Text of the meditation
Force and strife work upon the passions and fears, but love and peace reach and reform the heart. Whoever is overcome by force is not thereby overcome in their heart; they may be a greater enemy than before; but whoever is overcome by the spirit of peace is thereby changed at heart.
One who was an enemy has become a friend. The pure-hearted and wise have peace in their hearts; it enters into their actions; they apply it in their lives. It is more powerful than strife; it conquers where force would fail. Its wings shield the righteous. Under its protection, the harmless are not harmed.
It affords a secure shelter from the heat of selfish struggle. It is a refuge for the defeated, a tent for the lost, and a temple for the pure. When divine good is practised, life is bliss. Bliss is the normal condition of the good person.
James Allen (1864–1912), Book of Meditations for Every Day in the Year (1913) – public-domain text, gently modernised.
The original 1913 text is in the public domain.
