November Contemplations
As the meme oracle has told us: “We do this not because it is easy, but because we thought it would be easy.”
Trepidations about going into newer territory? I’m sharing here a favourite poem from Heaven My Blanket, Earth My Pillow. Centuries ago, in Sung Dynasty China, Yang Wan-li poetically described similar feelings:
It seemed easy enough for me to begin this Substack, and it’s been going on for several years now. But now what used to be easy doesn’t feel good enough and the whole thing is asking for more cowbell. Time to cross the bridge and revitalize over the winter months.
No more apologies about my newsletter only coming out around once a month — each issue simply takes time to develop. For these Monthly Contemplations, I’m taking my time to focus, while keeping ideas percolating between posts. Along with a main writing piece, I’m adding sneak peeks from my ongoing Wunderkabinett writing project, more random Field Notes for your interest, and The Mirror Room - a question or idea that invites reflection.
If you have any questions or reactions to help me guide these monthly contemplations, I’d be most grateful. (And there may be a few bonus posts from time to time as well.)
In the Cabinet Drawer…
I’ve been working on my visionary wunderkabinett novel, rediscovering many of the secret ideas I hadn’t been aware of at the time of the writing. So here’s this month’s sneak peek.
Opening a drawer in the cabinet of curiosities, I found…
In my mind’s eye, the old book closed and a new one opened. Each page featured an image of a single leaf, a green leaf that filled the page. I struggled to understand the messages I was reading here:
I went to the south, the west, the north, the east; round and round. With each turn I met new beings and found new materials – horn, blood, hairs, shells, stones, an emerald, an acorn, a gold spiral, a seed-covered canvas.
No one knew what I was doing or where the words came from that I was singing. There was only a long tone lingering, and a scent like Palo Santo, and the objects in the room disappeared and returned from their flashing into past and future.
Irradiated by their journeying, they assembled on the tray of soil from our sacred place. This soil had always been at our ceremony, for generations. Each year we return it to the gathering circle, and pour it on the ground near the centre pole. After the ceremony and dance, we take the soil into the tray and keep it at home for our own sacred rituals. It is renewed each year in this way, re-magnetized and prepared. Who and what is in this soil of the land?
A mound of dirt shaped like a cone sits on a poor man’s home altar.
And in rapid succession I was shown cabinets of all shapes and sizes. Small chests and elaborate secretaries, organ-like wood structures, and finally a series of castles and miniatures, temple models and mansions. Moveable parts, doors, drawers, lids that were small roofs – inlays and sharp pieces of gold.
Field Notes from the Interior
Glimpses into what I’m watching, reading, or thinking about
Here’s an eye-opener in case you weren’t following - Robert Scoble’s clear overview of the use of AI in the military. This stuff is actually happening. It is here in his Unaligned newsletter.
They told me all the cool kids are doing it. So for what it’s worth I’ve opened up an account at Bluesky - Find me there at csill.bsky.social. I haven’t given it the attention it needs to really get going but maybe with your encouragement, I will. Come over and say hi.
Find the small section on the simple and effective Sufi element breath practice, as Shamcher had taught me, in Jim van Wyck’s Little Book of Breath available on kindle. (So chock-full of practices it might take your breath away!)
Janet Planet - this movie evokes a mood that lingers on for days afterwards.
This chart has been making the rounds, and here it is again in case you missed it.
Any Reflections?
Welcome to the Mirror Room
With all the to-do (and dread) around current events, we can still find ways into the embrace of the season, and allow the dark its interior developing time.
Winter is our time to each find our ways to give and to be, to live without so much doing.
My notes on Platonism are collected here at Riffing on Eternity. Look for the latest: All Things are in the Gods and The Gods are Beyond all Beings in the contents below.
From November 2022 - plus ça change, plus c'est la même
I hope you take some pleasure in reading my newsletter when it comes in to you.
A special note to you, dear paying subscribers: I’ve just paused subscription billing for a few months while I sort out these next steps with the newsletter. Your support is so appreciated.
I made the images of the Cabinet and Mirror Room in this issue with the help of Canva AI.
Please click the heart, or add a comment or share it with someone who also might like it.
Thank you, Carol.
The Wunderkabinett sounds fascinating... standing by for the novel.
Oh... and thanks for the book mention... I really appreciate that!