A simple formula...

A good night's sleep,



an early morning of num nums and meditations,


and off we go to work!


Some call this a 'Wordless' Wednesday but cat boys were full of words this early morning. They woke up mummy at 4:30 a.m., and then read this to her:

O MY BROTHER! Hearken to the delightsome words of My honeyed tongue, and quaff the stream of mystic holiness from My sugar-shedding lips. Sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of thy heart, and water them with the water of certitude, that the hyacinths of My knowledge and wisdom may spring up fresh and green in the sacred city of thy heart.

Since I have no clue why they chose this passage and how they could even read or understand it I have to believe that today will be my personal 'Clueless Wednesday'.

May cat purrs and kisses soothe your day!

Ciao!

Sylvester and his two nephews ...

We are not sharing any reflections or readings today. We are all going to pray for a friend who winged his way to the eternal realm and remember that Tuesday is clothed with the divine attribute of Grace.

Wishing all cat kisses and GRACE!

Ciao!

Virtue of Acquiescence, Chalice of Sincerity...

It was a relaxed Sunday morning and cat boys suggested that we deepen ourselves on the theme of purity of motive, contentment, acquiescence, ... Stunned as I was (where does this vocabulary come from) I did not want to lose the moment, and so I hastily flipped through the first book that was laying about and opened to these pages....

Concerning the sincerity of motive and purity of deeds, the Tongue of Grandeur addressed the princes in these words:
'Suppose there is a very rich person whose wealth is enormous and beyond measure. And suppose that gradually and in the course of time he bestows so much of his wealth upon a poor person...that he himself is reduced to absolute poverty while the poor man has turned into a very rich man...Suppose in his poor and distressed state he reaches a situation in which he incurs some small debt. Being unable to pay it, he is brought to a public square in town where he is humiliated and punished. He is further informed that his release will not be considered until he pays his debt. At this point suppose he sees his friend (who once was poor and as a result of his generosity has become rich). Should the thought flash through his mind that he wishes that in return for all his generosity to him, this friend would now come forward and relieve him of this calamity, immediately all his deeds would become void, he would become deprived of the virtue of contentment and acquiescence, and would be shut away from the virtues of the human spirit.
The same thing is true of the second man who has become rich (through the generosity of the captive). Should he think in his heart that he is obliged to pay this man's debts, free him from his ordeal, and enable him to live the rest of his life in comfort, because he had earlier shown immeasurable love and kindness towards him, then such a motive leading him to repay his friend's generosity (instead of giving for the sake of humanity) would cause him to be deprived of the chalice of sincerity and would drive him into the world of ignominy.
The only way acceptable to God would have been for the first man to have based his acts of generosity on humanitarian principles wholly for the sake of God. In the same way, the second rich man should have acted for the sake of God and as a duty to the world of humanity regardless of the events of the past or the future. Thus it is revealed: "We nourish your souls for the sake of God; we seek from you neither recompense nor thanks" '...

The cat boys seem pleased although I noticed some hesitation from Ollie. He likes to barter purrs for treats and this may not change. I found the reading challenging and felt the need to examine my own behavior and ponder upon the consequences of this sort of behavior. Would it change the world for the better? So I plan to reflect upon this together with Ollie again. Augustus seems alright with it. Well, this is it for today.

Cat boys send all pure and sincere wishes and a few cat kisses for a perfect Monday...

Their hearts' desire...

"Coming to get you little squirt!", says Ollie, the hunter.


"You must be kidding Puffy Pants!", said the squirrel from way up high on the palm.


Reassessing..."Is this worth the effort?"


"Nope, but you are a pretty one!"


Augustus knows from the beginning what he should or should not aim for. He feasts with his pretty eyes.


Ollie and August will be memorizing the following on this Glorious Saturday (even though they already possess pure, kindly and radiant hearts):

O SON OF SPIRIT!

My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. (Hidden Words)

Wishing all cat kisses and all that is glorious!

Ciao!

