Travelers Passage
As travelers we set forth into life. We are called into its reaches by the
promise that we will find peace and completion.
With no map to guide us we wander blindly, sometimes aimlessly, with
intuition and faith alone to serve as signposts. Travelers are we all. But chance may find that upon the passing of
a stranger we find our ways the same and the company a pleasure. Groom and Bride have found each other. Through each other's eyes they see their Vision
more clearly and in each other's arms
they find greater strength than either alone possesses. For as far as they can see their path is one.
The Treasured Writings of Kahlil
Gibran
Of Marriage
:
HERE LOVE BEGINS to render the prose of Life into hymns and canticles of praise, with music that is set by night, to be sung in the day. Here Love’s longing draws back the veil, and illumines the recesses of the heart, creating a happiness that no other happiness can surpass but that of the Soul when she embraces God.
Marriage is the union of two divinities that a third might be born on earth. It is the union of two souls in a strong love for the abolishment of separateness. It is that higher unity which fuses the separate unities within the two spirits. It is the golden ring in a chain whose beginning is a glance, and whose ending is Eternity. It is the pure rain that falls from an unblemished sky to fructify and bless the fields of divine Nature.
As the first glance from the eyes of the beloved is like a seed sown in the human heart, and the first kiss is like a flower upon the branch of the Tree of Life, so is the union of two lovers in marriage is like the first fruit of the first flower of that seed.
Of Marriage:
You were born to be together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping, for only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and
the cypress grow not in each
other's shadow.
The Nature of Marriage
Please pay reverent attention to the following passage on the nature of Marriage…
Above you are the stars, below you are the stones, as time doth pass, remember...
Like a stone should your love be firm, like a star should your love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you
inseparable. Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will pass quickly.
Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not the ways of the unenlightened give you unease, for God is with you always.
The Art of Marriage
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A
good marriage must be created. In the Art of Marriage: The little things are
the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to
say "I love you" at least once a day. It is never going to sleep
angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not
end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years. It is having
a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing
the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It
is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but
in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude
in thoughtful ways. It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife
to have wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It
is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is
having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an
atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for the things of the
spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is
establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is
mutual and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right
partner, it is being the right partner.
Biblical
I would now like to
read from 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, verses 1-13: New International Version.
Native American Ceremony
May the sun bring you new strength by day;
May the moon softly restore you by night.
May the rain wash away your fears
And the breeze invigorate your being.
May you, all the days of your life,
Walk gently through the world
And know its beauty.
Now you will feel no rain, for each will shelter the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each will warm the other.
Now you will feel no solitude, for each will company the other.
Now you are two persons, but both will lead one life.
Go now to your dwelling to begin the days of your life together,
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
The Blessing of the Apaches
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter
for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the
other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to
the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May
beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years, May
happiness be your companion and your days together be
good and long upon the earth.