Blessing For The Longest Night
Segen für die längste Nacht-von Jan Richardson
Während all dieser Monate
als die Schatten
länger geworden sind,
hat dieser Segen
sich gesammelt,
sich bereit gemacht,
bereitet sich auf
diese Nacht vor.
Er hat geübt
im Dunkeln zu laufen,
mit geschlossenen Augen
zu reisen,
seinen Weg zu ertasten
durch Erinnerung
durch Berührung
durch die Anziehungskraft des Mondes
auch wenn er abnimmt.
Glaub mir also
wenn ich dir sage
dieser Segen wird
dich erreichen,
auch wenn du
nicht genug Licht hast
um ihn zu sehen;
er wird dich finden,
auch wenn du ihn
nicht kommen siehst.
Du wirst
den Moment seiner
Ankunft erkennen
durch dein Loslassen
des Atems,
den du so lange
angehalten hast;
ein Lösen
der Verkrampfung
in deinen Händen,
der Umklammerung
um dein Herz;
eine Ausdünnung
der Dunkelheit
die sich um dich
gelegt hatte.
Dieser Segen
bedeutet nicht
die Nacht wegzunehmen .
aber er kennt
ihre verborgenen Wege,
kennt die Ruhestätten
entlang des Weges,
weiß, was es bedeutet
zu reisen
in der Gesellschaft
eines Freundes zu reisen.
Wenn also
dieser Segen kommt,
nimm ihn an der Hand.
Steh mal auf.
Mach dich auf den Weg
den du nicht sehen kannst.
Dies ist die Nacht
in der du darauf vertrauen kannst.
dass jede Richtung
in die du gehst,
der Morgendämmerung
entgegen geht.
Kernfragen zum Nachdenken: Was bedeutet es, die Ankunft eines Segens am Loslassen des Atems zu erkennen, den du so lange angehalten hast? Kannst du eine persönliche Geschichte von einer Zeit erzählen, in der du einen solchen Segen gespürt hast? Was hilft dir , dem Segen zu vertrauen, wenn er kommt, und dich auf einen unbekannten Weg zu machen?
by Jan Richardson, sourced from here.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does it mean to know the arrival of a blessing by your release of the breath you have held so long? Can you share a personal story of a time you have felt such a blessing? What helps you trust the blessing when it comes and set out on the road you cannot see?
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19 Past Reflections
On Dec 21, 2022 Rebecca_Booth wrote :
I love learning about darkness that's needed for us to seek knowledge we carry to the day ahead
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On Apr 29, 2021 Barbara wrote :
Beautiful, Blessings abound when one is awake to the gift of Nature.... Loving Life......Gratitude.....Leaning into the Light.
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On Apr 27, 2021 Robin wrote :
The poem and the prompts help me remember and connect with that feeling and fact and that is bountiful plentitude in itself.
The feeling is normally when I sit in meditation/prayer in front of a candle flame, in the dark. It is like a dark release in the heart. A weight that sinks deeper inside me. An openness in the darkness. Perhaps the simplest word is Peace. And Arrival. Arrival of a blessing into my heart.
I trust the sensation becuase it is the best feeling ever. And so if I'm going to trust something to follow, I choose that.
The feeling is normally when I sit in meditation/prayer in front of a candle flame, in the dark. It is like a dark release in the heart. A weight that sinks deeper inside me. An openness in the darkness. Perhaps the simplest word is Peace. And Arrival. Arrival of a blessing into my heart.
I trust the sensation becuase it is the best feeling ever. And so if I'm going to trust something to follow, I choose that.
2 replies: Me, Me | Post Your Reply
On Apr 27, 2021 Vinay Pandey wrote :
Gratefully acknowledge the blessings for the longest night by Jan Richardson. Simple in thought, lyrical in poetry, holding a promise of a better tomorrow.
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On Apr 27, 2021 Patrick wrote :
To breathe the breath of God first requires an emptying that we may draw in slowly and deeply to fill the space that is left. }:- a.m.
1 reply: Patrick | Post Your Reply
On Apr 27, 2021 Anilkumar Pandit wrote :
What's the best way to take the next step not being clear was resulting in procrastinations galore. Following meditation post'Shavaasan' getting a new solution and a clear way forward, was a wonderful blessing itself.
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On Apr 27, 2021 Sandy Weiner wrote :
thankyou, Jan! so much these days I feel the fear of the light. How in theworld did this happen? The fear to go forward for all is see is darkness. The darkness is turning into gray before me, a form of mist. It is not heavy. yet, I cannot see beyond it. Still, I see myself moving through it into the unknown somehow. I don't know where I will go or what I will do. I know that through the mist and onward I will will be nurturing nature-- whatever nature my light reaches. My nature as well.
I wonder what the world will look like when the mist disappears? Where will I be? Who will be with me? What will the sound of our laughter be like? ... the feeling of a warm embrace on meeting, parting, for no reason at all... without thought? I am ready. My heart is ready.
I wonder what the world will look like when the mist disappears? Where will I be? Who will be with me? What will the sound of our laughter be like? ... the feeling of a warm embrace on meeting, parting, for no reason at all... without thought? I am ready. My heart is ready.
1 reply: Do | Post Your Reply
On Apr 25, 2021 David Doane wrote :
A blessing is a gift. Living is a gift. Living is a blessing. Holding your breath is holding or hindering your living. Release of a breath you have held so long is a return to naturally breathing and living unhindered, which is the arrival of a blessing. When I am intensely involved in some activity, I notice that I sometimes tense and hold my breath, and when I release my breath, I release and breathe and begin to relax and return to the natural flow of me living. The release is relieving and reliving. What helps me is awareness, letting go of holding myself back and in, and allowing my breathing, my body and my self to functionwithout my interference.
1 reply: Breathe | Post Your Reply
On Apr 23, 2021 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
It is very tempting to hold on to whatis familiar though it may cause pain in our hands. Fear of the unfamiliar and the unknownkeeps us in the dark zone. In this beautiful poem Jan Richardson describes the blessings of passing through the longest night for awakening to see the light within. I have gone through this process of awakening by releasing the fear of traveling on the unfamiliarroad. Awakening from the comfortable but growth blocking sleep has not been always easy for me. My daily practice of meditation has helped me free myself from the clutches of fear of uncertainty. Darkness fades away as I am walking toward the dawn of awakening. What a blessing!
I have been blessed to experience such inner light in the darkest hours of my life. It happened to me in 1959 when I came from India to America. I had never been out of my country for 34 years. There was excitement mixed with fear. I did not know anybody when I landed in Chicago, a foreign country, a new country, a strange countr... [View Full Comment]