Painted Oxen Quotes

“The simplest things are overlooked. And yet, it is the simplest things that are the most essential.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“Everything must break open in order to live. The seed must break open in order for the tree to grow. The egg must break open in order for life to emerge. The Earth must be turned and the cloud must burst. You were never meant to stay in your shell.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“Alchemy, the masters teach, is the process of linking the spiritual to the material. The alchemist is the bridge between the worlds. It is a process of working inside a mirror, knowing always that in the end, the part will reflect the whole. As inside, so outside.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“At one time or another we are all called to leave the safety of our homes, the certainty of what we know, the illusions of who we are. Not everyone will heed this call, of course. And those who do will risk losing themselves completely. But if we choose to ignore the invitation, we risk never knowing who we might have become. We risk dying without knowing what it is to live.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“There is a sacred marriage between water and earth... Their relationship binds everything we know and trust. Earth holds space for water. Water nurtures earth’s dreams. Their collective desires make life possible. Without their marriage, this world could not be. And we could not be of this world.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“A word is a bridge. It is a wave of light and sound that spans the perceived distance between one thing and another.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“Fire is the voice of god, speaking in tongues. Fire is the liberator of water, slipping the earthly bonds. Fire is the memory of stone, being released to the heavens. Fire is the mother of the Earth, born of desire. Fire is the seducer of wind, dancing in abandon for its beloved. Fire is the illuminator, the protector, the destroyer, and the giver of all life.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“Holding onto misery only brings more misery into focus. All possibilities exist. But the mind has only room for one thing at a time.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“We think our world into being.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“A dream is not to be taken lightly. A dream is a powerful ally, coming to your aid. A magic tale, written in invisible ink. A golden thread, tying together the worlds.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“The bright side of the moon could not exist without the half wrapped in shadow. A half-life is not substantial, not sustainable. You cannot cut out half your heart and live.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“His journey is not a reflection of the moon. It is the moon itself. He is not separate from this quest. It is his dharma, his path, his voice. It is not a bead on a mala, not a veil to remove. It is the cooperation of elements, the marriage of spirit and flesh. It is the shadow of faith, the reflection of being. It is the full metaphor. It is all there is.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“Whatever some people might say, it seems to me that a world in which I can fly, bend space and time, and meet with people who have been dead for years, deserves more consideration than it gets. If I weigh the waking world on one side of the scale and the dream world on the other, which one is more substantial? Doesn’t a world of endless possibilities seem more likely to contain the whole of our lives than the fraction of the world that we call real?”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“Each cloud we burst, each moon we drum, each sun we dance is an essential part of the wheel. Though they are not the whole circle of our being. The whole is incalculable.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“There are two paths for anyone who is seeking to learn that which is kept hidden. One is to initiate into a society, secret or not, with traditions that are well-established. The other is to seek one’s own path and to forge the way by trial and error. Either choice is dangerous. In order to master the mysteries of the universe, one must bridge heaven and earth. The bridge is a world in itself.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“The sun has but half a meaning without the shadow it casts into the ocean of the world.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“The mountain affords perspective.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“You dream of a new world to come, a new world to be birthed, a new dream to be dreamt. In the dream, a flower grows, a lotus from which the creator and the creation will unfold. From which light will begin to shine upon this vast dark sea, unveiling all the magic sleeping within. From this flower, infinite worlds and universes will be born. Each will contain a seed of light. And these seeds will light the heavens for all to guide their journeys by.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“Prometheus stole fire from the gods. We are each the heirs of that divine spark. Used wisely, the spark fuels one's journey and lights the way. Treated carelessly, the spark consumes its owner and everything in its path.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“The universe is abundant and supports each of us. In order to see this, though, we must open all of our senses.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“But I don’t think fighting monsters is all that courageous. I think the ultimate act of courage is standing still in the face of a monster. Courage is looking closely enough into its jaws to see it for what it is: an illusion. The monster isn’t real. It’s your fear of the monster that is real. And just about anything in life can look like a monster if the light is just right.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“In the beginning was the word. And the word was split into infinity. All words, then, are part of the whole. Just as we are each part of the whole. There are individual words, as we are individual beings. Each word carries with it the memory of the whole logos. Just as we each carry the memory of the whole universe.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“The moon speaks in slivers and halves.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“From my low perch, I watch the world as it passes by on these dirty side streets. There are no westerners in this corner of the city. Just locals going about their business. Weighing out brightly colored spices, walking back from the fish market, stopping at the paan shop, socializing over tea. Old men in lungis and flip-flops walking hand in hand and dirty-faced children who are all bright smiles and wild eyes. I am comfortable here. Sitting on this board, in this tiny chai stall, hidden away from the recognizable world. For the moment, I have disappeared.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“The ears are the eyes of the dark, as the stars are the eyes of the night sky.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“To work in the dark, you must be able to hold your own light, and still be intimate with the darkness.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“The moon casts a different face everyday. Yet the moon is always the moon. It is always whole. Always reflective.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“Stop and listen. The story is everywhere.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“The desert still has a memory of water. And that memory is a living thing. It is infused into the sand. It is part of its essence.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen

“There is weakness in resistance, strength in letting go.”
― Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen