days.
May the One who some call God, Great Spirit, Love, Higher Power, and some do not
name at all, bless you and keep you. Amen.
-oo0oo-