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Gratitude breaks the spell of Writers Block |
Staring at a blank page is like staring into a snowfield. The snow, untouched by civilization and unmarked by living creatures, blinds you for a few minutes, it glistens reflecting subtle shades of pure white and rainbows at odd angles. If you stare at the snow too long, you get lost in the interplay of light and shadow. As the day wears on, you become awestruck at the beauty of the snow's perfection. You marvel at the way an oak tree cast its ebony shadow across the pure white snow. You watch the tree's shadow change, grow and shrink, as Earth turns and the sun moves from morning to evening. If you stand out in the snow too long without moving, you risk snow bite or freezing. If you are fortunate, a red fox will walk across your line of sight. The fox will leave his footprints written in the snowfield. As you watch the fox move, the spell holding you in one spot staring at the snow is broken. You are free to go inside out of the cold and out of danger. I must say, writing 500 words a day isn't difficult, unless I'm attempting to write on a single subject. On Monday, October 28, 2013, I began posting my weekly goals at "Weekly Goals" ![]() "O SON OF BEING! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning; for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy deeds." Bah'u'll'h The Hidden Words of Bah'u'll'h, Part I.'From the Arabic, #31, page 11 'Heinlein's Rules for Writers Rule One: You Must Write Rule Two: Finish What Your Start Rule Three: You Must Refrain From Rewriting, Except to Editorial Order Rule Four: You Must Put Your Story on the Market Rule Five: You Must Keep it on the Market until it has Sold' Robert A. Heinlein It is enjoined upon every one of you to engage in some form of occupation, such as crafts, trades and the like. We have graciously exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship unto God, the True One. Ponder ye in your hearts the grace and the blessings of God and render thanks unto Him at eventide and at dawn. Waste not your time in idleness and sloth. Occupy yourselves with that which profiteth yourselves and others. Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon the day-star of wisdom and utterance shineth resplendent. Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed After the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Pages 21-29: gr 32 I changed the way I did entries in this book several times. Beginning on March 21, 2018 the entries will cover the topics of spiritual, inspirational, and religions. However, the genres it will be under are Women's, Inspirational, and Spiritual with a tag of Religious. |
Istijlál (Majesty), 8 Mulk (Dominion) 175 B.E. - Thursday, February 14, 2019 Valentine's Day Goal of the Mystic1 Is to see God Even in the contemplation Of a computer program Gratitude List for 8 Mulk Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
‘Idál (Justice), 7 Mulk (Dominion) 175 B.E. - Wednesday, February 13, 2019 Today I Am Grateful For2 Today I am grateful for morning, for the memory of pleasant dreams, and the chill of a winter's dawn breeze. Today I am grateful for laughter, the warmth of a joyous awakening to the beauty of another day. Today I am grateful for prayers that ascend to the throne of God and bring down the blessings of faith, which scatters the uncertainties of doubt. Gratitude List For 7 Mulk Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Fiḍál (Grace), 6 Mulk (Dominion) 175 B.E. - Tuesday, February 12, 2019 Memories Underfoot3 These are the memories that lay underfoot, the memories I stumble over when waking up. A black and white long haired cat, whose purr vibrated the house when he wanted to to toss him a furry toy mouse. These are the memories that lay underfoot, the memories I scramble when waking up. Taking eggs from beneath a hen she set there glaring at me she wanted to hat the eggs I know, that that was never to be. Gratitude List For 6 Mulk Today I am grateful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Kamál (Perfection), 5 Mulk (Dominion) 175 B.E. - Monday, February 11, 2019 Facebook Status Update Today I am thankful for Baha'u'llah, the Glory of God. I am also thankful to Baha'u'llah for another day of life. Gratitude List for 5 Mulk Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Zones of Transition4 Growth occurs in zones of transition where the upwardly mobile and the downwardly mobile meet. Confronted by the prejudices and misunderstandings occurring when cultures collide we must either evolve or perish. Footnotes |
Jamál (Beauty), 4 Mulk (Dominion) 175 B.E. - Sunday, February 10, 2019 Facebook Status Update Sunday morning serenade pigeon outside my door is singing the blues Gratitude List For 4 Mulk Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Las Vegas Dawn5 Bright rays ignite the blue sky, transforming black velvet night: stretching and yawning the city's day shift wakes up. Footnotes |
