Summer Harvest

The world is imperfect, flawed,
And sometimes treacherous.
This doesn’t give us an excuse
To treat other people badly.
We’re all stuck here.
So, above all, be kind.

We’re here to seek gnosis,
To help the Limitless Light learn about itself.
So, you can never ask too many questions.
The Way to the knowlege of the head
And the knowledge of the heart
And the knowledge of the soul
And the knowledge of the spirit–
This Way is easy to find;
You just have to ask.

Respect the Wisdom found in books,
But don’t be afraid to come up with your own.
If it’s good and valuable and useful,
It will stick.
If not,
It won’t.

Respect the Wisdom found in tradition,
But don’t be afraid to come up with your own.
If it’s good and valuable and useful,
It will stick.
If not,
It won’t.

Don’t return evil for evil; this is what the Archons do.
We do it more than we realize
When we criticize those with whom we disagree,
Or even when we’re talking with friends.
For this reason, always consider how what you say and do
Affects those around you.

If you disagree with someone,
It’s best to lead by example.
You can never change people’s minds–
They have to change them for themselves.
Don’t engage in petty arguments
Or contentless polemics.
If they declare you the loser,
They’re wrong; you’ve won.

Never be afraid of other people.
After all, most of them aren’t afraid of you,
And you’re not typically afraid of you, either.

If you hate what you’re doing,
Stop doing it.
We’re not here to do things
We hate doing.
If you’re doing something you hate
Because you have to do it,
Then stop hating it.
We’re not here to do things
We hate doing.

Emptiness breeds enlightenment;
There’s no need to fill the air with words.
There’s also no reason to have
The first word in conversations,
Or the last.

Be willing to take the blame
If you screw something up.
It’s really impressive when
You can own up to your mistakes.

Avoid those overly attached to possessions,
Unless they are also overly attached to kindness.
Keep company with those who need company,
And remember that recognizing the presence
Of the Christos and Sophia
Within those considered Low by others
Is the finest kind of Charity.

Avoid taking up with politicians,
And those who sleep with the State.
Try not to have power over anyone,
And nobody will have power over you.

Death is the enemy;
Fight against it at all costs
Until and unless it becomes
A kind and gentle friend.

There are shining traces of the Pleroma
Underneath all of this dust.
Just look for them,
And you’ll find them everywhere.

That’s all there is to it.

—–
inspired by The Desiderata