Queen Mab

Queen Mab What follows is Mercutio’s remarkable description of Queen Mab from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Act 1, Scene 4) O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you.She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comesIn shape no bigger than an agate...

At The Heart of Buddhism

The Buddha The Four Noble Truths The Four Noble Truths describe the nature of suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation. The First Noble Truth: The Truth of Suffering (Dukkha) Suffering is an inherent part of human existence. It arises...

Carel de Amor

The Troubadour Carel de Amor So through the eyes love attains the heart:For the eyes are the scouts of the heart,And the eyes go reconnoiteringFor what it would please the heart to possess.And when they are in full accordAnd firm, all three, in the one resolve,At that...

The Supreme Being’s Banquet

The Banquet One day the Supreme Being took it into his head to give a great banquet in his palace of azure. All the virtues were invited. Only the virtues … men he did not ask … only ladies. There were a great many of them, great and small. The lesser...

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

Marus Aurelius – An Artist’s Impression From The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius’ father, Marcus Annius Verus, died when Marcus Aurelius was a young boy, around the age of three. Nevertheless he seems to have made a profound impact on...

Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at night – Abu Dhabi Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power Laylat al-Qadr, or the Night of Power, commemorates one of the most significant events in the history of Islam. It is the night when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his...