Betrothed to the Unknown


Steven of The Golden Fish
recently talked about a meme
in which he decided to participate,
one in which the assignment was to choose a book,
turn to page 161,
find the fifth complete sentence
and cite it on your blog.

He'd been tagged by The Road Less Traveled
who referred back to someone named Susan
at Stony River Farm, who had tagged her,

and
well

you can see

it can get
complicated in this blog world

trying to figure out
where a good idea
originated.

(But it's fun to follow the trail,
visiting places you've never gone.)

Deciding to play along,
though I hadn't been tagged,
I chose a book of blessings
by the late John O'Donohue
called To Bless the Space Between Us.

Here's what I found.

So at the end of this day, we give thanks
For being betrothed to the unknown
And for the secret work
Through which the mind of the day
And wisdom of the soul become one.

"At the End of the Day" copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian

How many of us fight the uncertainty of not knowing,
rather than just accept the disquiet and ambiguity?

The vast majority, I suspect.
Most people seek certainty, not mystery.

How many of us
are evolved enough
to give thanks
for the chaos of
not knowing?

But think of it:
how amazing that your soul and mind collaborate
silently, secretly
to meld your daily thoughts
with the wisdom of your soul.

Leaving you
the gift of gold
if only you're willing to accept it
with hands and heart wide open
and offer blessings
for everything that comes your way.


Comments

Delwyn said…
Hi Meri

well that was a real gift. Prior to coming here I was just reading Bonnie's post and was talking about the line in the poem that goes

"sometimes the threads have no weave"

and your post echoes this theme...

I like your notion of the alchemical gold that arises from the unconscious after the inner work; the marriage of the mind of the day and the wisdom of the soul, has been done in secret and in silence....

wonderful stuff...

I am sure that developing an ability and an ease to sit with not knowing is a great life enhancer. To be able to befriend uncertainty, sometimes chaos, and to accept that the only real security and uncertainty in life lie in insecurity and unknowing is finding a way to live in a greater state one, of in mystery and awe.


(And this surrender takes a a hell of a lot less energy, anxiety and brain power!)

Happy days
Relyn Lawson said…
I was just visiting your seaglass series. Oh, my is it lovely.
kendalee said…
What a great extract! I'd like to think I am getting better at this - being betrothed to the unknown - but I admit to still having moments when a bit of knowing and even certainty would be comforting. Obviously not yet very evolved, but evolving... Something I do know is that fretting about it doesn't help. And the more I learn, the less I know. Ambiguity is all.

Beautiful photograph too.
Anonymous said…
that was a great fifth sentence you found! beautiful words that stirs the mind.
poefusion said…
I agree in that the fifth sentence was a great one. Your thoughts delve so deeply, Meri. I enjoy seeing this process evolve with you.

I'd like to say that the unknown is my friend but I'm one who likes to know everything is going smoothly. Those disruptions make me skip a heartbeat sometimes. Hope all is well. Have a great night.

Also, I'll try to e-mail you soon about that poem of mine.
ELK said…
what an intriguing meme, i think that the sentence you picked and the corresponding thoughts from you are rich and true..elk
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