Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Law of Love and the Law of Violence



In July I began reading Jean Giono's The Solitude of Compassion and noticed Henry Miller had written the introduction. Within it he included an excerpt from Tolstoy written close to 100 years ago. I was stunned by what he said, and realized just how significant his voice is for us now. The words below were written at the end of his days, where it seems he had many years to come to understand how information, knowledge, and wisdom evolve.


"This then is everything that I would like to say: I would say to you that we are living in an age and under conditions that cannot last, and that, come what may, we are obliged to choose a new path. And in order to follow it, it is not necessary for us to invent a new religion nor to discover new scientific theories in order to explain the meaning of life or art as a guide. Above all it is useless to turn back again to some special activity; it is necessary to adopt one course alone to free ourselves from the superstitions of false Christianity and of state rule.

Let each one realize that he has no right, nor even the possibility, to organize the life of others; that he should lead his own life according to the supreme religious law revealed to him, and as soon as he had done this, the present order will disappear; the order that now reigns among the so-called Christian nations, the order that has caused the world to suffer, that conforms so little to the voice of conscience and that renders humanity more miserable every day. Whatever you are: ruler, judge, landlord, worker, or tramp, reflect and have pity on your soul. No matter how clouded your brain has become through power, authority and riches, no matter how maltreated and harassed you are by poverty and humiliation, remember that you possess and manifest, as we all do, a divine spirit which now asks clearly: Why do you martyrize yourself and cause suffering to everyone with whom you come in contact?

Understand, rather, who you really are, how truly insignificant and vulnerable is the being you call you, and which you recognize in your own shape, and to what extent, on the contrary, the real you is immeasurably your spiritual self—and having understood this, begin to live each moment to accomplish your true mission in life revealed to you by a universal wisdom, the teachings of Christ, and your own conscience. Put the best of yourself into increasing the emancipation of your spirit from the illusions of the flesh and into love of your neighbor, which is one and the same thing. As soon as you begin to live this way you will experience the joyous feeling of liberty and well-being. You will be surprised to find that the same exterior objectives which preoccupied you and which were far from realization, will no longer stand in the way of your greatest possible happiness. And if you are unhappy—I know you are unhappy—ponder upon what I have stated here. It is not merely imagined by me but is the result of the reflections and beliefs of the most enlightened human hearts and spirits; therefore, realize that this is the one and only way to free yourself from your unhappiness and to discover the greatest possible good that life can offer. This then is what I would like to say to my bothers, before I die."

—Leo Tolstoy, The Law of Love and the Law of Violence circa 1909

Monday, September 22, 2008

Wild Heart: Seeing Red? See Blue Instead

I've been looking a lot at the flowers that surround the area in which I live. Most recently I caught site of the morning glories who are in their last throes of bloom. I noticed this: when they first sprout out of the seed their tiny leaves are in the shape of a butterfly. Gradually this butterfly changes shape and becomes a heart. I made several photos of these clustered together in a pot, but just couldn't get the images I wanted. A few days passed. I went outside and sat quietly. Looking to my right behold: a wee adventurer sprouting away from the others: A perfect heart.




About the same time I came upon another interview with Terry Tempest Williams on New Dimensions Radio. I downloaded it and have been enjoying her thoughts from 1994 where she spoke to, "the passion that we feel is naturally translated to a politics of place—standing our ground in the places that we love." Perhaps these places aren't only geographical. Wild Heart: The Politics of Place is the name of the segment and it can be found here. And here I share with you a few words which seem very appropriate for these times of great turmoil, but also of great awakening and change.

"If we lose our connection to the landscape, if we forget where the source of our power lies—our real power—not the power in Washington, not power based on oppression, but power based from an authentic life, from a life in balance, from a life of beauty, awe, integrity, compassion, empathy; then how can we know liberty? How can we know the truth of our souls? How can we know other?"

I have felt the vibration of my own aggravation being reflected out to and joining with others, as many of us are appalled at some of the choices that have been made in the last few weeks during the presidential campaign. This is a whole post unto itself, but what came through several days ago was a real understanding (I had been petitioning for one) of needing to "Be the change you want to see in the world (Ghandi). I knew my seeing red was not going to serve myself or anyone else and so I made a conscious choice to acknowledge the agitation and anger, and then move away from it and focus on seeing blue instead. This was such a a relief! The negativity of anger, flight or fight, fear, warring, and oppression was replaced by the cool hue of blue: vision, compassion, calm, higher viewpoint, inspiration and hope. 

