Cast aside what limits you 6:14 PM

Installation by Yayoi Kusama

Starting December 27, 2010, I chose the following passage to “unpack” — line by line — as a daily practice to take me into the New Year.

And what is the “unpacking” process? It involves deep concentration on one line at a time, and then writing my response to that line – first with my dominant hand, and then with my non-dominant hand. There are plenty of references on the web to the process of dominant and non-dominant hand writing. If you haven’t tried it, you may want to. I venture a guess that you will surprise yourself.

I’ll be interested to see what this passage has hidden for me.

Cast Aside What Limits You

— By Dov Baer of Mezherich

The human body is finite;

                  the spirit is boundless.

Before you begin to pray,

                  cast aside what limits you

                  and enter into the world of the Infinite.

Turn to God alone

                  and have no thoughts of self at all.

Nothing but God exists for you

                  when self has ceased to be.

Dov Baer (d. 1772) was the chief disciple and successor of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov or “Master of the Good Name,” founder of the Hasidic movement of Jewish mysticism, which places devotional prayer at the center of the spiritual life.

Line 4

cast aside what limits you

Right hand (dominant):

Oh boy, I know there’s a deeper response here. I’m not getting there. What limits me? 

Limits me from doing what?

Accomplishing my artistic goals?

Getting my way?

Having what I want?

Arriving at a full blossoming of Love?

Doing this important work?

Descending into self will + selfishness?

How do I not throw the baby out with the bath water? If I cast aside everything that limits me, what the heck is left?

The list of limits:

Negativity

Dwelling on the faults of others

Relationships

My dog

The cats

(Dec. 31, 2010)

The laundry

Self will

Housework

Appetites

Frittered time:

            Email

            Facebook

            Movies

            Shopping

            Telephone

Doubt

Fear

Age

Gender

Compulsions

Entanglements

Resentments

Every entanglement — whether with a person, a habit, or an emotion — is a tether. How do you slip out of the collar, but still love the leash, and the one who hooked you to it?

Yet . . .

. . . the words “cast aside” suggest that we choose to construct this burden, that we either carry, confront, or live within it.

My image suggests slipping out of a collar that another has put on me.

The author’s suggestion is that it is my invention to walk away from — to shed something that once I may have called ‘mine.’

Line 4

cast aside what limits you

Left hand:

When this coat has grown too small, take it off, leave it be.

It may fit someone else perfectly.

Kick it to the side.

Make room.

This could take years.

1 year – abandon silly distractions

2 year – get a smaller house

3 year – clean out closets.

4 year – forgive everyone

5 year – forgive yourself

and on and on . . .

Finally – give up the ego.

But if we’re going to do this every time we pray, we need to be a bit of a quick-change artist. Get naked right now. Humble yourself. Fess up. It’s a good thing that talks with God are a ‘come as you are’ party. Otherwise, we’d never get past the velvet rope.

— Karen Blessen

www.29Pieces.org

www.29Pieces.blogspot.com

www.29Pieces.tumblr.com

Before you begin to pray 9:20 PM

From Ashes and Snow, by Gregory Colbert

Starting December 27, 2010, I chose the following passage to “unpack” — line by line — as a daily practice to take me into the New Year.

And what is the “unpacking” process? It involves deep concentration on one line at a time, and then writing my response to that line – first with my dominant hand, and then with my non-dominant hand. There are plenty of references on the web to the process of dominant and non-dominant hand writing. If you haven’t tried it, you may want to. I venture a guess that you will surprise yourself.

I’ll be interested to see what this passage has hidden for me.

Cast Aside What Limits You

— By Dov Baer of Mezherich

The human body is finite;

                  the spirit is boundless.

Before you begin to pray,

                  cast aside what limits you

                  and enter into the world of the Infinite.

Turn to God alone

                  and have no thoughts of self at all.

Nothing but God exists for you

                  when self has ceased to be.

Dov Baer (d. 1772) was the chief disciple and successor of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov or “Master of the Good Name,” founder of the Hasidic movement of Jewish mysticism, which places devotional prayer at the center of the spiritual life.

Line 3:

Before you begin to pray

Right hand (dominant):

Yes, before you and I meet, face to face, what do I do? Step 1: Put on make-up, get a manicure, pick out a pressed blouse. Step 2: rehearse my lines, finesse the agenda, staple a packet together? Step 3: Put on my best smile.

