A Blessing for the Artist

A Blessing for the Artist at the Start of Day
~ by John O'Donohue

May morning be astir with the harvest of night;
Your mind quickening to the eros of a new question,
Your eyes seduced by some unintended glimpse
That cut right through the surface to a source.

May this be a morning of innocent beginning,
When the gift within your slips clear
Of the sticky web of the personal
With its hurts and its hauntings,
and fixed fortress corners,

A morning when you become a pure vessel
For what wants to ascend from silence,

May your imagination know
The grace of perfect danger,

To reach beyond imitation,
And the wheel of repetition,

Deep into the call of all
The unfinished and unsolved

Until the veil of the unknown yields
And something original begins
To stir toward your senses
And grow stronger in your heart

In order to come to birth
In a clean line of form,
That claims from time
A rhythm not yet heard,
That calls space to
A different shape.

May it be its own force field
And dwell uniquely
Between the heart and the light

To surprise the hungry eye
By how deftly it fits
about its secret loss.

A friend told me of this wonderful little book by Irish teacher and poet, John O'Donohue. The blessing you just read is from his book, "To Bless the Space Between Us." I'm also reading one of John's other books, "Beauty: The Invisible Embrace." No doubt future posts will be inspired by this outstanding book. If you have the chance, pick up one or both. I purchased my copies at Hearts & Minds Bookstore.

Grace & peace on the beautiful journey ~ deAnn