My feeling is that as I hold this state of consciousness it will create a vibration, as it must according to the laws of nature. And this vibration will then be imprinted upon the ethers, as again it must. And I saw others holding this intention as well, releasing the red and imbuing the blue. Gone was the vision I had of angry hornets swarming across the country. And in its place I saw the most glorious thing: she bees, honey bee workers, females; all in harmony, working with ease and cooperation, creating a sweet vibration permeating the ethers, wafting from flower to flower, hive to hive, garden to garden, street to street, town to town, state to state, coast to coast, and beyond.

And it was a very lovely thing indeed. And entirely possible. And very likely. Then Ghandi whispered to me across the blue, Be the change you want to see in the world, yes. But also, See the change you want to be in the world

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

A Walk in the Garden, Last Days of Summer


My fellow earth dwellers,

I'm bug eyed from looking at blogs and pages of you know what, and you know who. The natural world is such an antidote to this senseless stress and thank goodness we have it still. These little shots I made one morning last week as I walked around examining the new fuzzy caterpillars that are busy munching for their cocooning, and lots of flowers like Cosmos and Morning Glory and Sunflower that have finished their souljourns and have prepared some amazing seeds for next year. It never ceases to amaze me how one seed makes one plant, which makes many seeds—many, many if you are a sunflower.

Another Terry Tempest Williams treat on the way soon but in the meantime take a little stroll through this garden of earthly delights. Parlez joined in and thought it great fun to try and eat my camera strap while I made a photo of him. He was laying down taking a break after an arduous session waiting for finches to drop into his mouth, as you can see below.



















Monday, September 8, 2008

The Garden of Earthly Delights


The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch (c. mid 15th century)


This morning as I bounced up and down on the ReBoundAir I immersed myself in a broadcast with Terry Tempest Williams which was recorded with Michael Toms on New Dimensions Radio. It's a wonderful interview made a little over eight years ago regarding her then new book, Leap, which was inspired by this amazing painting above. The $1.99 I paid for this download a while back has given me more inspiration than I can say. With the amazing iPod (or on your computer) one can revisit it often, and I do, and there is always a new morsel of wonder to be had.

Here is the information on this broadcast, THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF ART, made in June of 2000. You can learn more about Terry, listen to it or download it here. You can also listen to a free snippet by creating an account with their site; a very rich resource brought to us by the amazing World Wide Web, upon which you are now perched. (!)

There are 45 different birds in Bosch's painting and Terry recounts how she had been bird watching behind the Prado during one visit, and took her binocs into the museum to sit and watch the birds in his painting. :)  Leap is well worth a read and there is a fold-out of the painting at the back for reference. 

The first time Terry Tempest Williams looked upon Hieronymus Bosch's painting, "The Garden of Earthly Delights," it captivated her spirit—and didn't let her go until she had walked a seven year pilgrimage through the multiple dimensions of the painting—a painting that remains as mysterious and provacative as it was five hundred years ago. The masterpiece spoke to Williams and she returns the favor eloquently—weaving together the spiritual, psychological, religious, ecological, and emotional intensity of a work of art that transformed her life. "Bosch's genius was saying, there is a real world, a beautiful world, an ambiguous world, a world of discovery and curiosity that is the center panel, the middle path."

In-joy~


Thursday, September 4, 2008

Manahmanah





Guaranteed to make your smile.

Unless perhaps you're Oscar.
;-)


The Internet Sherpa Led Me to This: Desiderata


An Inner Landscape, Oil pastel on terra cotta


The Internet Sherpa (who shall remain a mystery for the moment) led me to this, which led me to this piece of writing by Max Ehrmann, a poet and lawyer, from the 1920s. It came from his inspired urge "I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift—a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods".

You can find out more about it here. It seems to be one of those timeless pieces of prose, just as applicable now as when he wrote it. 


DESIDERATA

Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Last Days of Summer


If you ever get to Lake Como...



I would highly recommend this beautiful hotel in Varenna. The Hotel Royal Victoria is situated across the lake from busier Bellagio and is one of the few hotels with a pool, thus making it a 4 star. This was my view from the small verandah where I ate breakfast most of the week I was there. And yes, the lake really is that blue. These two magnificent cypress trees framed the view from my modest and comfy room, with Bellagio right between them. Getting around is by ferry and you can travel from one 'town' to another this way most of the summer. All around you is flora and fauna, blue water, mountainettes of deciduous and coniferous trees, and some beautiful gardens. 

Varenna is known as the pearl of the lake, and it was indeed very lovely, quieter than other towns, with a castle at its highest point (a nice hike up I took one day to walk off the PASTA and GELATTO!). The lake is situated at the base of the Alps in northern Italy. It's easy to see why people have been drawn to it for centuries.