EveryWherePresent

God alone is enough.

Let nothing upset you,
let nothing startle you.
All things pass;
God does not change.
Patience wins
all it seeks.
Whoever has God
lacks nothing:
God alone is enough

– St Teresa Avila
Poet Seers

Theresa of Ávila by Peter Paul Rubens

Let nothing trouble you.
Let nothing scare you.
All is fleeting.
God alone is unchanging.
Patience
Everything obtains.
Who possesses God
Nothing wants.
God alone suffices.

Eldridge Carmel Prayers

The version I heard first:

Let Nothing Upset You

Let nothing upset you;
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything is changing;
God alone is changeless.
Patience attains the goal.
Who has God lacks nothing;
God alone fills every need.

This little poem of Saint Teresa of Avila, dear to Catholics around the world, was found in her breviary after her death. Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, born in Avila, Spain, in 1515, is one of the best-loved saints in the Catholic tradition and a spiritual figure of universal appeal. A vivacious, talented girl, she entered a Carmelite convent at eighteen and passed more than twenty years there in doubt and division before she was able to dedicate herself completely to God. After that, her life is one of intense practical activity – establishing convents, teaching, writing, traveling – centered in the deepest spirituality and inner peace. Her three books are classics of world mysticism.

Passage Meditation
Eknarth Easwarn

Eknarth Easwaran

Eknarth Easwaran’s book Passage Meditation describes a technique that requires one to memorize and repeat a sacred scripture to meditate. The one above is one that resonates for me. I find it particularly helpful for reconnecting with the every where present. Easwaran would say the effectiveness comes from the fact that one is using sacred words from mystics, way showers and the like, somewhat like connecting into the cosmic consciousness that brought forth the words.

What I know for sure is that through repetition and over time, my recitation of this piece allows me to more vividly rest and know the omnipresence of Source. He invites you to select passages of your own on his site page Passages for Meditation.

Peace.