Perfectly imperfect
In the mailbox this February 5th sunny Sunday 2023 morning . . .
Great [genius] consists in not being original at all; in being altogether receptive; in letting the world do all, and suffering the spirit of the hour to pass unobstructed through the mind. – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
How can we combine the old words in new orders so that they survive, so that they create beauty, so that they tell the truth? Virginia Woolf
Nonduality is the highest level of consciousness...union, not private perfection, is the goal of all religion....[We live in] a benevolent universe. There is no truthful distinction between sacred and profane. Everything belongs...The “separate self” is the major problem, not the shadow self which only takes deeper forms of disguise. Rather than ideas or doctrines, the path of transformation is one of struggle, failure, relapse, death, and woundedness as our primary teachers. – Richard Rohr (adapted)
“Nothing is personal, permanent or perfect.” – Ruth King
Can you consider giving up grasping?
Rx: Bathe in the Watercourse
In the Saturday mailbox this 4th day of 2023 February . . .
Why has the state that uses the most Colorado River water decided to go it alone?
We are amidst a metabolic health crisis that has taken the world by force, hijacking our biology, creating cellular dysfunction, and ultimately making us overweight, depressed, infertile, and chronically ill. Our broken food system and the politics that influence it are to blame. The incentivization of processed grains, refined sugar, and sugar-sweetened beverages for profit has created an internal breeding ground for inflammation, insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. The corruption that’s worsening these problems is a really important issue. – Mark Hyman, M.D.
FYI: Today is the birthdate of writer, activist, and groundbreaking feminist Betty Friedan. She was born 102 years ago (1921) in Peoria, Illinois. Her book The Feminine Mystique was published in 1963. She died on this same day in 2006.
And speaking of groundbreakers – no doubt all pushed along by The Watercourse – several others contributed to making this day significant: George Washington was elected as the first President of the nacent United States 234 years ago in 1789; Thornton Wilder's Our Town debut was 85 years ago, revolutionising theatrical staging; and it is the 121st anniversary of the birth of Charles Lindberg, first person to fly solo across the Atlantic.
Find the time
In Freya's mailbox this 3rd day of February in 2023
I'm grateful for Garrison Keillor's reminder that today is the 149th anniversary of Gertrude Stein's birth, in 1874 Allegheny, Pennsylvania. She moved to Paris at the age of 30, where she met and fell in love with Alice B. Toklas. They lived together between the two world wars, and hosted a now famous salon in their home attended by many luminaries of the Lost Generation — a label coined by Stein — including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, and Ezra Pound.
“There ain’t no answer. There ain’t gonna be any answer. There never has been an answer. That’s the answer.” – Gertrude Stein
It's also the 129th anniversary of Norman Rockwell's birth in 1894 New York. The painter's illustrations of everyday American life graced the cover of The Saturday Evening Post for over 50 years, more than 300 times. Rockwell painted soldiers, mooney-eyed teenaged lovers, and doughy policemen. He also did portraits of several American Presidents.
It’s not always easy, but worth the effort to find a way to disconnect from your daily life and drop into solitude, silence, and creative expression.--Mirabai Starr.