Ha! That would make YOU smile, wouldn’t it?

Your vision is infinitely more acute than the best camera, and much more forgiving, all love, all compassion.

You see through me. No saffron robe, no designer outfit, no crown, no collar will fool you.

Before I begin to pray, I acknowledge that you are a know-it-all.

Before you begin to pray

Left hand (non-dominant):

Why does it take you so long to settle deep into the self – deep into union?

Phone calls, make the bed, feed the dog, answer mail, order a new bedspread, pay a bill, and on + on.

What comes first. Every day, every hour, every moment, the decision —

Where do I live?

I live in Love.

— Karen Blessen

www.29Pieces.org

www.29Pieces.blogspot.com

www.29Pieces.tumblr.com

The spirit is boundless 3:11 PM

A whirling Dervish in Turkey

December 28, 2010

Cast Aside What Limits You

— By Dov Baer of Mezherich

The human body is finite;

                  the spirit is boundless.

Before you begin to pray,

                  cast aside what limits you

                  and enter into the world of the Infinite.

Turn to God alone

                  and have no thoughts of self at all.

Nothing but God exists for you

                  when self has ceased to be.

Dov Baer (d. 1772) was the chief disciple and successor of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov or “Master of the Good Name,” founder of the Hasidic movement of Jewish mysticism, which places devotional prayer at the center of the spiritual life.

Line 2:

the spirit is boundless

Right hand (dominant):

Here I am . . . a moving co-ordinate, a fuzzy hologram, detectable only with special goggles that can see me whirling through this infinite ocean of spirit.

There are no boundaries on this map. In fact, if there even is a map, it’s way beyond our comprehension.

This spirit . . . this energy . . . is within, without, in front of, behind, on top + below.

There are those who impose boundaries, when in fact there are none. I’ve done that. Sometimes it’s so frightening, too threatening to consider the infinite power within reach, if we could just lighten our load, and get out of the way.

the spirit is boundless

Left hand (non-dominant):

We have been so fortunate – to be graced with this wonder world where the most humble moth can take our breath away with its beauty + easy flight. We’re not sentenced to a dreary moonscape of grey gravel + rock. Here we are, where boundless spirit takes its form as a redwood, a house cat, an elephant, a butterfly, a tulip. The experience of the intense beauty of it all is followed quickly by the hot threat of losing it all.

The spirit is boundless.

And we are a tick on a timeline – or not. This is our wonder world to protect + appreciate, and honor. The spirit is boundless and it is fervent. It will survive, when the elephant, the flower + I do not.

— Karen Blessen

www.29Pieces.org

www.29Pieces.blogspot.com

www.29Pieces.tumblr.com

Starting December 27, 2010, I chose this passage to “unpack” —  line by line — as a daily practice to take me into the New Year.

And what is the “unpacking” process? It involves deep concentration on one line at a time, and then writing my response to that line – first with my dominant hand, and then with my non-dominant hand. There are plenty of references on the web to the process of dominant and non-dominant hand writing. If you haven’t tried it, you may want to. I venture a guess that you will surprise yourself.

I’ll be interested to see what this passage has hidden for me.

Cast Aside What Limits You 4:56 PM

Linda Gregerson: Poetry of the Fragile Body

Cast Aside What Limits You

— By Dov Baer of Mezherich

The human body is finite;

                  the spirit is boundless.

Before you begin to pray,

                  cast aside what limits you

                  and enter into the world of the Infinite.

Turn to God alone

                  and have no thoughts of self at all.

Nothing but God exists for you

                  when self has ceased to be.

Dov Baer (d. 1772) was the chief disciple and successor of Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov or “Master of the Good Name,” founder of the Hasidic movement of Jewish mysticism, which places devotional prayer at the center of the spiritual life.

I’ve chosen this passage to “unpack” —  line by line — as a daily practice to take me into the New Year.

And what is the “unpacking” process? It involves deep concentration on one line at a time, and then writing my response to that line – first with my dominant hand, and then with my non-dominant hand. There are plenty of references on the web to the process of dominant and non-dominant hand writing. If you haven’t tried it, you may want to. I venture a guess that you will surprise yourself.

I’ll be interested to see what this passage has hidden for me.

Line 1:

“The human body is finite”

Right hand (dominant):

Car crashes, cancer, broken bones, aging, infections, viruses, defective parts, exhaustion . . .  no chemistry, no exercise, no beauty cream, no positive attitude will win this battle in the end. Finito. This shell we step into has an expiration date stamped on the back, and no strategy, plea or negotiation will keep it animate beyond its time.

