Chapter 16 reason and passion

Then the priestess spoke again: Tell us about reason and passion. He replied: Your mind is often the battlefield where your reason and judgment meet your passions and desires. How I wish I could be the creator of your peace of mind, turning the opposing elements in your heart into a harmonious melody. If you are not peacemakers of your own elements, or even lovers of your own elements, how can I do it? Your reason and passion are the rudder and sail of your sailing soul. If your rudder or sails are damaged, you will only be wandering at sea, or stranded at sea. Reason reigns alone, and is a repressive force; passion, free and unrestrained, is a flame that burns everything until it burns itself.

Therefore let your souls raise reason to the height of passion, and it will sing; Let your soul guide your passions with reason, so that your passions experience a daily resurrection, like a phoenix rising from its own ashes. I want you to consider your own judgments and desires as two beloved guests in your home. You obviously don't favor one over the other; for too much emphasis on one will cost you both the friendship and confidence of both. In the mountains, as you sit in the shade of the poplars, and share the peace and quiet of the distant fields--let your hearts say in silence, "God resides in reason."

When the storm comes, and the wind shakes the forest, and the lightning and thunder announce the majesty of the sky,--let your hearts say in awe, "God works in passion." Since you are a breath in the realm of God, a leaf in the forest of God, you should also live in reason and operate in passion.