In Breath and Love
nava August 6th, 2008
I have breathed within thee a breath of My own spirit, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and sought a beloved other than Me? - Baha’u'llah
He was, He is, He’ll always be.
I am, we are, eternally.
By breath and love,
He’s bound to me,
And I to him,
So happily.
In breath and love—
He is, I am,
We’ll always be.
In the firmament of pre-existence
There was Him and there was love
In love was truth and in truth was He
And He, in love, breathed life in me.
There was Him and there was love
In love was truth and in truth was He
And He, in love, breathed life in me.
In me is life, the life which He,
Spurred on by love, gave unto me.
A breath He breathed, spoke “it shall be”
And so it was, as now you see..
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- Arts & Culture , Inspiration
- Comments(4)
Your poem is beautiful. Thank you.
The ancient Hawaiians knew that breath was the key to good health. The Hawaiian word for breath is ha, but ha has many other meanings. It means exhale. And since the old Hawaiians were deeply aware that without breath there is no life, ha also means life. (Pukui & Elbert) Because ha was so important, breathing was revered and often done with conscious intention.
Breath is sacred in part because it carries the words of the pule (prayer). (Pukui, Haertig & Lee) In ancient times, long prayers were chanted on a single breath.
The kahuna la’au lapa’au (medical doctors) created herbal remedies and then ha –exhaled – on them to impart mana (spiritual power). (Pukui, Haertig & Lee) In other ceremonies, kahuna held their breath for two hours. (Kepelino)
A kupuna (elder teacher) about to die would pass his last bit of wisdom and mana on to his chosen successor by expelling his breath ha into the other’s mouth. (Pukui, Haertig & Lee)
In Hawai’i still today, breath is considered sacred. As my mother-in-law Tutu Elizabeth Pa Chai says, “Breath is important because when God created man He – ha – breathed him into life.”
Breath was sacred, but the Hawaiians of old also had fun with it. Children played a game to see who could exhale the longest. (Handy & Pukui) During the Makahiki festival, warriors held breath-holding contests. (Pogue)
http://www.hawaiianinsights.com/art_ha.php
Absolutely beautiful! Do you mind if I quote you on my blog. I love your writings and insights.
love,
-m
Hi Mona, Thanks so much for the positive feedback. Feel free to re-post this on your blog. I think in general as long as you cite your source all of the writers here are happy to have their pieces re-posted.