RON HENGGELER

The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it always is young, the heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair, and its soul full of music breaks the air, when the song of angels is sung.

Phillips Brooks

From my perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments of sadness or fear. That's what I believe, and it was very, very strong in the forest.

Jane Goodall

“In order to awaken, first of all one must realize that one is in a state of sleep. And in order to realize that one is indeed in a state of sleep, one must recognize and fully understand the nature of the forces which operate to keep one in the state of sleep, or hypnosis. It is absurd to think that this can be done by seeking information from the very source which induces the hypnosis.

....One thing alone is certain, that man's slavery grows and increases. Man is becoming a willing slave. He no longer needs chains. He begins to grow fond of his slavery, to be proud of it. And this is the most terrible thing that can happen to a man.”

G.I.Gurdjieff

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

Anne Frank

“Practice love on animals first; they react better and more sensitively.”

G.I. Gurdjieff

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller

“This withdrawal from the day's turmoil into creative silence is not a luxury, a fad, or a futility. It is a necessity, because it tries to provide the conditions wherein we are able to yield ourselves to intuitive leadings, promptings, warnings, teachings, and counsels and also to the inspiring peace of the soul. It dissolves mental tensions and heals negative emotions.”

Paul Brunton

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Martin Luther King Jr.

I don't think that faith, whatever you're being faithful about, really can be scientifically explained. And I don't want to explain this whole life business through truth, science. There's so much mystery. There's so much awe.

Jane Goodall

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

Buddha

The ultimate way of Being lies beyond all contradictory pairs of opposites with which our two dimensional thinking mind operates. As soon as we are successful in silencing the restless activity of the thinking mind and give a chance to intuition, the pure all embracing spirit in us will manifest effortlessly.

Anagarika Govinda

 

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Norman Vincent Peale

The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.

Friedrich Nietzsche

What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time.

John Berger

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

Calvin Coolidge

 

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Buddha

Every painting is a voyage into a sacred harbour.

Giotto di Bondone

Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.

14th Dalai Lama

Moving between the legs of tables and of chairs, rising or falling, grasping at kisses and toys, advancing boldly, sudden to take alarm, retreating to the corner of arm and knee, eager to be reassured, taking pleasure in the fragrant brilliance of the Christmas tree.

T.S. Eliot

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!

Audrey Hepburn

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.

Saint Augustine

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

14th Dali Lama

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

Marcus Aurelius

“When it seems humanly impossible to do more in a difficult situation, surrender yourself to the inner silence and thereafter wait for a sign of obvious guidance or for a renewal of inner strength.”

Paul Brunton

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

Edith Wharton

To the one who knows how to look and feel, every moment of this free wandering life is an enchantment.

Alexandra David Neel

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Awakening is possible only for those who seek it and want it, for those who are ready to struggle with themselves and work on themselves for a very long time and very persistently in order to attain it.”

G.I. Gurdjieff

Surely it is the right wish that draws us to the right place. Nothing of importance happens accidentally in our life.

Anagarika Govinda

All things are aggregations of atoms that dance & by their movement produce sound. When the rhythm of the dance changes, the sound it produces also changes... Each atom perpetually sings its song, and the sound at every moment creates dense subtle forms.

Alexandra David Neel

“Man is more miserable, more restless and unsatisfied than ever before, simply because half his nature--the spiritual--is starving for true food, and the other half--the material--is fed with bad food.”

Paul Brunton

 

To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.

Alan Watts

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!

Charles Dickens

It's been proven by quite a few studies that plants are good for our psychological development. If you green an area, the rate of crime goes down. Torture victims begin to recover when they spend time outside in a garden with flowers. So we need them, in some deep psychological sense, which I don't suppose anybody really understands yet.

Jane Goodall

Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor.

Sholom Aleichem

Christmas is the day that holds all time together.

Alexander Smith

“And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.

Bertolt Brecht

The feeling of awe and sense of wonder arises from the recognition of the deep mystery that surrounds us everywhere, and this feeling deepens as our knowledge grows.

Anagarika Govinda

Landscapes have a language of their own, expressing the soul of the things, lofty or humble, which constitute them, from the mighty peaks to the smallest of the tiny flowers hidden in the meadow's grass.

Alexandra David Neel

 

My mother always used to say, 'Well, if you had been born a little girl growing up in Egypt, you would go to church or go to worship Allah, but surely if those people are worshipping a God, it must be the same God' - that's what she always said. The same God with different names.

Jane Goodall

The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, and forgiveness.

14th Dalai Lama

Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.

Buddha

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

Marcus Aurelius

 

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.

Thomas Aquinas

Look at children. Of course they may quarrel, but generally speaking they do not harbor ill feelings as much or as long as adults do. Most adults have the advantage of education over children, but what is the use of an education if they show a big smile while hiding negative feelings deep inside? Children don’t usually act in such a manner. If they feel angry with someone, they express it, and then it is finished. They can still play with that person the following day.

