Thanksgiving ... and Sunsets in the Garden

By loving, forgiving, and serving, 

it is possible for your whole life to become one single vision 

of the sublime beauty of God.

~Hazrat Inayat Khan

Don't you just love that quote?! I get daily quotes and lessons sent to my email daily, called "Bowl of Saki" and so many are just incredibly thoughtful and beautiful. Thanksgiving seemed to be a perfect day to share a few of them.

These photos are from various evenings in my parents' cactus garden. (Ojai, California) For some reason, it's one of the most beautiful places to watch a sunset! Perhaps it's the grand sculptural shapes or the way the light reflects off the hills in that particular part of the valley, but I find myself often running outside to that garden when the sun is going down.

It is not the solid wood that can become a flute,

it is the empty reed.

~Hazrat Inayat Khan

 

the commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

It is not solid wood that can become a flute, but  the empty reed. It is the perfection of that passiveness in the heart of the messenger which gives scope for the message from above; for the messenger is the reed, the instrument. The difference between his life and the life of the average man is that the latter is full of self. It is the blessed soul whose heart is empty of self, who is filled with the light of God.

God is within you;

you are His instrument, 

and through you He expresses Himself 

to the external word.

~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

The words 'within oneself' might confuse some people. They might think 'within oneself' means inside one's body ... If man only knew how large, how wide, how deep, how high is his being, he would think, act and feel differently; but with all his width, depth, and height, if man is not conscious of them he is as small as thinks himself to be. The essence of milk is butter, the essence of the flower is honey, the essence of grapes is wine, and the essence of life is wisdom.

There are those who are like a lighted candle:

they can light other candles, 

but the other candles must be of wax-

if they are of steel,

they cannot be lighted.

~Hazrat Inayat Khan

It is a very high stage on the path of love

when a man really learns to love another

with a love that asks no return.

~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

Many blessings and much light to all of you.
Happy Thanksgiving dear friends!