Jalál (Glory), 3 Mulk (Dominion) 175 B.E. - Saturday, February 9, 2019 Love6 Love is the dawn of a new day, Rising rosy over hills of gray. God's eternal light, Giving hope through the darkest night. The generating impulse that began creation, And set the universe in motion. Gratitude List For 3 Mulk Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Istiqlál (Independence), 2 Mulk (Dominion) 175 B.E. - Friday, February 8, 2019 Friday Afternoon Thoughts7 Weariness sets in and the weekend approaches inhale, exhale, laugh Gratitude List For 2 Mulk Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Istijlál (Majesty), 1 Mulk (Dominion) 175 B.E. - Thursday, February 7, 2019 Feast of Mulk This Much I Know8 This much I know! Lowe is the only true magic there is. This much I know! Faith is breathing without air. This much I know! Without love and faith this life is merely existing. This much I know! Each individual has their own secret knowledge gained from experience. This much I know! Each individual is put on earth for a purpose. This much I know! When I read the Holy Scriptures of each religion, I feel the Holy Spirit echoing. This much I know! The known to one individual can be speculation to another. This much I know! There is one God with many names. This much I know! Each star has its planets and each planet its own life forms. This much I know! A woman's intuition is important to a woman's survival. This much I know! Some people believe faith and speculation are the same thing. This much I know! Intuition allows the individual to know many things, but you must accept intuition as a fact. Gratitude List For 1 Mulk Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
‘Idál (Justice), 19 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Wednesday, February 6, 2019 Evening Shadows9 Growing with Earth's slow rotation shadows reach for the days lost youth, like an elderly woman reminiscing about the joys of yesterday. Disappearing as night advances shadows fade into the darkness, like the disappointment of a elderly man, letting go of yesterdays fears. Gratitude List For 19 Sulṭán Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Fiḍál (Grace), 18 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Tuesday, February 5, 2019 My Muse Is A Skin Changer10 I discovered that my muse is a skin changer. It morphs into another creature or item with each genre and subject I write in or about. When I write about nature, my muse becomes an olive tree. As the wind blows through its leaves my words are transformed into bires nesting in its branches. When I write poetry, my muse becomes a timber wolf stalking stanza and line through the forest of metaphor and simile. When I write a personal essay, my muse is transformed into a crown of glory illuminating a snow capped peak . As the crown disappears in morning's light, the rays of the sun melts the snow blocking the paths of my creativity. Ever day and every hour, my muse changes revealing a different aspect with each story, article, essay, or poem I write. I never know in what guise my muse will appear until it materializes. Knowing this about my muse, has helped me to recognize it when it appears to me. Gratitude List For 18 Sulṭán Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Kamál (Perfection), 17 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Monday, February 4, 2019 Thistledown11 Growth occurs in the silent hours when the mind pauses to reflect on the day's events. My eyes focus on a white cloud moving across the firmament. I watch it change, as sections are torn from the main mass by the wind in the upper atmosphere; I watch it become wisps of gossamer against the blue sky. That could is my illusions ripped apart by the day's events leaving behind thistledown to be dispersed by the reality of my actions. Gratitude List For 17 Sulṭán Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Submitted to "Spiritual Newsletter (January 30, 2019)" ![]() Footnotes |
Jamál (Beauty), 16 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Sunday, February 3, 2019 Gratitude List for 16 Sulṭán Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Earth's Blessing12 A rainbow arc spreads across the firmament, voices praise in a thousand dialects this paradigm of God's ancient covenant. Voices raise intoning God's trillion names-- glorifying the mirrors of His attribute-- as they cross the bridge that connects the rift valley that separates into sects the religion of God. A rainbow spreads across Earth's continents, mystic dance-- accompanied by castanets, bells, tambourines, lutes, lyres, harps, dijeridus, bagpipes, musical bows, reed flutes, talking drums, etc.-- as echoes reverberate and voices unite into a single symphony proclaiming that there is not a place on Earth unblessed by the mention of one of God's names. Footnotes |