14th Dalai Lama

 

To fashion stars out of dog dung, that is the Great Work. To take a negative experience and, by comparing it to something worse, make it feel good, is the great skill.

Alexandra David Neel

Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.

Rene Magritte

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

14th Dalai Lama

Time in itself does not exist, there is only the totality of the results issuing from all the cosmic phenomena present in a given place.

G.I.Gurdjieff

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.

14th Dalai Lama

Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.

Maya Angelou

“Two things in life are infinite; the stupidity of man and the mercy of God.”

G.I.Gurdjieff

Our real nature is not our imaginary, limited ego. Our true nature is vast, all-comprehensive, and intangible as empty space.

Anagarika Govinda

 

I don't spend that much time being introspective, believe it or not. All I know is that I grew up not questioning God because that's how you are. God was there like the birds and the wind.

Jane Goodall

Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values.

Thomas S. Monson

I live and love in God's peculiar light.

Michelangelo

There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.

Mahatma Gandhi

Whatever we believe about how we got to be the extraordinary creatures we are today is far less important than bringing our intellect to bear on how do we get together now around the world and get out of the mess that we've made. That's the key thing now. Never mind how we got to be who we are.

Jane Goodall

Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.

14th Dalai Lama

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

Buddha

 

Faith means belief in something concerning which doubt is theoretically possible.

William James

The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.

Buddha

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

14th Dali Lama

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

Buddha

I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.

Hermann Hesse

“The ordinary man is aware of his surroundings, first, by naming and labelling them; second, by linking them with past memory of them; and third, by relating them to his own personal self. The illumined egoless man is simply aware of them, without any of these other added activities.”

Paul Brunton

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.

Buddha

 

Do not follow after the past; do not go forward to meet the future. Instead, just rest the mind naturally in the present awareness.

Gampopa

When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.

Buddha

I think my message to the politicians who have within their power the ability to make change is, 'Do you really, really not care about the future of your great-grandchildren? Because if we let the world continue to be destroyed the way we are now, what's the world going to be like for your great-grandchildren?'

Jane Goodall

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.

Mary Ellen Chase

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web.

Picasso

The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live.

Buddha

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.

Dr. Seuss

Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.

Mahatma Gandhi

Do not keep what you have selfishly bottled up; pour it out, share it with the world.

Anagarika Govinda

“When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.”

Paul Brunton

Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling.

Edna Ferber

God is in the details.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.

E.O.Wilson

When I was young, I believed that life might unfold in an orderly way, according to my hopes and expectations. But now I understand that the Way winds like a river, always changing, ever onward.. My journeys revealed that the Way itself creates the warrior; that every path leads to peace, every choice to wisdom. And that life has always been, and will always be, arising in Mystery.

Socrates

That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.

Albert Einstein

“Let us take some event in the life of humanity. For instance, war. There is a war going on at the present moment. What does it signify? It signifies that several millions of sleeping people are trying to destroy several millions of other sleeping people. They would not do this, of course, if they were to wake up. Everything that takes place is owing to this sleep.”

G.I.Gurdjieff

Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habit.

Laozi

To believe in God is impossible, not to believe in Him is absurd.

Voltaire

Every step is on the path.

Laozi

The power of the creative imagination is not only merely content with observing the world as it is, accepting a given reality, but is capable of creating a new reality by transforming the inner as well as the outer world.

Anagarika Govinda

Christmas time! That man must be a misanthrope indeed, in whose breast something like a jovial feeling is not roused - in whose mind some pleasant associations are not awakened - by the recurrence of Christmas.

Charles Dickens

 

“If outer events bring him to a position where he can bear them no longer and force him to cry out to the higher power in helplessness for relief, or if inner feelings bring humiliation and recognition of his dependence on that power, this crushing of the ego may open the door to grace.”

Paul Brunton

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

Francis of Assisi

 

I began to understand that suffering and disappointments and melancholy are there not to vex us or cheapen us or deprive us of our dignity but to mature and transfigure us.

Hermann Hesse

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store.

Dr. Seuss

“Every test successfully met is rewarded by some growth in intuitive knowledge, strengthening of character, or initiation into a higher consciousness.”

Paul Brunton

 

Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.

Winston Churchill

 

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!

Dr. Seuss

All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster's autobiography.

Federico Fellini

 

To hold our tongues when everyone is gossiping, to smile without hostility at people and institutions, to compensate for the shortage of love in the world with more love in small, private matters; to be more faithful in our work, to show greater patience, to forgo the cheap revenge obtainable from mockery and criticism: all these are things we can do.

Hermann Hesse

Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace.

Pope Francis

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.

Henry Ward Beecher

Step with care and great tact, and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act.

Dr. Seuss

Make your heart like a lake, with calm, still surface, and great depths of kindness.

Laozi

 

 

 

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

Buddha

 

“Deep down within the heart there is a stillness which is healing, a trust in the universal laws which is unwavering, and a strength which is rock-like. But because it is so deep we need both patience and perseverance when digging for it.”

Paul Brunton

Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?" That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.

Hermann Hesse

 

 

The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.
Michelangelo