Mystic Quotes & Commentary

--> "This passing life that we lead here, in our sensuality, is not aware of what our true self is, except in faith. When we come to know and see truly and clearly what our self is, then we shall Truly and clearly, see and know our Lord G-d in fullness of joy. And therefore it needs must be that the nearer we are to our bliss, the more we shall long for it, and that both by nature and by grace....
And therefore it properly belongeth to us, both by nature and by grace, to long and desire with all our might to know our self."
~Julian of Norwitch

Comment:
Our native spiritual condition is none other than a certain bliss over which circumstance holds no sway. We are hypnotized into thinking that circumstance must dictate our bliss and herein is our cause of bondage. By faith we celebrate our joys having yet to see them and are established in ourselves as cause, and that cause in G-d.


"Through depression and sadness a man can forget who he really is.... A person should try and chase after [or welcome] his depression and force [move] it [by prayer] into rejoicing, so that [the energy of] the depression itself is turned [released] into joy."
~Nachman of Bratelaw

Comment:
When the spirit is brought low we are identified with the senses and their limitations. And the heart is held captive by the judgments of the material mind. Prayer – especially if it is a letting go of limitations, turning them over to G-d, frees the spirit into the joyful presence of G-d. Anything that elevates the spirit into Joy may be called prayer.


"Depression is the strongest Husk [evil] of all ... depression thus has no relation to G-d. Regarding G-d it is written 'Force [power] and joy are in His place/ (1 Cronicles 16:27). The Divine presence therefore only rests on a place of joy."
~Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk.

Comment:
Every cell constricts in the presence of physical pain and the emotional pain of depression. With joy, every cell finds its proper function and the body-mind finds ease and clarity of function. One needs this clarity to behold the beauty of G-d.


"... joy itself comes from the Universe of pleasure, which is itself undetectable. This is very high, on a level that is called Holy.... it descends step by step until it comes to man in the spirit of the Holy."...
~The Maggid of Mezeritch

Comment:
Joy is the surest sign of the delicate contact, which is the Presence of God. Simply abiding in joy strengthens our connection with the Divine. It is in fact a prayer and G-d answer is greater Joy.


"The feminine principle ... is ... identified with the Divine Presence (Shekhinah), the essence of G-d that pervades all creation. It is this essence that is the true beauty of all things. Thus whenever one contemplates any beauty, he must realize that it is the Divine Essence, and can thus make use of it to begin the ascent on the ladder."
~Nehunia ben Hakanah

Comment:
By attending to the beauty without and aspireing to transform the within into a tapestry of beauty, one partakes in the creative activity of the Presence of G-d which seeks our reunion with G-d.


"When a person wishes to unify the Blessed Holy One and His Divine Presence (the male and female aspects of the Divine), he must banish all other thoughts.... One must then bring the Divine Presence into his mind....When a man comes together with his wife, he must remove all clothing, to be together with her as one, as it is written "They shall be one flesh." In a similar manner one must remove all other [thoughts, which serve as the soul's] garments, when he makes the Unification twice each day, declaring, "Hear O Israel, God is our Lord, God is One."
~Tikuney Zohar

Comment:
It is difficult to achieve this state of no thought, which is empty of reactive memory and judgment. Still we can monitor our emotions and let go our reactivity throughout the day. The Sedona Method is a clear and simple example of this, and one that has been validated independent studies.


"The Blessed Holy One does not place His abode in a place where male and female are not found together (YH). Blessings are found only in a place where male and female are found, as it is written: "He blessed them and called their name Adam." A human being is only called adam when male and female are as One."
~Zohar

Comment:
A human being is only half a creature in the bodily realm. The soul must reunite with its contrasexual half, so be called a fully human being in the image of which G-d made mankind.


"On account of his deep love for the Shekhina, a righteous person must bind himself to Her Love.... This kind of love may be compared to that of a man for his wife. For at night when he awakens with strong feelings of love, he will hasten to satisfy his longing with deep affection, particularly when he knows that she whom he loves, loves him as well."
~Slijay de Vidas

Comment:
Agape is then a love which finds the Divine ardor mirrored in human Eros.]From agape will come agapesis – a truly spiritual love, yet the first is the training ground of the other.


"Yes, it is truly the Beloved which comes to visit thee. But He comes invisible. He comes to touch thee, not to be seen."
~Hugh of St Victor.

