For want of a bird
The sky was lost
For want of a nail
A shoe was lost
For want of a life
A knife was lost
For want of a toy
A child was lost
-Ghost Dog
Author: Benn Bell
The Way of the Samurai 2
Throughout your life advance daily, becoming more skillful than yesterday, more skillful than today. This is never ending. Matters of great concern should be taken lightly. Matters of small concern should be treated seriously. Among one’s affairs there should not be more than two or three matters of what one could call great concern.
-The Hagakure
Be Here Now
Buddhist Quote of the Day
Do not pursue the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. The past no longer is. The future has yet to come. Look deeply at life as it is in the very here and now. The wise person knows how to live in mindfulness day and night.
-Shakyamuni Buddha
The Way of the Samurai
From the Hagakure
Everything in this world is but a marionette show.
Brace yourselves for the monstrous marionettes you are about to see.
-Ubu Roi
Truth and illusion George. You don’t know the difference.
No, but we must carry on as though we do.
-Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Featured
Venus and Mars
Guest post by Robbin Caroll
The essence of his energy preceded his physical presence
He was unconditional love, understanding, and gentle strength
He was passionate, patient, and kind
His heart was full of tenderness and love, yet he was fiery and
fierce
He loved her like no other could
His fingertips ever so gently moving slowly over every curve and
inch of her body as he whispered “I love you, I love you, I love
you”
He knew the shape of her body, the essence of her soul, the
workings of her mind, and the Goddess that layed within his grasp
He knew her inside and out
He saw what no other could see
The deepness of her heart and soul
The beauty she hid within the cold walls of her delicate being
He felt what no other could feel within the ethers of her limitless
and abundant heart and soul
She was mysterious and mystical, his Goddess and his nymph
She was his map and he was her soul’s great expedition
He left no stone unturned and no crevice unexplored
She could feel his touch ever so softly as her body started to
tingle within the warmth of her femininity
Her body defied her
She dropped her sword and shield
Removed her armor
And gave herself to him freely
She exhaled in ecstasy as he entered her divine sacred space
willingly, tenderly, gently, and passionately
Together their passions erupted and their sacred juices flowed
into beingness
The two light beings joining became one vibrant light of love in the
infinite universe…
~RC~
Yab-Yum
Yab-Yum. Mother-father. Yin-yang. The mystical union of the active force (masculine) with wisdom (prajna or the feminine force). A fusion that is necessary to overcome the false duality of appearances in the striving toward spiritual enlightenment.
Ulalume
Here once, through an alley Titanic,
Of cypress, I roamed with my soul –
Of cypress, with Psyche, my soul…
Thus I pacified Psyche and kissed her…
And I said: What is written, sweet sister,
On the door of this legend tomb?
EAP
“Mr. Poe, why don’t you write your poems so that everyone can understand them?” He replied, “Madam, I write so that every body can not understand them.
My Soul She Shrieks
My soul, she shrieks and flings me down
Laughing maniacally
The wind picks up and lifts her dress
Teasing and pleasing me
All is nothingness, so she says
As she pins me to the bed
With a silver shaft of cold, cold steel
She runs me through and through.
BFB
“Mr. Bell, why don’t you write your poems so that everyone can understand them?” I replied, “Madam, I write so that every body can not understand them.
Five Things my Grandpappy Used to Say
Redux
- It’s not what you used to be that counts, it’s what you are now.
- He’s independent as a hog on ice.
- Boy, you need to take that camera and throw it in the river.
- Don’t make the other fellers living for him.
- Huh? Pigs say huh! Pinch their tails and they say un huh!
Gorillas in the Mist
Thought of the Day
In the final analysis, we are all just gorillas in the mist, flesh, and bone and a hank of hair, with weird personality traits and a funny thing called consciousness. I think Jung had it right, but we must remember the German language doesn’t distinguish between mind and soul. The mind does not perceive the mind just a sharp knife cannot cut itself, so it is with the mind, and ultimate reality is beyond the scope of the intellect.
Tar
Movie Blurb
I had an interesting discussion last night with my family on the Movie Tar. The movie, starring Cate Blanchett, is about a female conductor who rose to the heights of her profession, abused her power, and had a precipitous fall from grace. I have watched this difficult movie twice and must confess I found it quite fascinating.
My granddaughter, who is a musical conductor herself, hasn’t seen it. She said she didn’t want to see a film that disparages her chosen field. Her husband watched it and said he liked it. My brother-in-law said there was no one to like in this film. My sister said that the woman on whom the film was based said it was an inaccurate portrayal of her and her profession. Well, it was a fictional character. Actually, she said the film was anti-woman.
I have a little different take. I believe the film was about “cancel culture” and the current #MeToo movement which seems to be pervading the art world lately and is a cautionary tale to be not too quick to “cancel” artists and their great works which would be tantamount to erasing history. Miss Blanchett in a recent interview about the subject gave Picasso as an example. There were probably a lot of things going on around his studio but who can deny the power and majesty and sheer genius of Guernica?
These ideas are well worth thinking about.
Your thoughts?
Ghost Dog 