Raising a Candle

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

From time to time
I have to remember
Why I came here.
So often, the passing days
Cause me to forget.
You see, I hold in my hand
A candle, with a brilliant flame,
To fight the growing darkness.

Yet, when aglow
I raise my candle high
So others might see,
And the Light blinds them.
They run away, holding their eyes,
Shaking their head, confused.

So what am I to do?

Still, I raise my candle
Waiting for the weary traveler
Who needs a Light
To find their Way.
Then, as indicated,
I touch my candle to theirs
And together we travel
Illuminating the dark night.
-SB

___________

Read my new book: Beyond The River’s Gate. Book is available on Amazon.com in paperback, Kindle format or local bookstore.

To Order Your Copy Visit Amazon: http://bit.ly/bitkoffriver

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A Better World

by Dr Stewart Bitkoff

People wonder how to create a better world?
In theory, it’s fairly simple, but O so difficult to accomplish.
In each moment, try to rise higher.
In every situation, out of love,
Do your best to create the highest possible outcome.
The highest possible outcome:
Is that which helps others, self,
And the emerging higher destiny of the Universe.

And if you make a ‘mistake,’ try again.
Unintentionally, if you hurt another:  ask for their forgiveness.
And if you don’t know
What the highest possible outcome might be?
Ask for guidance from the Unseen Forces;
Then take a chance- doing the best that you can.
Then leave the outcome up to the Universe.

In some respect, you are but a player in a Game.
A very serious, joyous and multi-leveled Game:
Yet filled with endless opportunity,
Watered by Grace,
And where all ‘mistakes’ are absolved through Love.

-SB

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A Higher Call

by Dr Stewart Bitkoff

Make no mistake about it life is hard;
Filled with pain, illness, struggle
And eventual death.

Yet, the remedy to this circumstance
Is love and passion;
Passion for what you wish to be or do,
Love for another person,
Or love of a Higher Call.

When the night is dark
And you are lost in haze,
Suddenly the sun rises
And shows you the way back Home, again.

For most, this is the journey of the flesh;
Both glorious and frightening.
Remember, this duality exists
So that you might rise Higher.
You are a Child of both worlds
And are set free through love;
Embrace your destiny.
You cannot escape it.

-SB

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Moth to a Flame

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

If I could give you one thing
It would be the burning, yearning
In my soul to fly higher.

Like an eagle
That follows an up-draft
Over and beyond the cliffs;
I seek to go higher and higher.
Like a moth
That circles the candle’s flame;
Waiting, to build up courage
To dive into the fire,
I seek to loose myself
Again, in something Greater.

O where will this restless, endless burning
Lead me?

Suddenly, I am overwhelmed
By a bolt that shatters my brain;
Then another door opens and I hear:
“Accept the wisdom of the heart;
It is only here that you can rest
And become One, again.”

What is this Path
That lies before me?
So many times
I have trodden this Way-
Only to be left
At the door, again.
What difference does it make:
If I go or I stay?
I know not who I am?
All that I see before me
Is the fire of Love.

Now, I am tired and must rest.
O spiritual traveler, have pity on me
For I have pity on you.
This is the only Way Home.
-SB

______

Check-out my two books: Sufism for Western Seekers: Path of the Spiritual Traveler in Everyday Life and The Ferryman’s Dream.  Both books are available through Amazon.com or local bookstore.

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Child of the Universe

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

Each of us
Is an eternal Child of the Universe.
Traveling from world to world
Living on
As Beings of conscious energy;
Creating one adventure after another.

In our present form
We are bound by physical laws.
When sickness and death enter
We forget for a time
Our individual greatness and invincibility.
Caught-up in the moment
Of pain and suffering.
Wondering why
It has to be this way?

O Child of Light
Remember this is but one port of call.
One stop of endless possibility
Along the glorious voyage Home.
Here we explore
The many aspects of Creation;
Learning, partners in the Divine Plan.

-SB

______________________

This poem appears in my new book: Beyond The River’s Gate.

To Order Your Copy Visit Amazon: http://bit.ly/bitkoffriver

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Prayer to the Morn

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

As the sun ascends the mountain
And slowly caresses the new day,
Hear the young birds serenade the morn.
Expectantly they cry out for food
Celebrating their opportunity for life.

O spiritual traveler,
How do you greet the new day?
Are you joyous for another chance
To create your life?
Is your heart’s song
Full of joy;
A prayer to greet the morn?

-SB

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Wheel of Life

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

What once was
Will no longer be
And cannot be again!

What is developing
Is another form.
Another variation.
A new spoke
On the Wheel of Life.  (more…)

Prayer for the Weary

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

O Lord, help me
Not to be in mind today.
As You Will, please rescue me
And lift me higher.
My thoughts are filled
With worry and wanting
And I am so tired
Of not being satisfied,
And constantly afraid.

Guide me.  Help me to rest
In Your Caress
And bathe tirelessly
In the peace of Your Grace.

O Lord, help me
To fight this battle
That rages in my mind.
Thoughts, one upon another,
That will not let me rest.

Help me to pause and kneel
In the shade of Your Kindness;
Swimming in the gentle water
Of Your Grace and Mercy.
O I am so tired of myself.
I need a vacation
From my endless thoughts.

O Lord, please lead me back
Into the calm
And serenity
Of Your Loving Friends.
Help me to be still again
And surrender
To Your Loving Caress.
-SB

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Going Home

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

“If you wish to know how something ends
Look at its beginning.”
-Traditional

The acorn goes deep into the earth
And as the seasons pass,
Grows into a mighty oak.
Spreading its limbs for many years;
Giving shade and nourishment to the countryside.
One day, only to decay and return back to the ground.

O spiritual traveler, when you close your eyes
For the last time, where will you go?

The twin sparks of energy
That joined and exploded
Inside your mother’s womb,
Carry you through your days.
Then one day this energy too
Must journey forward to someplace else.

Where will this energy take you?

Remember, it was Love
That brought you here,
And it is Love that will carry you
From world to world.

One day, to return Home.
-SB

Check-out my two books: Sufism for Western Seekers: Path of the Spiritual Traveler in Everyday Life and The Ferryman’s Dream.  Both books are available through Amazon.com or local bookstore.

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Bird Cage

By Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

Like a captive bird
The soul sings,
Remembering its home.

It is precisely
For this song,
The bird is caged.

Check-out my two books: Sufism for Western Seekers: Path of the Spiritual Traveler in Everyday Life and The Ferryman’s Dream.  Both books are available through Amazon.com or local bookstore.

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