Happy All Hallows Eve

Many spiritual traditions acknowledge that the "veil" between the spiritual and the material worlds is thin today, enhancing contact between the two realms. What this means to me is that today, especially, I remember my ancestors who have come before; I pray they are experiencing peace. It also means that I choose to believe they are praying for me, and that I can feel their love and prayers entering my life. It is also a good day to pray for descendants, whether they are in this world already or still to come. Prayers will always find their way.

And tomorrow, being All Saint's Day, is a day when I think about the lives of saints, what makes a saintly life. Recently, I came across this poem, which I love so much, by Hafiz:

"Even after all this time

the sun never says to the earth,

'You owe me.'

Look at what happens

with a love like that--

it lights the entire sky."

This poem epitomizes saintliness to me. Like the sun, those living saintly lives give of themselves selflessly. They give without regard to holding onto the fruits of their labor; indeed, those fruits are specifically intended for others. Yet saints are also like the earth, receiving divine love, blessings, and grace even though they can never earn these things; for these gifts, they feel immense gratitude.

So, my prayer today is this:

May I give like the sun and feel the gratitude of the earth.

May you give like the sun and feel the gratitude of the earth.

May all beings give like the sun and feel the gratitude of the earth.