URS date: December 23, 2018
The Spirit of Trees>
> The spirits of the trees
> Old moonlit friends
> They wait for me
> Speaking silently
> Of beauty, light, and mystery.
>
> Standing in deep stillness
> Together as one
> Graceful, soaring limbs
> Praising the sun.
>
> Sage spirits with
> Knowing of a seer
> Whisper words wise
> To comfort and guide
> Step with courage
> Through the door
> The light draws near.
>
> Sovereign spirits, stately ones
> Lift my surrendered soul
> To blue heaven high
> Emerging ethereal butterfly
> Flying free in a sunlit sky
> Joy beyond all bounds
> Purple shimmer flying free
> Above bright branchy crowns.
>
> Sister spirits, loving ones
> Slender branches bowing down
> Lay my earthly vessel
> In Gaia’s giving ground
> Make a bed
> Among roots deep
> Sing my weary bones to sleep.
>
> My body at rest
> Cradled in the arms of the Mother’s warm embrace
> My spirit at peace flying free
> In vast starry space.
>
> Love travels as a river
> To the earth below
> Strong rushing current
> Of gratitude does flow
> For the many blessings mine
> Beloved family, dearest friends
> Their love like sweet wine.
>
> Kindness and beauty
> A living work of art
> A fragrant rose forever
> In my eternal heart.
>
> Dear ones, not long
> Mourn my loss
> But bid me fond farewell
> Cover me with blanket soft
> Of lacy fern and greenest moss.
>
> And know my love
> For you lives on
> A singing stream
> With soothing song
> A golden pink rosy dawn
> In the sweetness
> Of a spotted fawn
> In your hearts
> My love lives on.
>
> By Marie Smith September 2018
Marie, Mihr-un-nisa, was a soul living deeply attuned to intuition and the inner life. She had devotional transcendent roots from an Italian Catholic childhood connected to the nuns and convent and the “Little Flower” Therese of Liseaux. She was part of the band of mystical angelic seekers drawn to Pir Vilayat, Taj, and the stream of Pir-O-Murshid Inayat Khan. I met Marie in the 70’s when someone said we were soul sisters and had to meet. We looked at each other in recognition and agreed. Later when I arrived in Santa Fe, I shared a home with Marie and Stephen for a while. Marie harmonized with her life. She was both fine and strong, sensitively attuned and increasingly connected to the Earth. Life demanded that she be the grounded center of her family and she was strong, sure and practical in that regard. She faced many challenges that demanded her strength, clarity, truth and faith and called forth her mature, wise, soul qualities. Her serious chronic health condition forced her to change direction and with brave exploration she came to reside ever more deeply in her wisdom and inner guidance. She followed and trusted what she loved: her family and creativity. This sometimes required the courage to stand alone in her truth. Courageously and lovingly she struggled to make choices, to set limits and boundaries to guard her health and energy in spite of her health condition being invisible to others who naturally wanted more of her. She protected her quiet, contemplative time alone to dive into the deep well.
In some ways the limits of the river bank make the water flow stronger. This was true for Marie. While needing to withdraw from an outer work schedule, she actually increased her creative contributions in the founding of the art council, her own art work which nourished her, and her warm caring love of family, friends and neighbors. Choosing what she loved kept a healing flow going. With her family’s support she learned to find her way. It was a sincere, truthful, demanding path of exploration. Marie was a deep, big-hearted loving presence and her wonderful, warm humorous personality was a life-giving, nurturing, affirming influence and blessing. I think of Marie as someone who listened, who harmonized with life and eventually, with her dying and death with openness, clear seeing and truthfulness and by being the key note she heightened the beauty, sacredness, love and joy of this precious life.
with gratitude, Sani Inayat