heart of palm? No, Heart of Master

I think that girlfag and I are cosmic twins. So often, reading her blog, I have this weird feeling that I'm reading something I wrote, but I can't remember when I wrote it.

Anyway. A recent girlfag blog has a link to Master Steve from Arizona's homepage. Specifically, to Master Steve's thoughts on 'Heart of Master' and 'Heart of slave.' Therein is discussed the idea that what characterizes the heart of a Master is a connectedness to the universe, and that the key element of the heart of a slave is a longing for that connectedness.

Huh.



Huh.

(I'm only three sips into my morning cup of tea. Give me a minute.)

Connected to the Universe.

Huh.

I can see that.

I also like the fact that Master Steve talks about love. The entire piece makes me think about the relationship between an abbot and a monk. An abbot is directed to love each monk in his abbey more than he loves his own life. But we're not really talking about loving the monk per se, the way one would love a spouse or child, the 'warts and all' kind of love. But more a matter of loving the monk's heart, the part of him that yearns for God.

to bring the metaphor full circle, what the Master loves in the slave (most) is the slave's yearning, the slave's desire. his desire for home, for completion, surrender, security. For fulfillment. The journey to fulfillment is the slave's, and the Master isn't 'in charge' of the journey, not a captain of the ship sort of thing. Rather, the Master must love that journey more than he loves his own life. That should be Matins, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None, and Nocturne for the Master. "Lord God, be with my slave on his journey." The Master helps the slave when he stumbles along the way, or gets lost, becomes frustrated, despairs of ever reaching the end of the road. Not because the Master knows the way, but only because he is one human being who lives deeply and has walked his own road. The fact that there are two diffferent shining cities at the end of each respective journey doesn't matter.

It's sort of an added bonus for the Master that he gets his boots shined and has someone to whip when he wants.

I've walked my road. I've vered from the path and found my way back. I'm ready to hold a slave's journey close to my heart.

Want that.

Want that bad.

I bought a length of chain and a padlock the other night. The padlock came with two keys. One I put on my keyring. I would like to get a nice necklace, a masculine but delicate chain, and wear the other key around my neck. Not tight around my neck, but so that it falls just below my collar line. Close to my heart.

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