Carpe Diem #1329 rebirth

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I hope you all have your preparations made for the holidays and that your homes are decorated with the beauty of Christmas. We aren't ready yet, but ... well we have time enough.

This will not be a very long episode, not of lack of time, but because this quote speaks for it self. Today I have a ... difficult quote I think, but I also think you can work with it. Today's quote is extracted from Paulo Coelho's "The Fifth Mountain".

Let me give you a brief overview of this novel:

The story is based on the account of Elijah from the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings chapters 17-19). The focus is on Elijah's time in Zarephath (in this book named Akbar). Much has been added to the simple Bible story by Coelho, including Elijah witnessing the sacking of Akbar by the Assyrians, Elijah's journey up the Fifth Mountain itself (said to be the dwelling place of Baal), and Elijah's falling in love with the widow to whom God sent him.
For a considerable portion of the story Elijah is very compliant, obeying everything God's angels say. Eventually he realizes that his destiny is not being chosen by him but by God and ultimately he decides to abide by his own desires and will.

The Fifth Mountain (cover)

I am not that familiar with the story of Elijah, but as I read this novel, a while ago, that part of the Bible started to become alive and I think Coelho has created a really nice story inspired on the life of the Hebrew prophet Elijah. In this novel there are several wonderful spiritual lines to learn from and to become inspired.

Here is the quote for your inspiration:

[...] "The ashes of the dead ... will become the plants that are reborn in the spring.” [...] (Source: The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho)

Isn't that a wonderful idea? I ran through my archives to find a few haiku that fit this theme "rebirth":

smoke rises

from the pyre

to Heaven

her spirit departs

with the dying of her pyre -

smoke rises to the sky

several lives

once lived and re-lived -

Lotus blooms again

reaching for a new day

cherished by the sun

And I found a nice "pi-ku":

the sun rises

the heat

already tangible

mist

spirals above the stream

another day starts in mysterious ways 

© Chèvrefeuille  

Well I hope you did like this post. This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 25th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on. For now ... have fun!