My Beloved

My Beloved, please ask everyone to notice how
the One Being sends rain from the sky
and immediately the fields green.
The One's sight and sense cannot be fathomed,
so subtle, nurturing, mysterious
bringing the seed-self of all beings to fruition.

~Sura 22.63, Quarain

A Beautiful Rose Mirror

Just look at this beautiful mosaic mandala art mirror by Lynette Smith!
Wow! Beautiful

A Sufi Story about Competition

Once upon a time, a sultan set up a competition with a very rich prize for the most accomplished visual artistry. He invited teams from around the world. Both China and Greece sent delegations of artists. Each side could order whatever materials it wanted, and the wall of a room was provided for each to do its work. A curtain separated the two rooms.

The Chinese team asked for a plethora of paints made from many different plants and minerals, which provided an unimaginable array of colors. The Greek team asked only for materials for sanding and polishing.

When the two teams were finally ready, the Chinese unveiled their wall first. They had used every color of the rainbow, in a most harmonious design. The sultan was dazzled. Then the Greeks unveiled their work, throwing back the curtain between the two rooms. They had used no paint, but had polished their wall to such a degree that it reflected the work on the Chinese side. Through the play of light and air, the Chinese design seemed to move, and was even more fantastic and beautiful.

~Neil Douglas-Klotz

Gems From Mandala Oasis

From Cheryl A Finley at Mandala Oasis we have these beautiful mandalas:


Peace... blooming out all over


Spiritual Insight


Harmony and Flow


Venus Flytrap


Ancient Portal


Powerful Beyond Measure

Listen to me carefully

“Listen to me carefully,” I commanded. I walked him through it once again “Where you feel holding, let go. Where you sense strain, be easy. Where you are moved to push, hold back. When you find something that feels open and easy, stay there and breathe into it. "

~from Diary of the Lady Beloved by Grace Gibson

Peace

Mandala art by Shirley Gibson

Why Religion?

Religion means "to bind back." Its purpose is to turn us back into ourselves, to the well inside from which we are endlessly creative. God is a well that does not run dry. Religion is the process by which we constantly check in with God, as a child checks in with her mother. Once she feels secure, she is free to roam and wander. So do we need the constant reassurance that we are loved and protected, guided and watched over. There we have the strength and self-esteem we need to show up fearlessly in a fearful world.

~Marianne Williamson