I Am the Fire
Daily Passage
Reflections
As I read today, I again notice all the contrasts. The message moves back and forth revealing the actions of the foolish and the wise. As an explorer setting out on a mission to discover something new, I press the page for details. I now notice that there is some attention placed on how people feel. “Grief” and “bitterness” are the resulting feeling of foolishness (25). The she-bear robbed of her cubs (12) and the parent with no joy (21) connote strong feelings. Much of these feelings are negative. There too is the repetition of the the action of loving: love of a friend (17) and the love of strife (19). With repetition, there is also a focus on the image of the heart. The heart is highlighted in verse 3, “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the Lord tests the heart,” and again in 22, “A cheerful heart is a good medicine. . . ”
Feelings and the heart; now there is material for consideration. Aha! I connect my approach to the study of Proverbs today, to the content I am finding. To follow this path where this message leads, I have to be an explorer of my own body, mind, and soul. I need to test my heart with the illuminating torch of the discoverer. I need to hold up the lamp of Diogenes. Scary!
When I look within, what do I find? I think about the smelting of metals alluded to in verse 3, and the heat of the fire that is used to burn off impurities. I think that it is kind of interesting that when we are ill, our body temperature rises as a natural defense that works to burn out all of the toxins. As I heal in mind, body, and soul, I often imagine the toxins melting away. I am pure in my natural and healthy state. I am pure at my core and in my purity, I shine like glittering gold. The more I am able to let go of all those feelings and thoughts that do not serve my best interests or the interests of others, the more I glitter and glow.
Often when searching within, we find things. We become aware of how we are thinking or feeling and are often prompted to action. There is a catchy phrase I like: follow your heart. If we are explorers, our heart is our compass: our North star; our Christmas star. Do we always follow? In Voice of Reason Bryant McGill writes, “People have moments of consciousness and epiphanies throughout their lives, but then suppress the realization.” I know this has been true in my life. Why? Why the suppression?
While we all have ignored our finding from time to time, that does not have to be so any longer. Make today, a day of discovery. A day that you tune into your heart. Ask yourself at various times throughout the day, “How am I feeling?” and take note of how you feel. Be mindful of your breath. Be mindful of your steps. Be mindful of your feelings. Be mindful as you explore the far reaches of your heart. And what do you do with the realizations? Honor them. Feel them. Notice them. If beneficial, celebrate them; if belittling, release them. That is all. Find what is true, and let all else melt away.
If I had a word of intention for January, it would be discovery. For me, because it’s my birthday for sure, January 6 has a lot of meaning. It’s the day that we remember to celebrate how wisemen from the East followed a star in the sky to discover a king in the most unlikely of places. It’s all about discovery. There is a light glowing within our hearts that we have the opportunity to follow, and in finding the treasure, to celebrate our own epiphany or epiphanies. Even the trash that we find there can be hailed as a sort of treasure—fuel for the fire that will keep us warm and cheerful in this winter month.
There is a poem that I have recently read online that I really like. The author uses a phrase and a lot of the imagery from Borges’ work Labyrinths. Both poem and story have to do with the adventurous journey of self discovery and the realization that in our purest state, we are not an individual but are a flowing energy, one with all that is.
discover
Time is the substance I am made of. Time is a river which sweeps me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger which destroys me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire which consumes me, but I am the fire.
— Jorge Borges, Labyrinths
Eight Affirmations of Gratitude
I am grateful for discoveries.
I am thankful that I am a discoverer.
An give thanks for my heart.
I am thankful for my feelings.
I am thankful for the adventurous journey of self discovery.
I give thanks for my oneness with the universe.
I am thankful that I have a cheerful heart today.
I am grateful that a cheerful heart is good medicine.
Questions to Consider
How do I feel at this moment?
Do I hold anything in my heart that I need to release?
Is my heart cheerful? If so, why? If no, why? How can I cultivate a cheerful heart moment by moment?
Blessings
Thank you for joining me. Love and light to you my friends. Namaste.