[Poetry Chaikhana] Symeon the New Theologian - The fire rises in me,

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Dear friends, A good poem from Ivan. Greetings from Arunachala! Alan

--- On Fri, 7/11/08, Poetry Chaikhana <ivan wrote:

Poetry Chaikhana <ivan[Poetry Chaikhana] Symeon the New Theologian - The fire rises in me,alanadamsjacobsDate: Friday, 7 November, 2008, 4:08 PM

 

Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana --

 

 

 

 

 

The fire rises in me,

By Symeon the New Theologian(949 - 1032)

English version by Ivan M. Granger

The fire rises in me, and lights up my heart.Like the sun!Like the golden disk!Opening, expanding, radiant— Yes! —a flame!I say again: I don’t know what to say!I’d fall silent—If only I could—but this marvel makes my heart leap,it leaves me open mouthed like a fool,urging me to summon words from my silence.

/ Photo by irisb477 /

 

 

 

 

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Thought for the Day:

Each form clothes the Formless.Every sound covers the Silence.Seek the naked Presencenakedly.

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Hi Alan -This is a poem of fire and silence.Why fire? In ecstasy, there is often a sense of heat -- filled with immense love -- that permeates the body. This warmth seems to emerge from the seat, flares in the belly, and rises upward, fanning out at the heart.The fire rises in me,and lights up my heart.As this fire moves through the body, it also moves through the awareness, consuming all thoughts (or, more accurately, the tremors from which thoughts emerge).I say again:I don’t knowwhat to say!This fire burns away even the thought of "I" -- only the sense of this living flame remains.it leaves me open mouthedlike a fool...But the heart, giddy with the expanding vista of bliss, nonetheless wants to share its joy. Though it has no words left, it still wishes to speak of "this

marvel,"urging meto summon wordsfrom my silence.---Symeon was born into an aristocratic family in Asia Minor (Turkey) and was given the name George. From boyhood he was groomed for a life in politics. At age eleven, he was sent to the capital Constantinople (Istanbul) to live with his uncle who guided him in his early education. When he was 14, George met a monk at the the monastery of Studios named Symeon the Pious. George accepted Symeon the Pious as his spiritual director while continuing to prepare for a life in politics.Somewhere around age 20, George was overcome by an ecstatic state in which, as with many other mystics, he experienced God as a living presence of radiant light.Despite this radically transformative experience, he spent several more years attempting to fulfill his family's expectations, eventually becoming an imperial senator. However, his continuing mystical experiences

were not compatible with such a public life and, at age 27, he renounced his previous life and became a monk, entering the monastery at Studios to continue under the direct guidance his spiritual director, even taking on the same monastic name -- Symeon.Symeon was later ordained a priest as well and eventually became the abbot of the monastery of St. Mamas in Constantinople, reviving the monastery's life of prayer and meditation. While abbot of St. Mamas, Symeon wrote extensive treatises (called the Catecheses) as guidelines for the ideal monastic and God-focused life, emphasizing the power of contemplative prayer and meditation.The mystical spiritual practices that he advocated and his growing reverence for Symeon the Pious after the elder Symeon's death led to further conflicts with authorities and Symeon was exiled in 1009 to a small hermitage on the far side of the Bosphorus.Disciples began to gather around Symeon and soon

the small hermitage grew into a full monastery. It was there that Symeon wrote his most personal work, Hymns of Divine Love, a collection of poems describing his mystical experiences.Symeon's doctrines and poetry emphasize not only the possibility, but the necessity of personally experiencing the Divine. He also stated that one need not be a monk or renunciate, saying that one "who has wife and children, crowds of servants, much property, and a prominent position in the world" can still directly experience the divine embrace.---Have a day of bliss, fire and silence!Ivan

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