Blog of St. Luke in the Fields

Translation from the Aramaic, Matthew 7:7 by Neil Douglas-Klotz:

Ask intensely–
like a straight line engraved toward
the object you want;
pray with desire–
as though you interrogated your own soul about
its deepest, most hidden longings;
and you will
receive expansively–
not only what your desire asked,
but where the elemental breath led you–
love’s doorstep, the place where you
bear fruit
and become part of the universe’s
power of generation and sympathy.

Search anxiously–
from the interior of your desire
to its outer embodiment–
let the inner gnawing and boiling lead you to
act passionately–
no matter how material or gross
your goal seems at first;
then you will
find fulfillment
of the drive of the flesh
to accomplish its purpose
and see its destiny.
Like a spring unbound, you will
gain the force
of profound stillness after an effort–
the earth’s power to grow new each season.

Knock innocently–
as if you were driving a tent stake or
striking one clear note, never heard before.
Create enough space within
to receive the force you release;
hollow yourself–
purified of hidden hopes and fears,
and it shall be
opened easily–
a natural response to space created,
part of the contraction-expansion
of the universe;
and penetrated smoothly–
as the cosmos opens and closes
around your words of satisfied desire.