Being: “… You remind me that my nothing is Your all …” ~ Meister Eckhart
Meister Eckhart – the 14th century German mystic, philosopher, friar, priest, and theologian – spoke of God as “… a nothingness beyond being …”
Apparently, Meister insisted that the meaning of his quote (about God) “… awaits of our discovering in the thick texture of our lives, and not in the thin stuff of thought, however elaborate and serious this might be …”
So, here are some of his poems … that suggest the possibilities of such discovery “… in the thick texture of our lives …”
We begin with a feeling that many, if not most, of us are deeply familiar with …
Sometimes I feel
like giving up. It’s just too
much work, this being me–
too much pain, this be-me-ing,
too much dark, this me-ing-be,
and then You remind me
that my nothing is Your all,
and Your all my truest
deepest call.
… and in that deepest call we can – finally – learn to go …
From Being-Me to Being-We
“… your being-You, which is ever full of … unnameable no-thing-ness …”
When I lose myself in fear
and its other side, blame,
You tell me to take my
being-me and give it
to your being-You,
which is ever full of
unbecoming is-ness
and unnameable no-
thing-ness, so that
together we might
become a single
and simple being-we.
… and in being-we, we (I) can – finally – see the profound potential in our (my) best days …
On Our Best Days
On our best days and our worst, in times both
clever and confused, our life is finally summed
in this: we are made to love without reason,
to breathe in the wide open plain of wonder,
to ponder without asking why,
because in God there is no why
to be found, no reason to be known
beyond the flame of ever whyless love.
~ Meister Eckhart
For more about Meister, see some of our earlier posts: Here & Now, Living Love & More and Wanderings & Wonderings.
In these earlier posts (and this one) we explored Meister through excerpts from Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart: Meditations for the Restless Soul … where the authors Jon M. Sweeney & Mark S. Burrows give “… voice to the startling wonderings and wonderful wanderings of one who, already in his lifetime, came to be called the Meister, or “Master” …” …
This book is highly recommended … an excellent resource on Meister – both for his history and his writings …
As we’ve done since the COVID crisis began … we want to honor and highlight the “heroes” that continue to ensure our health and safety in the midst of the pandemic: Go Fund Me has organized various campaigns targeted towards the COVID-19 relief efforts. All of these campaigns are worthy of our attention … but for now we want to highlight TWO critical ones that we are supporting personally and also as Stillness Speaks (through donations):
We are all facing financial challenges but IF your situation allows you to donate and help then …
… please visit Frontline Responders Fund’s Go Fund Me page … and help deliver crucial supplies to these frontline responders …
… and/or visit America’s Food Fund Go Fund Me page and help feed the neighbors in need.
And, we again, express our deepest gratitude to a) the COVID-19 Frontline Responders (all the healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, hospital/medical-services staff – firefighters, law enforcement, volunteers, and any/all the people involved in keeping the “system-at-large” functioning for ALL of us) … and b) Go Fund Me for organizing America’s Food Fund to feed the needy.
THANK YOU.
All of the italicized text in the blockquotes and Meister’s three poems titled Sometimes I feel, From Being-Me to Being-We, and On Our Best Days are from: Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart: Meditations for the Restless Soul by Jon M. Sweeney & Mark S. Burrows.
Images (edited and logo added): Featured and 1) Beautiful Bavaria by PantherMediaSeller, 2) Neist point lighthouse and falling stars, Isle of Skye, Scotland by Shaiith79, 3) Sunrise over Reflection Canyon by kwiktor. All purchased from depositphotos, for use only on our website/social channels (these images are not permitted to be shared separate from this post).
