For today’s meditation, I have selected two passages from William Wordsworth’s ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey‘ (1798) which to me describe perfectly the experience of meditation. It seems that Wordsworth had a mind naturally given to meditation. I recommend reading the whole poem, but these two passages will serve as today’s guide:
Until, the breath of this corporeal frame
And even the motion of our human blood
Almost suspended, we are laid asleep
In body, and become a living soul:
While with an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things…
…And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man:
A motion and a spirit, that impels
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things.
Once again, I have put together a slide show with what I hope are soothing and beautiful images conveying the stillness and harmony evoked by the poem. Some people pointed out that the audio on my previous recording was a little quiet, so this time I picked a moment when I could record the voice-over without interruption. I hope this worked out better, but as ever, if you have any suggestions for improvements, let me know your thoughts.
Taking the weekend off
Appropriately for a post about inner stillness and meditation, I will be disconnecting from WordPress this weekend. Today marks my 100th consecutive day of posting, which means over 100 consecutive posts, as I sometimes make more than one per day. I love the WordPress community and the sense of connection it offers, but my mind and body are telling me I need a little downtime. Never ignore the warning signs if you feel as though you might be heading for burnout: take the time off you know you need. Be kind to yourself, for surely you deserve it!
I will aim to reply to all comments when I return on Monday. In the meantime, I would like to wish you a blissful and beautiful weekend!
Namaste,
Ingrid
Enjoy your well deserved rest Ingrid. Much love Jennifer xx
Thank you Jennifer, I will try ๐
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An excellent choice Ingrid … and now I’ll go back to my Sigur Ros music ..
https://youtu.be/udtP1xwIRhQ
Thanks Ivor – Enjoy! ๐
I read this poem in the third semester of my college and it was a very complex and beautiful poem. Rest well Ingrid โฅ
Thank you Sonali. It is a beautiful poem, one of my all-time favourites ๐
Most welcome dear and indeed it is โฅโฅ
I’m not particularly literate, but I remember reading this as a youngster. It was a dream come true, when we avtually visited Tintern about 15 years ago. The place is every bit as idyllic in real life. You get there, you just want to sit quietly and spend the day soaking it in. It’s right on the border between Wales and England., on the Wye I think.
Iโll have to own up to never having been there! But the Lake District is definitely my stomping ground.
I’m older than you, been around more. Probably more creaky though.
I went to college in Cardiff, I suspect we went there one weekend and stopped at Tintern on the way.
Incidentally the other poem I always remembered was Gray’s Elegy. But was neve massively into literature, always preferred non-fiction.
Oh, thatโs a favourite too! Iโve been around a fair bit myself, Iโm on my 7th move in 5 years ๐
Nah, stuff that. I moved til I was 30 then sunk roots. I like it here, they can take me out in a box.
You read my heart. ๐ A perfect pairing with my morning beach walk. ๐ง๐ผโโ๏ธ A lovely reading.
Thank you Michele โค๏ธ pleased you enjoyed it!
Enjoy some R & R. ๐
Thank you, I will try ๐
Enjoy your time away from posting Ingrid. We will all be here when you get back nice and refreshed โบ๏ธ
I did, Christine, thank you ๐ I mustโve needed it as I spent a lot of time sleeping ๐
Lovely slide show and reading. Have a great weekend!
Thank you Ren!
Have a beautiful, refreshing weekend, Ingrid!
Thank you Merril, I did: I slept a lot ๐ด
We all need time off–enjoy! (K)
Thank you Kerfe, I really needed it!
thank you for the beautiful meditation Ingrid. I too am taking off and I listened to your beautiful voice and words and watched the slide show in the bath.. oh to find a bath for the weekend is heavenly.
Enjoy your time.. simpatico.. xoxoxo๐๐โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ๐๐ท
Thank you so much Cindy! I hope you are proud of me: I took the whole weekend off!!!
๐๐ค๐คโค๏ธโค๏ธ So proud. I could help myself either but I’m so behind.. ๐
Yes, it takes a while to catch up doesnโt it? ๐โโ๏ธ
soooo long๐๐โฃ๏ธ๐
I loved hearing you read that poem. Thank you. Pleased to hear you are taking a blog break!
Thank you Deborah, I really needed it!
Perfect passage to accompany these meditative scenes ๐
Thank you ๐