December 14

The human soul is kindred to the divine.

1

A human being communicates with God to the extent that God already dwells within him, and, as the 17th century mystical poet Angelus says, the eye of mine with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me.

— Amiel

2

The human soul is the lamp of God.

— The Talmud

3

Once upon a time the fish in a river heard that humans were saying that fish could only live in water. And, having heard this, the fish were very surprised and started asking each other whether or not any of them knew what water was. Then one clever fish said: “They say that in the sea lives an old, wise and learned fish who knows everything, let’s swim to her and ask her what water is.” And so the fishes swam into the sea towards the place where the wise fish lived, and they asked her what water was and how one could recognize it. And the wise old fish said: “Water is that by which we live, in which we live. You do not know what water is because you live in it and live by it.”

And likewise, this is why people do not know God, for they live by him and live in him.

— Sufi wisdom

4

For the one who rises in thought to heaven there will always be clear days: above the clouds the sun always shines.

5

The spirit of God embraces our souls, permeates them. We do not see him because he is too close to us. And the reason he is close to us is not just so that we can perceive him, but so that he can act on us, influence us and communicate to us his divinity. This is the great paternal gift of God.

— Channing

6

If you desire something, if you are afraid of something, then you do not believe in the God of love that dwells within you. If you were to believe in him, you would not desire anything because all the desires of the God that dwells within you are always fulfilled, and you would not be afraid of anything because God fears nothing.

7

The nature of the soul is so deep that, no matter how much you travel in any direction, you will never discover its boundaries.

— Heraclitus

8

If we compare our strength to the power of nature, then we are insignificant playthings of fate. But if, instead of comparing ourselves to materials creations, we were to perceive within ourselves the Spirit of the Creator, we would recognize ourselves incommensurable with the whole of the material world and kindred to the Universal Spirit.

— After Emerson

Whatever befalls you, you cannot be unhappy if you recognize your unity with God.