At our last Mussar session, you provided the image of the flow of water in a stream as an example of an effective force leading to change. The topic of the session was patience and the image was that of a delicate but unremitting energy source. You may recall that I had difficulty thinking of that image as a willful effort.
A similar beautiful image of flow is presented in Michael Fishbane’s book, Sacred Attunement which I can relate to more and perhaps you and others will also find meaningful:
God passes through all things with the pulse of God’s heart; and insofar as that pulse of life also passes through human beings, the human is an image of God. Many and mysterious are the forms of this image (human and nonhuman), and so diverse are they in their realizations and kinds of fulfillment. For the pulse may live in strength or wither; it may back into molecular channels or struggle in one organic effort or another; it may harvest toxins and consume itself or act with will and consume others. In a unique manner, these forms come to us and are expressed through us; and insofar as we live with awareness of our participation in the reception and transformation of all these images, one may strive toward their enhancement and integration into wholes.
Isn’t that beautiful writing? All I can tritely say is, “May the Force be with us!”
That writing is beautiful. I’m curious what it teaches you about savlanut/patience? The text about water was intended as a text to inspire/inform about patience, not effective force leading to change.
Yes, for me, reading the book is like reading poetry! I read it twice.
I would need to think more creatively to find a way to relate Fishbane's quote to savlanut and it's been a long day and I don't have the energy for that now. If you are patient, maybe I can come up with something manana. ;-)
The relationship between the two quotations was more related to the sense of flow.
Not to worry. It's one text of many. I feel like we all still were able to have a really good conversation about patience with that text as a prompt.s
One thing that might help you at least understand where I"m coming from is a definition of magiq that Jill Hammer shared with me: "being alive in a living world"
Thanks for your feedback! Your comment and your reference to David Abram's work reminds me of a PBS series that I am presently watching. It's called "A Brief History of the Future." I found episode 4 especially powerful. One of the contributors was a woman who leads seminars related to the value of our life experiences, yes, taking into consideration our mortality AND imagining expanding our temporal horizons beyond our lifetime and envisioning our role on that of future generations. (Perhaps that's a remark on patience! ;-) ) Another comment in the program was that every single interaction that one has with every other human has the opportunity for serving as an experience of grace and connection and wonder. Perhaps that is an example of magiq within the human world as you define the term, yes?
At our last Mussar session, you provided the image of the flow of water in a stream as an example of an effective force leading to change. The topic of the session was patience and the image was that of a delicate but unremitting energy source. You may recall that I had difficulty thinking of that image as a willful effort.
A similar beautiful image of flow is presented in Michael Fishbane’s book, Sacred Attunement which I can relate to more and perhaps you and others will also find meaningful:
God passes through all things with the pulse of God’s heart; and insofar as that pulse of life also passes through human beings, the human is an image of God. Many and mysterious are the forms of this image (human and nonhuman), and so diverse are they in their realizations and kinds of fulfillment. For the pulse may live in strength or wither; it may back into molecular channels or struggle in one organic effort or another; it may harvest toxins and consume itself or act with will and consume others. In a unique manner, these forms come to us and are expressed through us; and insofar as we live with awareness of our participation in the reception and transformation of all these images, one may strive toward their enhancement and integration into wholes.
Isn’t that beautiful writing? All I can tritely say is, “May the Force be with us!”
That writing is beautiful. I’m curious what it teaches you about savlanut/patience? The text about water was intended as a text to inspire/inform about patience, not effective force leading to change.
But you got what you got from it!
Yes, for me, reading the book is like reading poetry! I read it twice.
I would need to think more creatively to find a way to relate Fishbane's quote to savlanut and it's been a long day and I don't have the energy for that now. If you are patient, maybe I can come up with something manana. ;-)
The relationship between the two quotations was more related to the sense of flow.
Not to worry. It's one text of many. I feel like we all still were able to have a really good conversation about patience with that text as a prompt.s
One thing that might help you at least understand where I"m coming from is a definition of magiq that Jill Hammer shared with me: "being alive in a living world"
It's from David Abram, whose work is newer to me. https://www.davidabram.org/essays
Thanks for your feedback! Your comment and your reference to David Abram's work reminds me of a PBS series that I am presently watching. It's called "A Brief History of the Future." I found episode 4 especially powerful. One of the contributors was a woman who leads seminars related to the value of our life experiences, yes, taking into consideration our mortality AND imagining expanding our temporal horizons beyond our lifetime and envisioning our role on that of future generations. (Perhaps that's a remark on patience! ;-) ) Another comment in the program was that every single interaction that one has with every other human has the opportunity for serving as an experience of grace and connection and wonder. Perhaps that is an example of magiq within the human world as you define the term, yes?
Ooooh… I do love PBS and don’t know this series. Sounds just like something I would be into.
And YES!! Angelique (thesaffronscrolls.substack.com/) and I talk about “learning from the past, to live in the present, for the sake of the future.”
If you have a chance, you might enjoy reading what I just posted on Substack related to the PBS show.
Thank you