Comment:
This is the error of Psyche with Cupid as well. Touch is a far more intimate sense than vision. Vision is an intellectual sense that separates wholes into parts. Touch unites parts into wholes.


"When you pray to G-d for something, think of your soul as as part of the Divine Presence, like a raindrop in the sea. Then pray for the needs of the Divine Presence.
You can have faith that your prayer wil benefit the Divine Presence. Then, if you are properly attached to the Divine Presence, this influence will also be transmitted to you.
When a person is happy, he unconsciously claps his hands. This is because his joy spreads through his entire body. The same is true of the Divine Presence. Each influence is transmitted to each of its parts."
~The Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name)

Comment:
So the Divine presence is an us, a spiritual unity within the diversity of souls. T poray for ones own needs without sympathetic regard to the similar needs of others is to pray outside the presence of G-d.


"Every act of unification constitutes an act of love; this is especially true given our current state of exile in which the divine union is severed and our Mother is in exile in this world.... For we must take it upon ourselves to restore the unity of G-d through our prayers and religious deeds. This may be compared to a son who loves his mother and who requests from his father food, raiment, and conjugal rights on behalf of his impoverished mother. He [even] becomes exceedingly angry with his father and weeps on account of his mothers exile, reminding his father of the love they once shared in their youth.... The children are responsible for awakening this love through their prayers."
~Elijah de Vidas

Comment:
Like Job wrestling with the angel of the Lord, we may change even the mind of G-d, if it serves the Divine Presence. Never fear to Challenge G-d on behalf of the good you see. Such a challenge is made by prayer and for this cause Jesu\u says knock and keep on knocking.


"In all worldly delights, there is an element of the Highest Love.
Through a person's natural desire for such delights, it becomes easy for him to love G-d.
If this were not true, it would be very difficult even to begin to love G-d. But when a person can arouse this love through material delights, it becomes easy to love G-d Understand this.
A person’s love for material pleasures is a fallen love, but it is derived from the highest love. When he desires some worldly delight, he should realize that G-d is helping him, and making it easier to to love G-d. G-d knows that without this, such love could not be aroused.
When one does not realize this, however, his worldly enjoyment causes this attribute of love to fall all the more."
~Nachum of Tchernoble

Comment:
Heving loved the form, fall deeper in love with Love itself. From the hearts eye all things are renewed in the mind. Then will true understanding come.


"Rabbi Moses ben Nahman said: A person should keep G-d and His love in his consciousness at all times. He should not separate his thoughts from him when he journeys on the way, nor when he lies down, nor when he rises up. Until he reaches a spiritual level at which when he speaks to people, he speaks only with his mouth and tongue, but his consciousness is not with them - it is in the presence of G-d. It is possible for those who reach this spiritual level that while they are yet alive they are bound up in the bond of eternal life. For they themselves have become the dwelling place for G-d's Divine Presence."
~Alan Unterman

Comment:
G-d will strip you of your memory, of your intelligence, of your reactive feelings, and in remaking you in the Divine image, all that you were will be portioned out in accordance to the needs of others to know the Divine. Your spirit will be a simple witness to G-d’s spontaneous action.


"The attribute through which G-d clothes himself through our prayers is called Mother."
~Levi Yitzchak of Breedichov

Comment:
The cult of the distant Bachelor G-d, is the absent Father. A Father to be a Father requires a Mother A mothers womb to Birth us, a Mothers breast to feed us and a mothers ears to hear us. It is by our prayers that G-d corrects the course of creation. Were this not so, there would be no free will.


"May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose. Let us shout for joy (before the fact, giving thanks) ... may the lord fulfill all your requests.... now we know that the lord gives victories from his holy heaven with miraculous victories from His right hand (of power]"
~PS 20 4:6

Comment:
One proof of G-d is the miraculous, yet the greater proof is love. It is this greater proof which is the meaning of the cross. Dare you take on the sufferings of others? If you are certain G-d delivers, what is a little sacrifice if it lightens the burden greatly for another.
"Delight yourself in the Lord (YHVH) and He will give you the desires of your heart."
~PS 37:4 (Note that delight is the prerequisite)


More Julian of Norwich Quotes …


“Prayer is a right understanding of that fullness of joy that is to come, coupled with true longing and great trust. The tasting of the bliss for which we have been destined naturally makes us long for it.”

