“Natural abilities
are like natural plants,
that need pruning by study.”
– Sir Francis Bacon (1561 – 1621) British philosopher
Today’s SFZ
PAIN RESONATES –
“Someone who
knew what he was
talking about once re-
marked that pain was the
touchstone of all spiritual
progress. How heartily we …
can agree with him, for we
know that the pains of drink-
ing had to come before so-
briety, and emotional tur-
moil before serenity.”
(12 & 12, pp. 93 – 94)
DON’T CUT TOO CLOSE, ITS NATURAL TO SHEAR OFF THE ROUGH EDGES –
“Some of our pat-
terns and choices
have served us well,
while others have not.
Through the inventory,
we search for the pat-
terns we want to con-
tinue and those we
want to change.”
(It Works, How
& Why, p.
30)
How have you pruned off the rough edges, lately?
The Wolf and The Shepherd :
Once, a wolf got into the habit of following a flock of sheep without ever attacking any of them. As a result, after some time the shepherd began to think of the wolf as more of a guardian than an enemy.
One day the shepherd had to go to the city on business and it seemed natural for him to leave his flock in the care of the wolf. When he returned that evening, every single one of his sheep had been killed. The shepherd thought long and hard over what had happened and in the end realised, that it was completely his own fault.
Whoever puts his faith in wicked friends should expect no better.
FEATURED POST FROM THE ZONR VAULT – “For me to be comfortable in my own skin, I need to maintain balance in all things and I have a habit of not doing that. I need to make sure I go to meetings, do my step work, exercise, get plenty of sleep, be of service to others, eat right, etc.” (Orig. post Adam, 1/1/2013)
I’m extremely passionate about issues around injustice and equity. But when I feel I’m being personally assailed I can react with such despair I can be immobilized for a period of time. 95% of the time it’s like water off a duck’s back but that tricky 5% still could use a lil more pruning.
I tend to be super detail oriented when i like a task. It gets borderline OCc. If I could channel that trait and apply it to my time issues (running late) I know I could be more effective in life.
letting others capitalize on my weaknesses, so that their own needs are met.
My thoughts and feelings run together like a bad gang. They are so interconnected that they influence one another – usually to my detriment! Learning to listen to the subtle messages I give myself and how those messages create painful feelings is part of this journey. I cannot let my feelings do my thinking for me; I know that in the abstract. However, in the moment, it is hard as hell to separate the two. Blessings.
I so love Bette’s …the Rose. It reminds me that beauty requires getting rid of the old stuff that makes us ugly and that we don’t need any more anyways.
my brain is a subtle foe! LOL i need to keep my thinking in check or old patterns can creep back in rather quickly