Reconciling the irreconcilables . . .
In the mailbox this Satyr's day . . .
Today is the 481st anniversary of the birth of St. John of the Cross. The mystic/poet was born on this date in 1542 Hontiveros, Spain (1542). With St. Teresa of Avila, together they reformed with much turmoil, the Carmelite order of the Catholic church. Also considered one of Spain’s greatest poets, he is the patron saint of mystics, contemplatives, and many poets in and outside of Spain.
We are born into a very fierce existence that is continually trying to change and mature us into a larger understanding of ourselves and our world, these changes quite often take the forms of traumatic appearances and disappearances, with a sense of our final disappearance becoming more insistent as the years go by. Every human life is an almost surreal and wild experience; even the most ordinary existence is an enormous drama in which each of us participates. Poetry has always been a living way of bringing together the irreconcilables in our lives, a language equal both to the drama and the sense of privilege in being alive, no matter our difficulties. – David Whyte
The Dark Night of the Soul (edited by j.b.)
As I parted,
with his gentle hand he wounded me
and caused all my senses to be suspended.
I remained, lost in oblivion;
my face I reclined on the Beloved.
All ceased and I abandoned myself,
eaving my cares forgotten among the lilies.
– John of the Cross
The long, healing reach of the Muse. . .
In Freya's mailbox this soon-to-be hot Summer day in Okieland with power and a/c restored after “the great wind of 2023.”
Engaging in an art project—from painting and dancing to expressive writing, architecture, and more—for as little as 45 minutes reduces the stress hormone cortisol, no matter your skill level, and just one art experience per month can extend your life by 10 years. – Susan Magsamen (with Ivy Ross), Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us.
Today is the 134th anniversary of Anna Akhmatova. Critically acclaimed among the greatest Russian poets, she was born in 1889 near the Black Sea port of Odessa in Ukraine.
It’s also the birth date of mathematician and logician Alan Mathison Turing. The founder of what became our computers, and AI visionary, was born in 1912 London, England
And the author of the Gettysburg classic “The Killer Angels,” Michael Shaara was born today. The novelist and short-story writer was born in 1928 Jersey City, New Jersey. He died in 1988.
The Muse
When in the night I await her coming,
My life seems stopped. I ask myself: What
Are tributes, freedom, or youth compared
To this treasured friend holding a flute?
Look, she’s coming! She throws off her veil
And watches me, steady and long. I say:
“Was it you who dictated to Dante the pages
Of Hell?” And she answers: “I am the one.”
Like a White Stone
The ancient gods changed men to things, but left them
A consciousness that smoldered endlessly,
That splendid sorrows might endure forever.
And you are changed into a memory.– Anna Akhmatova
Sumer is icumen in
Summer is officially upon us here in Okieland, and Thor’s mailbox held reflections . . .
All transformation takes place in liminal space.— Richard Rohr.
Today is the 117th anniversary of Billy Wilder’s birth. The Hollywood announced director, producer, and screenwriter was born on this date in 1906 Vienna, Austria.
Meryl Streep turns 74 today, born in 1949 New Jersey. There is little argument that Streep is our “greatest-living actress” — she has more Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations than any other actor. She has been presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and won two film-industry lifetime achievement awards.
Also turning 74 today is Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, born on this date in 1949 Oklahoma City.
The sun reaches its peak and, imperceptibly at first, but inevitably, the days will shorten. At the height of summer, we begin the journey back to winter’s cold. The solstice reminds us that all things reach their fulfillment, and then change, but what may appear as decline may really be a deepening, a shift into another dimension, from the waking world into dream.
This is a time for us to reflect on the poignant fragility of beauty and its transformation. Old structures give way for new things to grow. We send our hopes and prayers into the Dream, to gestate new visions and possibilities. In so doing, we let go, and open up new spaces.
To the Solstice . . .
To Arts — living, transforming us . . .
To Momentum . . .