Who is Mary, mother of Jesus?
How do I recognise her?
Where do I encounter her?
Does she dwell in silence?
How can she empower me?
Where can she lead me?

'Zero Circle' is one of Roger Housden's 'ten poems to change your life'
I cannot read Rumi without pausing;
without feeling my heart race;
without transformation.

"Now is the time to feast on your life", writes Roger Housden.
"Wherever you have hidden yourself,
there is always time to come out into the light of day."

Do I have the courage?

Roger Housden writes of this poem,

"When we are awake to the life of the soul,
it works on us,
on our mind,
and on our very cells.
Our jaw drops, and we are in awe before it.
More than that, even, we are changed by it.
A true blessing carries us from one world to another,
from the world of things to the world of beings,
and both of them are right here.
It is all in a manner of seeing,
and a blessing confers upon us fresh eyes."

What an invitation:-)

When we engage attentively, consciously, openly,
with the emotions and feelings that are a part of the ups and downs of daily living;
when we are hospitable and receive graciously, humbly, the gifts they offer,  
the blessings are numerous.
I can see this in my doll-making.
When I revisit The Great Divide and Black Dog
I am immediately transported into those dark times in my life.
But because I welcomed them;
engaged with them;
listened to them,
I am able to create Blue Belles and Euphrosyne and The Smiles Project,
which all reflect a growing sense of self and inner peace.

I love listening to stories.
Personal stories related in conversation.
Written texts recorded on CDs.
Parables and fables with so many meanings and messages.
When I actively listen to a story, I become a part of that story, and it becomes a part of me.
We are both transformed.

How we perceive things,
and how we receive things,
are pivotal to the way we live our lives.

Do we perceive some things, such as socks, as utilitarian and not worthy of our attention?
When we give our full attention to something, we see it differently.

Do we receive some gifts as less desirable than others?
When we receive something, do we honour the gift and the giver by using that gift?

This can be  a life-changing poem by Pablo Neruda.

Gratefulness.
So easy to say. So difficult to practice.
Grateful hearts transform -
our view of ourselves,
our view of the world.
Gratefulness is a prerequisite to peace -
within our hearts,
within our world.
Gratefulness is a precursor for change -
withi