Reason and Passion~~by Khalil Gibran
“And the priestess spoke again and said:
“Speak to us of Reason and Passion.”
And he answered saying:
Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against passion and your appetite.
Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody.
But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements?
Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.
If either your sails or our rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.
For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.
Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion; that it may sing;
And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes.
I would have you consider your judgment and your appetite even as you would two loved guests in your house.
Surely you would not honor one guest above the other; for he who is more mindful of one loses the love and the faith of both.
Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars, sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows – then let your heart say in silence, “God rests in reason.”
And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the forest, and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky, – then let your heart say in awe, “God moves in passion.”
And since you are a breath In God’s sphere, and a leaf in God’s forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.”
Thank you, Khalil Gibran, for your wisdom this day. Thank you, Kathy Smith over at Laurie’s blog Speaking from the Heart, for sharing this gem in the comments.
The almost-full moon listens to the poetry of his words, rests briefly in the aspen branches, and slowly rises in the night sky.
Amen. And amen again.
More amens, and profound gratitude for this … this evening…
Kathy – I don’t want to go to bed but rather dwell with these wondrous pictures of the moon. That you accompany them with my favorite writer holds me still longer in deep thought and awe. As I went to draw the shades, I enjoyed my own golden moon and celebrated it after so many cloudy and cold nights. I will fall asleep with these beautiful thoughts of being a leaf in God’s forest. I always loved the quote from Gibran “breathe into the ethers and I shall be revived.” You’ve revived me this night and I thank you!
Wonderful words and wonderful photos! … and thought provoking both.
Thank you, Kathy. The moon photos are stunning, and the poetry profound. Thanks for the lovely presentation of both!
Beautiful!!
Beautiful moon, beautiful thoughts, beautiful way to begin the day. Merci beaucoup!
I like this one, it goes along with internal dialogue. I have yet to create an output sufficient to communicate the thoughts, so I’m just waving that I’m here for now.
Dear Laurie, the two Susan D’s, kiwidutch, Barbara, Holly, Pamela and Elisa…I am so glad that you all resonated with Mr. Gibran’s amazing words! They stirred up my heart yesterday, for sure. (Not only the passion–but the reason also enjoyed it!)
Kathy, so beautiful. This has been the perfect way to end a rain filled evening in a hotel room. Thank you.
Colleen, I loved this so much. So happy Kathy posted it on Laurie’s blog. And love how the moon showed her face through the tree branches. Sweet moon!
Beautiful, “breath In God’s sphere, and a leaf In God’s forest”. Beautiful gold moon.
Beautiful quote, Marianne. Thank you.
Last week’s full moon was so gorgeous here too. Your photos have captured her mysterious side.
Glad you were able to enjoy last week’s full moon, too, Amy. I am sure it looked beautiful reflected in the waters off Nova Scotia. Unless, of course, you saw it in the opposite direction! 🙂