Jalál (Glory), 15 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Saturday, February 2, 2019 The Music of Children13 In the music of children, we live in unity: One God, one race, one religion. God lives in the music of children, in the songs of the purified heart God is reality. A breath from the Kingdom of Glory, carries the scent of the sanctified soul in the music of children. Gratitude List For 15 Sulṭán Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Istiqlál (Independence), 14 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Friday, February 1, 2019 Humanity14 We are one family, descends of the first migrations out of Africa. We are a single species, descended from migrants who sought new home for numerous reasons. Gratitude List For 14 Sulṭán Today I am Thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Istijlál (Majesty), 13 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Thursday, January 31, 2019 A Divine Creation15 The soul is a divine creation! A single undivided substance that has neither beginning nor ending. Its association, with the body begs at conception. The soul's association with the body, educates the human spirit; gives it a chance to develop the attributes God endowed it with. When the body dies the spirit, the soul, ascend into the next world taking with it the attributes it developed while in association with the physical body. Gratitude List For 13 Sulṭán Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
‘Idál (Justice), 12 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Wednesday, January 30, 2019 My Second Midlife Crises16 This one is going to be fun! New experiences to lift my soul out of its brown study; out of the silent darkness of the uncreated and carry it into the joyous chaos of action. New experiences to jump start my self-esteem, and put my ego beyond self absorption into the realm of humanity. New experiences to split the atoms of fear and melt the elements of self-consciousness. In the process of becoming my true self, I give birth to a new belief system and the process of healing kicks Humpty Dumpty off the wall of selfishness. Poet's Note: ▼ Gratitude List For 12 Sulṭán Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Kamál (Perfection), 10 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Monday, January 28, 2019 Facebook Status Update There are 274 day until October 29, 2019. Today I begin the first of 200 poems dedicated to The Bab. I placed the beginning of the poem in my writing.com blog entry. Gratitude List For 10 Sulṭán Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Life Exists17 The miracle is that life exists! It exists as coral on the ocean floor, It exists as flowers in a hidden meadow, and as trees on a snow capped mountain peak. Life exists concealed in empty space! It exists hidden from human eyes, It exists concealed in the stone of comets, It exists hidden as modules in asteroids, and as living creatures on distant planets. Life exist in the midnight of our fears, It exists in the awesome joy of our hopes, And in every direction of reality. Life exists as a procedure to the enlightened, It exists as a confirmation to the faithful, And as instructions to the seeker. Life exist in every corner of the universe; It exists in every possible and impossible echo system; And in an incalculable amount. Life exists as humanity: Humanity a single group, and a single species sharing one planet. Life exists under strenuous conditions, That give a poet pause to think and to immediately express the universe: "We are the universe expressing itself!" Poet's Note: ▼ Footnotes |
Jamál (Beauty), 9 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Sunday, January 27, 2019 Sunday Morning18 a sparrow singing morning sun casts dark shadows pigeons are cooing Gratitude List For 9 Sultan Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
Istiqlál (Independence), 7 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Friday, January 25, 2019 Wind Shadows19 The wind blows, and shadows dance across stone walls. The wind blows, and shadows of cold flames flicker. Gratitude List For 7 Sultan Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() Jalál (Glory), 8 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Saturday, January 26, 2019 Saturday's Pigeons20 Saturday morning Pigeons coo supplicating Warmth from dawn's first rays Gratitude List For 8 Sultan Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |
‘Idál (Justice), 5 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Wednesday January 23, 2019 Sacred Scriptures21 Out of context The verses become beacons Pulsating in the night. In context The verses are stars Guiding the wayfarer home. Gratitude List for 5 Sulṭán Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Istijlál (Majesty), 6 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 175 B.E. - Thursday, January 24, 2019 Gratitude List for 6 Sultan Today I am thankful... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Footnotes |