“Begin the song exactly where you are.

Remain within the world of which you’re made.

Call nothing common in the earth or air.

Accept it all and let it be for good.

Start with the very breath you breathe in now,

This moment’s pulse, this rhythm in your blood

And listen to it, ringing soft and low.

Stay with the music, words will come in time.

Slow down your breathing. Keep it deep and slow.

Become an open singing bowl, whose chime

Is richness out of emptiness,

And timelessness resounding into time.

And when the heart is full of quietness

Begin the Song exactly where you are.”

-Malcolm Guite