Tags
art, beauty, creativity, edinburgh, good deeds, gratitude, inspiration, nature, poem, poetry, ritual, sacred, spirituality, writing
I spent a couple of days in Edinburgh last week, immersing myself in the galleries, libraries and cafes to refill inner creativity fuel tanks that had run painfully low. It was both wildly inspiring, and richly nourishing to give myself this gift of paying my soul respects to the power of art.
After less than two hours in the National Gallery I simply couldn’t take in any more, and began to digest this feast by by expressing some of what I was feeling though the writing of postcards of some of the images to treasured friends. I acknowledged as I wrote how very directly and spontaneously art reignites a flame of hope inside me. Any ‘being’ who has the capacity to allow ‘that’ to come through is unmistakeably a direct channel to some sacred source, one that carries the very breath of life and the transcendence of a surrender to interconnectedness within it.
Degas – Before the performance
Van Gogh – Orchard in Blossom (plum trees)
Waller Hugh Paton – Entrance to the Cuiraing, Skye
Spending time in the Scottish Poetry library was a mini pilgrimage. I felt a sanctity in that space I sometimes feel in churches and temples, and glancing along the shelves to pull out volumes and volumes of words written at the very edges of human emotional experience served me a sense of beauty so concentrated as to be almost unswallowable.
‘Air, soil, water, fire – those are words,
I myself am a word with them – my qualities interpenetrate
with theirs – my name is nothing to them,
though it were told in the three thousand languages, what
would air, soil, water, fire know of my name?’
Walt Whitman, from A Song Of The Rolling Earth
***
‘Give me your lies.
I will wash them
tuck them in
the innocence of my heart
to make them facts.’
Maram Al-Massri, A Red Cherry On A White Tiled Floor
***
‘I am so distant from the hope of myself
in which I have goodness, and discernment
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.’
Mary Oliver, When I Am Among The Trees
I am left with a newly empowered conviction – I want to do that. As I read and felt the words reach their powerful resonance free and unchecked deep into my being, making it sing and expand with uncontainable gratitude, I felt no jealousy or urgency, only humble respect and playful passion. I saw the gap between where I am now and where I would like to be in my journey as an artist, and I was not overawed. It felt ultimately bridgeable, though no doubt a journey worthy only of a determined and courageous explorer.
I was also reminded of the importance of ritual, and was saddened to recognise how easily I’d allowed those activities that rose and set my days for years, to be lazily discarded. In acknowledging their loss I recognized the value they’d had, and have now reestablished them. I open my day with meditation and close it with a page written in my gratitude journal. I now know the thoughts that stole these practices from me, most of which involve blaming others/circumstance or the procrastination of ‘I’ll do it later/tomorrow etc’. I can recognise their voice and choose not to give it my attention or power. The rhythm of ritual has already brought me a renewed sense of strength, and it took only two days to rediscover that. That was two days well spent I’d say:-)
Good Deeds Received
I didn’t have change for the bus ticket, but one of the passengers happily swapped my five pound note for coins.
I was kindly directed on several occasions by various people I accosted on the street, or whom I sought out in shops. Thank you all!
I was gifted great wisdom and spiritual sustenance from reading a book recommended by a dear friend, a book I will tell you about more another time.
http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2007/11/last-hours-ancient-sunlight
Thank you to the care home that has invited me to interview for a job their on Wednesday this week:-)
Thank you to the wonderful man at the take away baked potato place who called me darling so many times over, and mixed Scottish words like ‘wee’ and ‘tattie’ into a delicious and expressive language and accent all his own.
Thanks Mum for texting me to let me know about the job interview, as I wasn’t at home to receive the invitation.
A dear friend put the date and time of my interview into her diary so she can send me positive vibes on the day:-)
Good Deeds Done
I saw someone unsuccessfully asking for change for a ten pound note and happily off loaded all my coins:-)
I offered a chip from my take out to someone who cheekily and unexpectantly asked for one. ‘No way!’ he said when he saw me turn back and open the container. ‘I hope you like ketchup,’ I said.
I chatted to a few people at the hostel I was staying at about looking for jobs here, and gave a couple of informal impromptu English lessons:-)
Wrote postcards to two special friends.
Bought birthday cards for my father and brother.