Comment:
We all long for love and happiness and would probably give all for these two certain gifts. Yet we do not know these gifts to be certain and eternal until we know G-d. Then we will give all for G-d.
“We can never stop wanting to be his, and longing for him, until we posses him in the fullness of joy, then we will desire nothing more. He wants us to be completely occupied with knowing and loving him until the time when our longing shall be completely fulfilled in heaven.”

Comment:
There will always be obstacles and stumblings in this world, yet it is here that we come to know G-d. If we can see the Divine Presence even here, Then nothing can hinder our desire to come closer, even leaving all else behind.


“… until I am substantially united to him [Self / personhood] I can never have perfect rest [eternal – time is the apparent movement of impermanent things] and true happiness [uncaused]. I mean to say, that I must be so united to him that no created [local] thing can come between [distract] my G-d and me [in spirit – non local].”

Comment:
The fullness of G-d is in the non local realm of the Physicist, beyond time and space. The local realm of limited forms and sequential actions can only point to the peace and pleasures of our true life in G-d which is boundless.


.”For he does not despise what he has made, nor does he disdain to serve us even in the simplest of our natural bodily functions, for he loves the [embodied] soul that he has made in his own likeness”.

Comment:
Through our limitations we desire the limitless. Through imperfection we conceive the perfect. In each step beyond we outgrow the self we were. All things serve the good and nothing is to be despised.


“… we body and soul, [are] clad in the goodness of G-d. Yes, even more intimately, because all these other [time bound] things may wear out and vanish, but the goodness of G-d is always whole [timeless] and close to us without compare.”

Comment:
When in the midst of time we bohold the timeless and the eternal, how can we confuse the real and the unreal.


“This is our Lords will – that our trust and our prayer be both equally great…. I believe, that we do not truly know that our lord is the ground from which our prayer springs forth, and also that we do not know that it is given to us by grace out of his love. If we truly
knew this we would surely be inspired to trust our lord would gift us with all the things that we desire.”

Comment:
So nature urges us to long and grace to trust. And in these two activities the lord keeps us constantly engaged because this is our duty.
That for which we pray is inspired by G-d. Our confusion lies in believing the thing is what we need rather than the source. In each area of life that we discover lack, we have failed to find the source. Pray to know the mind of G-d’s wealth and friendship and inspired conversation. Then in your abundance may it be given even outwardly? Yet how long would such a journey of discovery take? Our years are numbered and better perhaps to seek the heart of G-d.


“… if we do what we can and humbly ask for mercy and grace, then all that is lacking we shall find in him. And this is what he means when he says “I am the ground of your praying.”

Comment:
When we are empty of selfishness, many struggling steps are accomplished in one. To be grounded in the world is to walk in quick sand, and to be grounded in Gp-d is find sure footing even in the dark.


“Then the Lord opened my eyes and showed me my soul in the middle of my heart.”

Comment:
In the heart space, literally, is infinities door, the eye that beholds all from everywhere...


“I saw with absolute certainty that it is easier and quicker for us to know G-d than it is to know our own soul. For our soul is so deeply grounded in G-d and so endlessly treasured that we can not come to know it until we first know G-d its Creator, to whom it is united.”

Comment:
Searched for, we – self - can not be found, can not be said to be here or there. Having gone thus far we discover we are everywhere and in everyone our essence shines – or is it their essence in which I share? Yes, One essence, One G-d, One unity of Life. Where then is G-d not present?


“Because of the great eternal love that G-d has for all human kind, he makes no distinction between the blessed soul of Christ and the least soul that shall be saved.”

Comment:
Only the ego divides life into parts, into yours and mine. G-d is ultimate “I” not ego – a Unity that plays at multiplicity for the purpose of conversation, which like binocular vision gives a new dimension of experience.


“How greatly we should rejoice that G-d indwells the soul. Yet how much more we should rejoice that our soul dwells in G-d.”

Comment:
G-d desires spirit to know its unity, yet the unique soul is no accident of creation but forms a partnership with others, like hands and feet, which must function in unison to do the spirits work..


“Thanksgiving is also an integral part of prayer.”

Comment:
A prayer without thanksgiving is a prayer half finished. It is like a starving man who does not recognize the food before him; it is a meal uneaten.



“And so I hope that, with his grace, he has and will ever more, draw our outer expression to conform to our inner disposition, and make us all one with him and with each other, in that true eternal joy which IS [my emphasis] Jesus.”

