Again and again I am called to return to the great spiritual teachers and the heart of the sacred truth, beauty, compassion, wisdom, and love they offer us all. As we enter this new year, I am moved to again share this great teaching on joy and sorrow from Kahlil Gibran. And especially in these times. As we open our hearts ever more deeply to both joy and sorrow, may the spark of our own inner knowing and wisdom be lit. Again and again. May we not turn our hearts on the sorrows of our world, remembering that in doing so we also limit our experience of joy and numb our capacity to respond with compassion, wisdom, and love in doing our part in working toward a more peaceful, sustainable, caring, and loving world. 🙏💗 Molly
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| Photo by Molly |
On Joy and Sorrow
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your
laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper the sorrow carves into your being,
the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup
that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit,
the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into
your heart and you shall find it is only that
which has given you sorrow that is giving joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in
your heart, and you shall see that in truth
you are weeping for that which has been
your delight.
Some of you say, “Joy is greater than
sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is
the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits
alone with you at your board, remember
that the other is sleeping upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between
your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at
standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to
weigh his gold and his silver, needs must
your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.
— Kahlil Gibran
From The Prophet
Beautiful, thank you.
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