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#2522 - Monday, July 10, 2006 - Editor: Gloria Lee
I have on my office door these
words from an accomplished Indian yogi: "Before speaking,
consider whether it is an improvement upon silence."
— Philip Simmons
in Learning to Fall
Alan Larus photo http://www.ferryfee.com/bluesky/islands/detour_1.htm
Messenger
My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird —
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.
Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here,
which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever. Mary Oliver
Knowledge
born of the finest discrimination takes us to the farthest shore.
It is intuitive, omniscient, and beyond all divisions of time and
space.
-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 3:54
From "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali," translated by Alistair Shearer.
how to
get there
it has to do with
calculus with breaking
free of the need to
see that one last step the
one that is infinitely
small as having to be
measured and divided in
its turn
it is zeno's paradox
we have puzzled it for 2500 years circling the point at times infinitely close
reaching for reunion
with the whole while
always steps beyond
counting away as far
as when we began
held at bay by this mind-made trick that makes us stop to carve one last small digital divide
between
us
and the welcome
waiting on the other side
by Hannah a reader's contribution
Directed by
Tina Petrova, Steven Roloff
Visionary Media Inc. 12/05 DVD/VHS Special Interest Film
Not Rated
After praying for relief from the lingering pain of a terrible accident, Tina Petrova, a Canadian actress and filmmaker, had a dream in which the 13th century mystical poet, Jelaluddin Rumi, asked her to organize a festival in Toronto to showcase his work. The event was a success, thanks largely to the participation of Coleman Barks, whose translations have contributed to Rumi being the most popular poet in America for the last decade. By then, Petrova had embarked on a spiritual journey to find out more about Rumi's extraordinary impact upon the world. This one-hour film, which originally aired on Vision TV in Canada, chronicles her quest. She talks with Kabir Helminski, representative in the West of Rumi's Sufi order, about Rumi's life, teachings, and contemporary influence. Andrew Harvey, a mystic who admits to being profoundly affected by Rumi, calls him the oxygen the world now needs. Nader Khalili, an architect and founder of Calearth Institute of Earth Architecture, talks about Rumi's understanding of the universe. Two focuses of the film especially appealed to us. Over scenes of Turkish and American whirling dervishes, Helminski explains the meaning of the ceremony. It is a practice that requires you to become empty so that you can be balanced, centered, and fully aware of the Divine Presence. Another theme of the film and in Rumi's writings is religious openness. Like all the great saints, he was a great lover of unity.
See a preview on website and for information about screenings and how to host one yourself. http://www.rumi-turningecstatic.com/index.html In celebration of the 800th anniversary of the legacy of Sufi Mystic , Poet and Scholar Mevlana Jelalludin Rumi- UNESCO has named 2007 International Year of Rumi.
Instructions to Painters & Poets
I asked a
hundred painters and a hundred poets
how to paint sunlight
on the face of life
Their answers were ambiguous and ingenuous
as if they were all guarding trade secrets
Whereas it seems to me
all you have to do
is conceive of the whole world
and all humanity
as a kind of art work
a site-specific art work
an art project of the god of light
the whole earth and all that's in it
to be painted with light
And the first thing you have to do
is paint out postmodern painting
And the next thing is to paint yourself
in your true colors
in primary colors
as you seem them
(without whitewash)
paint yourself as you see yourself
without make-up
without masks
Then paint your favorite people and animals
with your brush loaded with light
And be sure you get the perspective right
and don't fake it
because one false line leads to another
***
And don't
forget to paint
all those who lived their lives
as bearers of light
Paint their eyes
and the eyes of every animal
and the eyes of beautiful women
known best for the perfection of their breasts
and the eyes of men and women
known only for the light of their minds
Paint the light of their eyes
the light of sunlit laughter
the song of eyes
the song of birds in flight
And
remember that the light is within
if it is anywhere
and you must paint from the inside
~ Lawrence
Ferlinghetti ~
(How to Paint
Sunlight)
(Today's photo
was contributed by a group member; unfortunately, I've lost track of the name of the
person to credit but I'm
grateful and sorry I lost the name.)
Web version: www.panhala.net/Archive/Instructions_to_Painters_and_Poets.html
Web archive of Panhala postings: www.panhala.net/Archive/Index.html