15. On Reason & Passion, The Prophet By Kahlil Gibran

"And, the Priestess spoke again and said: Speak to us of Reason and Passion."
"Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul."

“The Prophet,” a collection of twenty-six prose poems, delivered as sermons by a fictional wise man in a faraway time and place. First published in 1923, it is full of timeless wisdom. I've separated each poem in order to practice Deep Listening for the wisdom in each verse. I hope you enjoy each word.

Transcript

Greetings and blessings friends.

In this segment we cross the threshold over the midpoint in our journey exploring the wisdom the Prophet Khalil Gibran and for me this is one of my favorites this midsection the Prophet's wisdom strikes to the hard cords following this segment of freedom the Prophet enlightens us on the balance between reason and passion and for me personally very analytical I like to explore the science of things understanding the cause and effect and relationships and what I've learned to experience is that passion pulls a passion vision and like an archer drawing back the bow preparing to let loose the arrow all the work harnessing the energy from the core to draw the string back to steady the bow to aim the arrow all the analysis the sets and reps to build the muscles the focus and the fingers let loose our arrow soars through the air the mercy the wind and gravity even the heat of the earth all things beyond our personal control the vision draws its to its target and the priestess spoke again and said speak to us of reason and passion and he answered saying your soul is oftentimes a battlefield upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody but how shall I unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers nay the lovers of all your elements your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul if either your sails or your rudder be broken but you can but toss and drift or else be held at a standstill in the midseas for reason ruling alone is a force confining and passion unattended is a flame that burns to its own destruction therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion that it may sing and let it direct your passion with reason that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection and like the Phoenix rise above its own ashes I would have you consider your judgment and your appetite even as you had two loved guests in your house surely you would not honor one guest above the other for he who is more mindful of one loses the love and the faith of both among the hills when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows then let your heart say in silence God rests in reason and when the storm comes and the mighty wind shakes the forest and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky then let your heart say in awe God moves in passion and since you are a breath in God's sphere and a leaf in God's forest you too should rest in reason and move in passion as our own lives manifest an individuality we find the non duality the wholeness the connection the unity and this is the essence of yoga this is the definition of yoga to yoke ourselves to that unity even though the discerning mind sees the duality be aware honor that awareness observing understanding and living with purpose