Healing Words

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This week’s podcast brings forth the gentle yet powerful theme of healing through words; as we engage in a heartfelt conversation and share insights and experiences, guiding us through the multifaceted nature of grief and the comfort that can be found within poetry and sacred texts.

- Explore the vital role of words in navigating grief
- Insights on the grieving process
- Highlights of poetic passages providing comfort and connection

Feel free to send any questions you might have about grieving to my email.

As you listen, consider sending me your thoughts and questions on grief, both spiritual and practical, so we can walk this path together.

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Music and sound effects today by:   via Pixabay

Episode Transcript

I welcome you to Solace (00:33):
S oul + Grief.
My name's Candee Lucas and I'ma grief chaplain.
I accompany those who aregrieving any kind of loss and I
ask that you let me accompanyyou today.
You're always welcome in thiscircle of healing, love and

(00:54):
support.
Remember, we are all on thisjourney together.
As we grieve, we oftentimes waitfor that special word, a

(01:20):
special moment, a special memorythat will ease today's pain in
our hearts.
And so I find myself glancingthrough old books looking for a

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word of solace.
I go back and forth again tovarious scriptures, be it Psalms
or, most often, Jeremiah.
These words bring me comfort.

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So today, I hope to offer somewords of encouragement from some

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of my favorite authors.
Some you may have heard of, someyou may not.
The first is Meister Eckhart--It is your destiny to see as God
sees, to know as God knows, tofeel as God feels.

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How is this possible?
How?
Because divine love cannot defyits very self.
Divine love will be eternallytrue to its own being, and its
being is giving all it can atthe perfect moment.
And the greatest gift that Godcan give is his own experience.

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Every object, every creature,every man, woman and child has a
soul, and it is the destiny ofall to see as God sees, to know
as God knows, to feel as Godfeels, to be as God is.

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--This one is from St John of the
Cross.
--I was sad one day and wentfor a walk.
I sat in a field.
A rabbit noticed my conditionand came near.

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It often does not take morethan that to help at times, to
just be close to creatures whoare so full of knowing, so full
of love, that they don't chat,they just gaze with their
marvelous understanding--.

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This is from an Indian mysticnamed Lala.
--Life is given, nothing isearned.
So learn to serve others, notyour own desire and greed and
ego.
They steal your energies,whereas devotion builds your

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strength and protects theintelligent flame that leads to
the truthwithin--.
Another from John of theCross-- the weight of arrogance
is such that no bird can flycarrying it, and the man who

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feels superior to others, thatman cannot dance the real dance
when the soul takes God into itsarms and you both fall onto
your knees in gratitude.
A blessed gratitude for life, ablessed gratitude for life--.

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These next words are from ananonymous Navajo.
--I ask all blessings.
I ask them with reverence of myMother Earth, of the sky, moon
and sun, my Father, I am old age, the essence of life.
I am the source of allhappiness.

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All is peace, all in beauty,all in harmony, all in joy--.
These words are from thePersian poet Hafiz.
--Children can easily open thedrawer that lets the spirit rise
up and wear its favoritecostume of mirth and laughter.
When the mind is consumed withremembrance of him, something

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divine happens to the heart thatshapes the hand and tongue and
eye into the word love--.
These next words are from theQueen of Sheba in Ethiopia.

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--Wisdom is sweeter than honey.
Brings more joy than wine.
Illumine more than the sun, ismore precious than jewels.
She causes the ears to hear andthe heart to comprehend.
I love her like a mother andshe embraces me as her own child

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.
I will follow her footprintsand she will not cast me away--.
These words are from thePersian poet Rumi.
--To place you in my heart mayturn you into thought.
I will not do that.
To hold you with my eyes mayturn you into thorn, I will not

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do that.
I will set you on my breath, soyou will become my life--.
More words from the Persian poetHafiz.
--When the words stop and youcan endure the silence that

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reveals your heart's pain ofemptiness, or that great,
wrenching, sweet longing, thatis the time to try and listen to
what the beloved's eyes mostwant to say--.
These next words are from anInuit poet called Uvavnuk.

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---The great sea has set me inmotion, set me adrift, moving
like a weed in a river.
The sky and the strong windhave moved the spirit inside me
till I am carried away,trembling with joy--.

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These words are from StCatherine of Siena --we know
nothing until we know everything.
I have no object to defend, forall is of equal value to me.
I cannot lose anything in thisplace of abundance.

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If something my heartcherishes is taken away, I just
say Lord, what happened?
And a hundred more appear--.
From St Francis of Assisi.

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--Our hands imbibe like roots,so I place them on what is
beautiful in this world, I foldthem in prayer and they draw
from the heavens light --.
From the Persian poet Rabia.

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--I know how it will be when Idie.
My beauty will be soextraordinary that God will
worship me.
He will not worship me fromdistance, for our minds will
have wed, our souls will haveflowed into each other.
How to say this?

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God and I will forever cherishmyself--.
Words from Dante.
--The love of God, unutterableand perfect, flows into a pure
soul.
The way the light rushes into atransparent object, the more

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love that it finds, the more itopens itself.
So that as we grow clear andopen, the more complete the joy
of heaven is.
And the more souls who resonatetogether, the greater the
intensity of their love.
And, mirror-like, each soulreflects the other--.

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What I like about these poemsand verses is that they continue
to reflect God's surrounding,enveloping love for us.
In times of trial especially,he is available to us.
So I would hope you would takesome of these words, the ones

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that appeal to you, the ones whosound like jewels in your heart
, repeat them, write them down,meditate upon them, breathe with
them.

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That concludes this week'sepisode.
You can find us on Apple,Spotify or Amazon.
Feel free to send any questionsyou might have about grieving
to my email i n the show notes.
I'll try to answer anyquestions you have in the future
.
Remember I'm always availablefor spiritual direction by Zoom

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to those who are grieving.
Please reach out to me if youhave this need.
Be safe.
Travel with God, always at yourside.
Vaya con Dios.