Beautiful, and will stay with me, especially perhaps this: “To stare, and ‘feel time not so much as moving as being moved in,’ as Tait did, we need a kind of patient attentiveness that’s not much called for in most of our lives.” I hadn’t really registered that line in the poem until you pulled it out, and it’s wonderful.
I was once blessed to be able to watch a jasmine flower opening in real time. It was evening. I was living in Cyprus. The air was balmy and, sitting in my pergola, my eye was captured by a slight quivering of one of the stalks. There was no wind to account for the movement. So I kept watching and quite magically the flower began to open, petal by petal. It did really feel like a blessing.
A Buddhist monk once described patience to me as ‘not wanting things to be any other way’. I’m needing it today, and to think of it as a soft rebellion gives me even more determination not to harden against the forces that, if responded to in a different way, would disrupt my peace, and likely the peace of those around me. I also love the insight into process- how these ‘notes’ turned into a longer inquiry and eventually, a conversation. Thank you.
I remember learning about "ballistics and saccades" in my neuropsychology class. Cool stuff.
What I love about your essay Samantha is the deep truth that most of "reality" is unfolding (both slow and fast) outside of our sensory and cognitive design limits. And yet we think we know it "all". Here is a good one about that:
"A frog that sits at the bottom of a well thinks that the whole sky is only as big as the lid of a pot. " — Vietnamese proverb
Beautiful words, and thank you for the lovely quotes. You had me considering looking! I note that I look at, look for, and if I am just looking I’m am defocusing and not noticing. There is mastery in being able just to look with no other agenda, with a quietening of the mind, a shutting down of the voice, big challenges for busy heads. Hmm, I’m sure that Zen masters would have wisdom to solve that dilemma!
You are so right Sarah. When we look ‘for’ we are of course blotting so much else out. Revealing one thing always conceals another. But life without any filters at all would be overwhelming.
Beautiful writing Sam. I am going to share the quote from Shannon Willis about 'soft rebellion' with my comrades in XR who are all in need of a lift. Thanks for sharing and the pics 💚
Thanks for this. As is often the way your weekly posts hit spot on. I had been writing about drawing and sitting with rocks and slowing down time and how for me this is a slow act of resistance that is quiet and mediate . Now I know. It’s sorry rebellion! Also the Margaret tait writing. I have been watching the primroses in my grass daily looking for the yellow tips to emerge from the leaves. Can I catch that first primrose moment as it happens? I suspect not the will be not here and then here. Cally x
Sorry-not-sorry! Lovely to hear that we are in alignment, and I love your practice of 'sitting with rocks'. Slow rebellion perhaps! Implacable, like plate tectonics.
Beautiful, and will stay with me, especially perhaps this: “To stare, and ‘feel time not so much as moving as being moved in,’ as Tait did, we need a kind of patient attentiveness that’s not much called for in most of our lives.” I hadn’t really registered that line in the poem until you pulled it out, and it’s wonderful.
Yes, it's the one that stayed with me too...one to ponder.
Yes, this sentence also gave me pause.
I was once blessed to be able to watch a jasmine flower opening in real time. It was evening. I was living in Cyprus. The air was balmy and, sitting in my pergola, my eye was captured by a slight quivering of one of the stalks. There was no wind to account for the movement. So I kept watching and quite magically the flower began to open, petal by petal. It did really feel like a blessing.
How wonderful! I’ve never seen that moment. Yesterday all the daffodils popped open but I only saw before and after...
This is a lovely post, Sam. I really enjoyed being with you in your space.
You are so welcome Yasmin.
Beautiful writing and imagery. You’ve encouraged me to make my own act of “soft rebellion” today!
Wonderful! In soft solidarity with you!
A Buddhist monk once described patience to me as ‘not wanting things to be any other way’. I’m needing it today, and to think of it as a soft rebellion gives me even more determination not to harden against the forces that, if responded to in a different way, would disrupt my peace, and likely the peace of those around me. I also love the insight into process- how these ‘notes’ turned into a longer inquiry and eventually, a conversation. Thank you.
Thank you Helen. Yes your monk friend knew a thing or two about peace, I think.
I remember learning about "ballistics and saccades" in my neuropsychology class. Cool stuff.
What I love about your essay Samantha is the deep truth that most of "reality" is unfolding (both slow and fast) outside of our sensory and cognitive design limits. And yet we think we know it "all". Here is a good one about that:
"A frog that sits at the bottom of a well thinks that the whole sky is only as big as the lid of a pot. " — Vietnamese proverb
That's such a good proverb, Baird, captuing deep wisdom in such a simple way. Thank you!
Beautiful words, and thank you for the lovely quotes. You had me considering looking! I note that I look at, look for, and if I am just looking I’m am defocusing and not noticing. There is mastery in being able just to look with no other agenda, with a quietening of the mind, a shutting down of the voice, big challenges for busy heads. Hmm, I’m sure that Zen masters would have wisdom to solve that dilemma!
You are so right Sarah. When we look ‘for’ we are of course blotting so much else out. Revealing one thing always conceals another. But life without any filters at all would be overwhelming.
Beautiful writing Sam. I am going to share the quote from Shannon Willis about 'soft rebellion' with my comrades in XR who are all in need of a lift. Thanks for sharing and the pics 💚
Oh yes, please do. They are doing the hard yards indeed and need all the soft support we can give them.
Thanks for this. As is often the way your weekly posts hit spot on. I had been writing about drawing and sitting with rocks and slowing down time and how for me this is a slow act of resistance that is quiet and mediate . Now I know. It’s sorry rebellion! Also the Margaret tait writing. I have been watching the primroses in my grass daily looking for the yellow tips to emerge from the leaves. Can I catch that first primrose moment as it happens? I suspect not the will be not here and then here. Cally x
Soft rebellion even - **** auto correct and a phone keyboard 😂
Sorry-not-sorry! Lovely to hear that we are in alignment, and I love your practice of 'sitting with rocks'. Slow rebellion perhaps! Implacable, like plate tectonics.