That being said, we sense that there is something more, something more to US. In our spirit, our mind, there’s a fleeting awareness of that which lasts.

So which part of our life experience gets the lion’s share of our attention? The finite or that intuited energy that persists?

“The human body is finite”

Left hand (non-dominant):

Isn’t it interesting? How this infinite energy + spirit at the core is housed in such a delicate + unforgiving marvel of a body? Sheathed in feathers, scales, bark or skin, and given families, schools, gaggles and forests to commune in. It’s our infinite education. The body may be finite, but the school term is not.

— Karen Blessen

www.29Pieces.org

www.29Pieces.blogspot.com

www.29Pieces.tumblr.com

Who Speaks for Art? 12:56 PM

Artist Chuck Close

(or Shut Up and Paint)
I have often thought and still do think that art should speak for itself. If the art produced cannot communicate a purpose, intended or otherwise, it has failed. Every time I have seen artists interviewed (many), their verbalized explanations of their efforts have always fallen woefully short of their artistic expressions, no matter the fame or elevation of the artist. And yet art must, it seems, be spoken about, and more often than not the intelligent interviewer will go to the source to get the most accurate explanation of the art that is being commented on. This seems logical and yet impossible. No matter how articulate the artist, their explanation cannot hope to compete with the work. So what to do? As art and its value is so subjective and everyone’s opinion is valid on some level, do you just shove it out there and hope for the best? A big gamble. And depending on your aspirations for your art — too risky. It seems that to make a sometimes ham fisted explanation of your efforts is preferable to your efforts disappearing all together from the public eye. It is the seemingly eternal dilemma of Art & Commerce, Oil & Water, Chalk & Cheese.

— John Katz

www.JohnKatz.net

www.29Pieces.org

www.aliceneelfilm.com

Chuck Close

Basquiat

What’s in a Name 2:08 PM

Helen Keller Kitty aka HKK

My sister in law decided to take in a small cat that a friend rescued after a neighborhood watch sent out an email of its existence, living in a box at a ladies house. After taking her to a vet to get her checked out, the vet decided that she was about 10 years old, hard of hearing and partially blind. Either that or her dilated pupils indicated she was on some really good dope.  Thinking that the existing pets, (3 cats, 2 dogs and a rabbit) wouldn’t mind the addition, she took in the cat . . .  who has cleaned up nicely and is finding her way around the house, (the braille method). In a stroke of brilliance she named her Helen, a charmingly old fashioned name that you don’t hear much these days, although her papers just refer to her by her acronym HKK (Helen Keller Kitty). Everyone needs a leg up at some point, and it’s people with a big heart that usually provide it.

— John Katz

www.JohnKatz.net

www.29Pieces.org

Are rocks alive? 12:41 PM

Crystal Skeleton by Lawrence Stoller

Look closely at a grain of sand, the seed of a thousand beings can be seen. 

– Mahmud Shabestari, 14^th century.

The recent discovery, by NASA scientists, of so-called “arsenic-based microbes” may have redefined life as we know it. Certainly there are places inhabited by life that we haven’t found yet. And the line between animate and inanimate isn’t sharply drawn.

A common thread of the mystical experience is the realization of the unity of life. How does the Mineral Kingdom fit into the picture? In the Bible, and in the Koran, God created Adam from clay, and breathed life into him.

The earliest fossils known, microbial remains, are about 3.8 billion years old. The origin of those early, simple life-forms is a matter of debate. There are several theories, one being that mineral crystals formed a kind of template for organic molecules.

Scottish biochemist Graham Cairns-Smith developed a theory of “genetic takeover”. The precursor to biological life may have been tiny, platy, crystals of a clay mineral, like kaolinite, which actually grows and replicates itself when in the right environment.

Wind picks up the tiny crystals as dust, and scatters them to new places. The flat faces of the crystals are templates for identical crystals to form – replicates. The surfaces carry information - a kind of genetic code. They have a regular, repeated arrangement of charged atoms that also can attract and organize simple organic compounds, and act as a catalyst for chemical reactions.

Perhaps the reactions formed an organic coating to protect the crystals from weathering. These arrangements of organic molecules may have eventually become RNA and DNA. Eventually, the coatings themselves began replicating, and these primitive biological replicators took over from the geological ones.