Louder than words?

A stroll...


A pause...


A naughty squirrel...




A hide and seek...


A chase...



A wish stuck on a tree....


An entirely oblivious Ollie...

with his own independent aspirations.

And there we have it, an independent set of cat boys with hearts filled with love.

It may seem that the cat boys only think of squirrels and birds but apparently that is not the case. Gussy 'Gus asked me to insert this link to a new young artist's shop. I think Augustus likes what he sees in that shop, the baby has such an eye for beauty. Do check her out and wish her a beautiful Friday if you have time.

And today's reading as picked by Ollie, the ginger cat, is:

O SON OF SPIRIT! Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be content with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which profiteth thee, if therewith thou dost content thyself. (Hidden Words)

I am surprised that Ollie would select this because I always have a different impression of him but obviously I am wrong.

Wishing all an independently fabulous Friday and little cat kisses all day long....

Ciao!

A Majestic Thursday? We hope so...

Randomness has gotten hold of me, and I am trying hard to center myself. Perhaps it has something to do with my reading of an article on Dissipative Structures. I will tell you more about it as I manage to wrap my mind around it so for today it is all randomness, a few pictures of cat boys and a random quote for reflection. Incidentally, a lot of these quotes come from a selection called 'The Hidden Words, and I will tell you more about that too.

Augustus in his adorable crouching tiger pose...


Augustus in his 'mummy come play with me' pose...


and who else but Ollie, the Vulcan cat, who is not trusting to follow mummy down this path, love those ears...love those ears!


And today's quote:

O SON OF MAN! Thou dost wish for gold and I desire thy freedom from it. Thou thinkest thyself rich in its possession, and I recognize thy wealth in thy sanctity therefrom. By My life! This is My knowledge, and that is thy fancy; how can My way accord with thine?

Wishing all peace and prosperity, and cat kisses...

Ciao!

Hier soir chez nous....

9:30 p.m. and we need to check our neighborhood....ok




Must go down the street and sit there...ok


Wander about....ok


Return home and stretch, ready to sleep (O thank God, says mama)


Wake up at 5:00 and go out again...ok (who controls whom...do you get the picture)


And on this Wednesday I am reminded of the following passage from Gleanings, CXXX.

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.

And again en Francais, because the cat boys are learning French : )

Sois généreux dans la prospérité, et dans l'adversité ne cesse de rendre grâces. Mérite la confiance de ton voisin, et ne lui montre jamais qu'un visage amical et souriant. Sois le trésor du pauvre, admoneste le riche, réponds à la plainte du nécessiteux et garde la sainteté de tes promesses. Sois équitable en ton jugement et réservé dans tes paroles. Ne sois injuste envers personne, et montre à tous une douceur parfaite. Sois une lampe pour ceux qui marchent dans les ténèbres, une consolation pour les affligés, une mer pour ceux qui ont soif, un refuge pour ceux qui sont dans la détresse, un soutien et un défenseur des victimes de l'oppression. Que la droiture et l'intégrité marquent tous tes actes. Sois un foyer pour l'étranger, un baume pour ceux qui souffrent, une forteresse pour les fugitifs, des yeux pour les aveugles, un phare pour les égarés. Sois une parure pour le visage de la vérité, une couronne sur le front de la fidélité, un pilier du temple de la rectitude, un souffle de vie pour le corps de l'humanité, un drapeau des armées de la justice, un flambeau qui brille à l'horizon de la vertu, une rosée pour le sol desséché du coeur humain, une arche sur l'océan de la connaissance, un soleil dans le ciel de la bonté, une gemme au diadème de la sagesse, une lumière qui brille au firmament de ta génération, un fruit de l'arbre d'humilité. ( I have to admit that this time the English sounds more melodic...there is always a first)

You may think this is a tall order, and I could not agree more but only by aiming high we can hope to get there.

Wishing all cat hugs and kisses and all justice on this Wednesday clothed with the robe of justice...

Ciao!