Comment:
So what does the form of a body look like beyond the barriers of space and time? It looks like Love, and Bliss and Inspiration.


“G-d, of your goodness give me yourself…. Only in you have I all.”

Comment:
Enough said.


From the Hua Hu Ching, (Brian Walker trans.)


"All things are brought forth from the subtle realm into the manifest world by the mystical intercourse of Yin and Yang. The dynamic river yang (Yud) pushes forward and the dynamic river yin (Hei) is receptive, and through their integration (via Vav) things come into existence (final Hei)."


Comment:
This mystical intercourse is circumscribed in the moswt sacred name of YHVH.


"The interplay of yin and yang within the womb (garbha, Lotus, Hei) of the Mysterious (non local) Mother creates the expansion and contraction (orgasmic ‘spanda’) of Nature. Although the entire universe is created out of this reproductive dance, it is but a tiny portion of her being. Her heart is the Universal Heart and her mind is the Universal Mind (anima mundi)."

Comment:
Yin is feminine and represented by H/Hei and the masculine tang by Y/Yud Like womb and seed are the mysterious darkness of the Mother and the penetrating light of the Father. Their ecstasy creates the vibratory universe, yet is of the mind of G-d alone.


"... something perfect exists [non locally] before any move is made [wu wei]. This subtle perfection deteriorates when artificial actions are taken, so be content not to disturb the peace."

Comment:
The Law of YHVH requires that cause [Y] and effect [H] arise simultaneously and then unfold in space-time [V]. The true will of the heart is G-d’s will and in recognizing that there is nothing to do but offer praise and thanksgiving as it unfolds. Trying to manipulate the form it takes, leads to dissatisfaction.


"The superior person recognizes that he and the subtle [non local] Law are One. Therefore he cultivates himself in accord with it, bringing moderation to his actions and clarity to his mind. Doing this he finds himself one with all that is divine and enlightened."

Comment:
Your mind and G-d’s mind are One, a mysterious entity called Lawful [YHVH] which creates by thought and destroys by a thoughts cessation. Understanding this, one will wish to abide in the moods of love and never deviate.


"Simply see that you [pure subjectivity] are the center of the [perceived] universe and accept all things and beings as a part of your infinite body."

Comment:
One can see only through ones own eyes and perceive only what is a part of oneself. Such is the meaning of Divine unity. In all things you have partnered with other souls to create for there is no real separation between you.


"How can the divine oneness be seen? If you are willing to be lived by it, you will see it everywhere, even in the most ordinary things."

Comment:
Who or what is living you? If it is the ego you will see separation. If it is G-d you will see Unity.


Misc. Quotes


"When you see that there is only this, which rises and falls, only this, one no longer speaks of either existence or no existence."
~Khema from the Abyakatasamuita

Comment:
ALL things come fron G-d and return to G-d. How then can we say we have gained a thing or lost a thing. There is only G-d, and knowing this is Peace.


"What is form in the presence of the real.... the inhaling - exhaling is from the spirit, now angry, now peaceful ... there is no reality but G-d says the completely surrendered Sheikh, who is an ocean for all beings."
~Rumi

Comment:
"To abide in G-d is express the will of G-d, which is to teach only the faith and certainty of G-d. Knowing G-d is the true grace. All gifts are manifest for this one purpose and then may be relinquished.


"I am the clear consciousness -core of your being, the same in ecstacy as in self hating fatigue."
~Rumi

Comment:
The mirror of the world can become distorted, but the light that shines upon it is forever true. The joy without reason does not even require yourself as itsa reflection. Become the ray of light and look no further into the mirror.


"He (the Supreem Lord) is of necessity not impersonal because it is only posible to carry on transcendental rasa with a person."
~ Swami Pradhupada

Comment:
Some believe there to be only a Law; physical, metaphysical or both in nature, but no ultimate person That it is possible to have a relationship with the universe, its parts or entirety, demonstrates there is a personhood as integral part of the Law...
By our delight, our love and joy, does the law of G-d provision us. In our Joy G-d gives joy and in our suffering G-d must wait until we turn away from our own will. Yet each moment of our separation causes us to forfeit our inheritance. And the body-mind will owe its debt even after the spirit repents. Yet G-d will enfold our spirit in divine love through the trials, keeping our heart free from corruption.