One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice-
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations, though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
but little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do-
determined to save
the only life you could save.
Wishing each of you a very, very happy always as you stride deeper and deeper into the world.
Hey; long time, no blog! I have been very busy the last few weeks, working on my submission for Seth's book, with which most of you are probably familiar (correct grammar just for Rice!). That, along with holiday stuff, has taken up all of my time, including some of the time I would normally spend eating, sleeping, or going to the bathroom. The deadline for submissions was yesterday, the last day of 2010, which seems fitting. It feels like the completion of something important, which it was. So now I'm ready for the new year, and I wanted to share a few thoughts with you.
The designation of January first as the beginning of the year is, of course, arbitrary; in fact, in many cultures and traditions throughout the world, it has, and in some cases still does begin at completely different times. But to us, and to all the places in the world that have adopted our system, (whether they wanted to or not), this is the day. We humans are inclined to measure things- to divide the passage of time, for instance, into hours, days, months, years, and centuries- for the sake of organization, and to the provide the order and commonality so necessary for the existence of society. And it does, after all, take 365.25 days for our planet to orbit the sun, so we had to mark it somewhere.
Consequently, to most of our brains, this is the first day of the new year. Mentally, we can wipe the slate clean of last year, and potentially, make the next chapter whatever we wish. (I know, I'm mixing my metaphors here, but whatever- you know what I mean, right?) The future is like a clean, white sheet of paper, waiting for us to make our marks. I'll organize my studio, making space for new ideas, attempt to adopt a new attitude about my job, and consider where I want to go next, looking forward to the new year. I'm hoping that all of you are doing the same; my wish for you is that this year will bring to you all that you hope for.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Astral Journey
Where do we go from here?
p.s. On a different subject entirely, I just wanted to add a note about the whole "answering-comments-on-your-comments-page-versus-with-personal-emails" thing. I've asked for opinions before, and have thought about it off and on since then, and have come to sort of a conclusion. I've noticed that a lot of you have switched to the "no-reply-at blogger..." instead of your email address. Personally, I prefer to respond to comments through individual emails, and here's why: I don't think you can really connect with someone by posting a short response on your comments page. You don't have the opportunity for that back.and-forth exchange that can lead to real friendship. I like those conversations that give us the chance to get to know someone better. Also, it's so much easier to answer when all you have to do is click "reply". So, I will try to go back and respond on my post's comments, but I'll almost always answer if you have an email address I can reply- er, to which I can reply. Occasionally I forget, but I'm only human.
My last post was about the new year, the challenge of change, and how frightening it can be. In regards to that, here are some thoughts by people who express themselves far better than I. To accompany them I've chosen some photos I took at fall's end, when the earth speaks of the past, the changes under way, and whispers hints of the future...
The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.-G. K. Chesterton
It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between that we fear...It's like being between trapezes. It's Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There's nothing to hold on to. -Marilyn Ferguson
The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become. -Charles DuBois
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. -Harriet Tubman
There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.-Anais Nin
I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.-Aldous Huxley
It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.-Alan Cohen
I'm kind of late on this one, but I had a screw loose, as Whitney pointed out. I can't say they're any tighter now, but the one on the computer is okay...
You might notice that I left the "Happy" out of the traditional New Year greeting. Not that I don't want it to be a happy one; I do indeed hope it will be happy, for all of us. But what I'm really hoping is that it will be new. Different. A fresh start; out of that same old rut many of us have been stuck in.What we need is change.
All around me, I see people facing big, scary changes, the kind no one wants to confront. So many friends are facing illness, loss of jobs or income, loss of their homes. These can cause other losses. We lose self confidence, direction, sense of purpose. We are lost.
We wonder, What next?
Believe it or not, this state of uncertainty, of feeling as if the rug has been pulled out from under you, of being totally lost, is a magical place to be. It is the crossroads, the "between", the place of potential and new beginnings. From this point, all things are possible. According to spiritual principles, only when something is taken away can something new be brought in; a psychic "space" must be cleared in order to bring in new energy.
Symbolically, there can be no rebirth without going through the death phase. A shaman receives his/her power by going through a transformation which usually involves a severe illness, an inner experience of being torn apart and put back together in a new and different form. It is painful; it feels like you will not survive.
In "When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times", Pema Chodron writes that she had a sign on her wall which read, "Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us." She goes on to say, "Nevertheless, when the bottom falls out and we can't find anything to grasp, it hurts a lot... When things are shaky and nothing is working, we might realize that we are on the verge of something."
My daughter used to say that without the darkness, we wouldn't see the stars. May each of us see our own stars.
I would like to wish all of us a happy new year. I told my son today that nothing had changed after the ball dropped on Times Square, except that now we have to change the number we write on our checks by one digit. Does the world look any different? Do we feel different than we felt one minute earlier? Has my living room suddenly become smaller or larger, my bathroom cleaner? Of course not. To all appearances, nothing is different at all. But while things don't look different, perhaps the way we look at them does, or can, change. Symbolically, the new year is a new beginning in some way; a chance to start over, to be better, to right what's wrong. If we look at things differently, it's possible to do things differently.
So I wish for all of us a new beginning, a fresh view on old problems, a new insight. May we all try to be better, to think better, and to treat each other better. Happy New Year.
