A trail of breadcrumbs 10:28 AM

“…we should hear not his word through the tongues of men, nor the voice of angels, nor the clouds' thunder, nor any symbol, but the very Self which in these things we love…” — Saint Augustine

My last post here, on genetic evolution, was followed by a note from John Katz on his sister’s cat. I told myself to try to be a little more spontaneous. But, it’s hard. You may have noticed there are quite a few words on the internet (Google estimates about 100 trillion), so I feel a responsibility to make sure mine have some value (not that the cat doesn’t). 

This blog is like a trail of breadcrumbs, for people to follow, and join, the 29 Pieces  journey.  We’re in the early stages of the project.  

At our first 29 Pieces Board meeting, last May, we decided an important early objective of the organization would be internet outreach.  This blog, and our Tumblr and Facebook pages, are part of the process.  

Arianna Huffington had a very interesting article the other day (“Museums 2.0”), about museums and social media.  It talks about the purposes of art, and the balance between discourse and contemplation.  The article and comments are worth reading for those of us involved in this project. The inspiration behind the 29 pieces is utterly contemplative (passage meditation), but the project has already involved other visual artists, poets and writers, photographers, and filmmakers.  The ultimate goal will be when the art appears full-size before us, and speaks for itself.   

— Kelly Nash

www.29Pieces.org

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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

Entering into Joy (gratitude) 9:56 AM

Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 2010: The street looking east

Imagine if all the tumult of the body were to quiet down, along with all our busy thoughts about earth, sea, and air;

if the very world should stop, and the mind cease thinking about itself, go beyond itself, and be quite still;

if all the fantasies that appear in dreams and imagination should cease, and there be no speech, no sign:

Imagine if all things that are perishable grew still – for if we listen they are saying, We did not make ourselves; he made us who abides forever – imagine, then, that they should say this and fall silent, listening to the very voice of him who made them and not to that of his creation;

so that we should hear not his word through the tongues of men, nor the voice of angels, nor the clouds' thunder, nor any symbol, but the very Self which in these things we love, and go beyond ourselves to attain a flash of that eternal wisdom which abides above all things:

And imagine if that moment were to go on and on, leaving behind all other sights and sounds but this one vision which ravishes and absorbs and fixes the beholder in joy; so that the rest of eternal life were like that moment of illumination which leaves us breathless:

Would this not be what is bidden in scripture, Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord?

— By Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine was born in North Africa in 354 and lived into the last stages of collapse of the Roman Empire. His Confessions, one of the world's great pieces of autobiographical literature, tells the story of a brilliant, passionate young man who learned to channel all his passions toward God. This translation from book 9, chapter 10, is by Michael N. Nagler.

From God Makes The Rivers To Flow, Sacred literature of the world selected by Eknath Easwaran, founder of the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation; third edition 2008, reprinted by permission of Nilgiri Press, P. O. Box 256, Tomales, Ca  94971, www.easwaran.org.

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If The Very World Should Stop 10:19 AM

(Originally written on Oct. 1, 2010) 

Oct.1, seven days until my mother’s birthday, eight months since she passed away.  Six months since I moved to this city, fourteen days since he heard the word “remission.” Two days and the verdict will be handed down, next Friday the deal will be closed.  Three years since the summer melt of the Arctic Sea was recorded as the greatest in history, and forever since we weren’t at war.

What if this very world should stop? This world, marked by days and years, by tide and moon and the rising of the sun, and the pages in a planner. What if this very world should stop and we are transported to that plane that has been the fascination of holy and not so holy people throughout the ages? Would time be swallowed up and with it caskets, and letting go, and radiation, and guilt, and what seems to us like the withering of Mother Earth? And will then the swords be beaten into ploughshares*?  Will time melt like the ice caps and sweep us into the ocean of shalom**? I think so. 

- Charme Robarts

*Swords into ploughshares is a reference to Isaiah 2:4

**The Hebrew meaning of shalom carries with it the idea of wholeness, completeness, things being as they were designed to be. 

www.29Pieces.org

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