autumn twilight
… where the water meets the sea, between the worlds, within the void …autumn twilight
… where the water meets the sea, between the worlds, within the void …Karate Lessons
I started going to a Karate class weekly about three months ago. I’d never before taken any sort of martial arts or organized exercise class of any kind. I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew it wouldn’t be easy for me, and I know that it would be a lot of hard work.
I even kind of expected that I’d find out lots of interesting things about myself. I’ve been at it for a while now, and I find that I like it more than I thought I would. I particularly appreciate the kata forms that I’ve learned. There is a great deal of pleasure in executing defined sets of movements repetitively. I find it to be a very enjoyable type of moving meditation.
… read the rest
A curious truth about the Art
Many of us spend years of our lives learning to perform small miracles. We approach the Art with a casual interest or a single minded determination. And we encumber ourselves mightily as a result.
We can not help it, it is who we are. But the Art is not a hammer or saw, or pan, or needle. The Art is not a paintbrush, or potters wheel. Neither is it unshaped clay, or pigment, or fabric, or paper, or wood. The Art is not music written on a page, or the knowledge of what you wish to create. It is not the understanding of how your creation will manifest or function.
The Art is not a tool.
The Art is not a material.
The Art is not a plan.
The Art is not an outcome.
The art is the natural tendency of the universe to conform.
… read the rest
Alone. Together
I was tweeting kind of prolifically yesterday, going back and forth, and started myself thinking about what it means to walk the path of Spirit. To seek my Will. To fulfill my purpose. And in the course of my conversation with Herbis Orbis I found myself realizing that I don’t feel alone as much as I used to.
I still feel alone. Often. Sometimes I feel as though my alone-ness will be the end of me. But these times seem to be growing less frequent with each passing year.
When I was a teenager, having only just begun to realize that I am called to something greater than myself, having just started to show painful signs of strong psychic talent, I spent a lot of time obsessing over my alone-ness. In fact, one of the oldest pieces of writing I have is this poem, written during that rather emo period of my life. … read the rest
The Door into Fire
I’ve just finished reading “The Door into Fire” by Diane Duane again, and I’m touched and transformed by the wisdom within it. I always forget how it speaks to me, how it unfolds and awakens. there is such beauty in the world that is described. I can not hope to do it justice.
Her world, like ours, is flawed. It’s inhabitants are flawed. The very truth of these flaws, their honesty, is refreshing and powerful, but the real beauty comes from an understanding of one of the few truths I hold dear. The power to love is the gift that redeems us as citizens of this universe. All our greatness comes from our emotion, and it is in love that we stand silently victorious over the chaos of the world.
“How She must love us, To share with us all, to give us so very much — I can’t understand it. Just for my own part, even. What incredible thing have I done, or will I do, to earn — to deserve such, such blessing, so much love….”
… read the rest
surprised by blind adherence
Something surprising happened earlier. I encountered blind and inflexible truth on the internet, Twitter actually. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I really am. I am amazed at the quickness and severity of the reaction, and by the tell-tale misinterpretation, over-interpretation, and suddenly aggressive response. I haven’t seen anything so amazing since I was a regular on AOL.
What amazes me the most is that I was attacked by someone purportedly espousing the value of holism, by which she meant her understanding of Ayurveda. It doesn’t reconcile to me that someone so focused on congruence and understanding the causal relationships between things would react so forcefully and blindly when confronted by a belief different than her own.
I suppose it actually makes a lot of sense in some ways. If your whole sense of self and well-being is bound to a single strict dogma, self-preservation may demand that you reject dissenting thoughts out of hand.
I can’t help but wonder what it’s like to be that person. The Ayurveda specialist who believes it is the only true healing modality. The Christian man who feels his rights have been violated because someone mentions a different faith in his presence. The moral conservative who believes so blindly in his morality that the rest of the world should be forced to comply with it.
I get the impression that it feels righteous. That it takes away your fears and questions. It’s almost tempting, except I’m afraid that without those questions I’d lose the capacity to reason. I’m afraid that without those fears I’d cease to consider the consequences of my actions.
I’ll stay uncertain, thanks.