Helped my Mum sort out her car tax.
Spent a long afternoon walking and talking with a friend who had much to get off her chest, and shared much wisdom with me in the process.
Have a great week my friends! May you uplift and be uplifted in perfect graceful rhythm:-)
Β
Oh Wow, Good Luck with the job interview, sounds like you had lots of fun and met some great people.
Thanks Rosie – I always enjoy wow comments:-) It was indeed a wow couple of days, with plenty of fun and some wonderfully warm and interesting people. Thanks for the luck, will let you know! Hugs, Harula xxx
What a great post Harula! And good luck with the job Interview!
Your experiences in the galleries sound to have been more than uplifting and led you onto other thoughts which you have in turn shared here and which again in turn have spoken loudly to me at this particular time, because I, like you, find ritual very healing and refreshing and I have soooo let it go! When I first got sober back in 2002 it was a daily must for me but as time went by I became rather complacent and thought I could do without it. Well that’s true, I can ‘manage’ without it but in so doing am not living life to the full or being at my best. So with your prompt, my daily mindful meditations will begin again as will my closing the day with a page of one of my daily inspiration books which actually helped me greatly to stay sober in the early days. I need to remember that my sobriety isnt simply physical, it is emotional too. And these rituals will help me in my ongoing journey with MS too. A million thank yous xxx
I’m so moved by this comment Christine, thank you. You’ve nailed it – yes, of course it’s possible to ‘manage’ without ritual, but managing isn’t living life to the full. I’m so glad you found something here to bring your own rituals alive for you again. May they nourish and inspire you deeply on all aspects of your journey. A million hugs of gratitude embrace and bless you my friend…Harula xxx
Good luck with the job interview my dear. Will keep my fingers crossed this Wednesday. If they would only see 10% of the Harula that I see then they’ll be very impressed with you. But I’m sure you’ll offer them the full 100%!
You’re such a sweetheart – thank you my love! I’ll let you know, and will do my best to turn up shining that 100%. Keep an eye on your mail box:-) Love and hugs, Harula xxx
Enveloping ourselves in art and culture is such an enriching experience. I am always seeking out cultural opportunities when we go on our town trips. We went to a very moving World War I exhibition last week – it included some of the letters and original manuscripts of Robert Graves, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.
It sounds as if you were really ready to refill your cultural soul, Harula π
Best of luck with your job interview π
It really is. I found myself questioning whether I really needed it, because time in nature is also deeply enriching, but this seemed to nourish a different part of me that wants feeding too. Wow, that must have been quite an experience to view some original manuscripts from those brave and powerful writers. Even having to study their poetry at school couldn’t destroy their magic for me. Thanks for the good luck wishes:-) Have a great week – hugs, Harula xxx
I certainly agree, Harula – nature is another wonderful soul-restorer but in a different way … and I think we need both π
Oh yes, it was a very powerful exhibition – all about experiencing the war through the eyes and viewpoints of creative people of the time – poets, writers, visual artists including war artists … and how their experiences shaped their writings/artworks. It was incredible to know these were the actual manuscript writings of such significant people.
Hope you have a great week too Harula π
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I fell deeply into this post, feeling your experiences, losing myself in the gorgeous poems and inside the paintings. Thank you! Like you, I want to do THAT. π xo
Awww thanks Pam:-) I love that this post allowed you to fall into some of the beautiful experiences I was sharing as that was my wish, to gift others a taste of what I had been gifted. The paintings and poems are truly awe inspiring aren’t they. Journey on oh brave and talented one – and may you too do THAT! Huge hugs, Harula xxx
Thoughtfully written, Harula. There’s so much to learn from your good deeds, meditation and gratefulness of the heart. Sharing in Facebook for others to read. Blessings, Perpetua.
Thank you so much Perpetua! I’m so glad that you enjoy what you read here, and it’s so kind of you to share that with others. I really appreciate it, dear new found friend:-) Blessings, H xxx
So, so beautiful, Harula. I feel inspired by this post and how perfectly you expressed it. π
Thank you so much Jill! I am so glad to return the favour, as I often feel so inspired by what you write and you seem to find just the right words for me to allow even the more uncomfortable truths their way in. Blessings, H xxx
That warms my heart, Harula. π