In addition to growing, and replicating themselves, minerals have evolved along with plants and animals. About two-thirds of the more than 4,000 known mineral species are linked to bioligical activity, mainly because of the development of an oxygen-rich atmosphere that is a consequence of photosynthesis.

 

For the vast majority of human history, the Stone Age, the working of flint for arrowheads was the pinnacle of technology. Now, some think that life may be approaching another genetic takeover – by self-sufficient, self-replicating, machines.  An inorganic machine of this type could be more efficient than an animal. The information-carrying part of most advanced machines is the integrated circuit – a man-made crystal. So, while rocks may not be alive in the conventional sense, biological life may be bookended by crystals.

 “Dust Thou Art, and Unto Dust Shalt Thou Return. “ (Genesis 2:7).

— Kelly Nash

Death and What We Leave Behind 8:16 AM

IMAGINE mosaic, at Strawberry Fields, in New York's Central Park

Written on Dec. 8^th, 2010

Today is the 30^th anniversary of John Lennon’s senseless murder. I think that very few people go through life planning what they will leave behind as their legacy. The fact that he was cut off at what appeared to be a re-entry and resurgence of his creative output makes his demise all the more tragic. Most people go through life doing the best that they can. Some people leave behind more than most, and Lennon was one of them. At times, he led a torturous and tormented existence . . . which might have been the font of his creativity. Regardless, when creativity is cut off at the knees, as it as appears to have been in this very public event, it is all the more awful. Everyone’s existence on the planet is valuable in some fashion. Whether we recognize it or not is up to us and is a measure of our value.

— John Katz

www.JohnKatz.net

www.29Pieces.org

The Song of Aragorn 11:14 AM

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in the movie, The Lord of the Rings

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

— J.R.R. Tolkien

The inextinguishable light of the human spirit sheds its beams through the ages in art, literature and music, pushing back the dark curtain of despair. 29 Pieces emerges here and now, a dream waiting its reality.

— Charme Robarts

www.29Pieces.org

www.29Pieces.tumblr.com

Why? 12:26 PM

Number 17. Enter into the joy. Overflowing records and unruly spirits.

Question: Discuss more why you believe in this project.

When I began the passage meditation process, and was exposed to the sacred writings from many cultures, they opened up a portal to a creative, profound journey for me. And they showed me a new window into the meaning and wisdom that I was searching for in life. My belief in the 29 Pieces project is a compelling conviction that the longing for meaning, healing and wisdom that I experienced is not unique. It is shared by many, many people of every socio-economic background, of every color, and of every belief.  The 29 Pieces art, the workshops, the online presence, the performances, and the film will all be tools to manifest wisdom and beauty into a tangible, new artistic form. And I feel that people are hungering for this, just as I was.

Question: How will this transform people’s lives?

The art of 29 Pieces, as well as the workshops and the online presence are all instruments of a process, a way to form a relationship with people . . . a deeper relationship that is beyond the usual daily interactions. The wisdom of the sacred writings manifests in a new way – as large-scale art. In life today, we often feel overwhelmed by the bombardment and sheer weight of frustrations and bad news. We are longing for something else, and may not even know what it is. The scale of the art in 29 Pieces commands attention and envelops the viewer in the experience of art and sacred wisdom. 29 Pieces will encourage people to enter deeper levels of consciousness - away from the agitations of daily life. A whole new perspective on life is opened up. The 29 Pieces workshops, online presence, and performances will all be parts of this process of connecting with people more deeply, in diverse and new ways. 

— Karen Blessen

www.29Pieces.org

www.29Pieces.tumblr.com

What's in a Number 8:34 AM

The 29 miners in the New Zealand coal mine

29 ….. Pieces of art, spiritual in nature, transformative in intent, the genesis which began this creative reaction was an act of extreme violence by a stranger. 29…. is also the number of miners that died recently on the other side of the planet in a New Zealand coal mine explosion. The lives of everyone who knew those miners will be changed forever, initially in a very terrible way. Yet out of that awful destruction might come, over time, seeds of rebirth and creativity. We never know. Many are crushed and understandably destroyed by tragedy. Others can, by some mysterious means, survive and turn that awfulness into something that might help others. People who have that ability should be encouraged and supported, for it is a rare talent.

— John Katz

www.JohnKatz.net

www.29Pieces.org

27 of the 29 men whose lives were lost in the New Zealand coal mine