Every once in a while I find all sorts of connections in my daily readings and spiritually-oriented resources. This happened shortly before Pentecost which is my favorite church feast, one that celebrates the gift of divine guidance. I first came across a quote of Mechthild of Magdeburg in The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, edited by Stephen Mitchell. (When I was in Leuven, Belgium many years ago, I visited the historical site of the Beguines, a community of unmarried and widowed women dedicated to prayer and the spiritual life. Mechthild was one of these women.)
“As the Source strikes the note, humanity sings—
The Holy Spirit is our harpist,
And all strings which are touched in Love
Must sound.”
This immediately connected me to the last verse of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem that I include in my morning prayer: “Let me carry your love in my life as a harp does its music, and give it back to you with my life.” Then the day after Pentecost a text from the Book of Wisdom showed up in a daily devotional. (7:7-12) Part of this includes: “Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called on God and the spirit of wisdom came to me. … I loved her more than health and beauty, and I chose to have her rather than light, because her radiance never ceases.” I have long considered this spirit of Wisdom to be my guide. As many of you know, the Greek name for Wisdom is Sophia. I cannot imagine my life without this remarkable and essential presence.
And yet one more thread connecting to the Pentecost feast. Each day now I pick up Steven Charleston’s latest book of reflections and read one selection in Spirit Wheel. I turned to a page titled “What the Wind Says” several days ago and found this:
Listen to the wind. It has something to tell you.
Whether it is as quiet as the current
That lifts the hawk to circle the sky
Or as loud as the storm chasing high waves to shore:
The wind has something to say.
There is a word for each of us, a message sent directly
That flows through the wind each day
Offering us insight and vision, clarity and creative ideas
If only we will stop long enough to receive it.
Be still. Be awake. Trust your spiritual senses.
Listen to the wind. The Spirit is speaking to you.
So you see how wondrously this hidden, guiding Presence can take us step by step toward what speaks to our heart and longs to influence our everyday activities. I hope that in the coming weeks, you will find for yourself a connecting thread of meaning that leads you onward to continued spiritual growth.
Abundant peace,
Joyce Rupp
