The photo was taken several years ago, when I had the joy of flying over Lincolnshire in a friend's tiny plane...

This blog is to accompany the Check the Box course offered by Janet Conner starting May 2013.
The title comes from the poem 'The Journey' by David Whyte (a favourite poet!), Janet cites in the opening lesson.
Janet speaks my language in so many ways...

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Post 1 - Beginnings


Given the time difference, I'm unlikely to attend the class conference calls live (1 am GMT - eek!), so I wanted to keep this blog to share ideas/insights/experiences with others...

Janet mentioned on the call last night about the David Whyte poem in the class notes, and highlighted the line which I had already chosen for this blog's name! Janet certainly is a soul sister who speaks my language :)

I have chosen this book to be my guide throughout the course


and I just wanted to quote a few lines from the very first page, which hopefully explains why I chose it.

The mind works with ideas, the body with muscles, and the soul with images... occasionally a piece of art will be so transparent, so profoundly rooted, and so precisely articulated that the soul shines, and in that meaningful radiance we sense its beauty.
When art reveals the soul, it may have a certain objective quality and my even feel cool because of its deep roots. At other times, captivating art may be so hot with the inspiration of the artist... that individuality is transcended and soul appears. (p. 8)
  
Those who know me already know that I'm a highly visual person, and that art - image-making - is very important to me, so it makes perfect sense for my soul to want pictures to help me uncover its purpose :)

(As an aside, I feel there aren't enough picture books for adults! Books that combine great words with great images are in short supply.)

I confess there are some things I'm unsure of in the course outline, especially the concept that I chose my parents(!)... the significance of my birthdate and my name... but I am determined to keep an open mind and heart :)

I came across this quote yesterday and I suspect it will be a mantra for me as I go through this course
The soul should stand ajar, ready to
welcome the ecstatic experience.
Emily Dickinson

And I know from my studies of the mystics - especially Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila and Hildegard of Bingen - that the human soul is made for such experiences!






2 comments:

  1. Thanks for your beautiful insights!

    ReplyDelete
  2. How wonderful to blog your experience... and sharing...thank you for inviting us in.

    I have loved Emily since my youth...she holds great wisdom.

    The soul should stand ajar, ready to
    welcome the ecstatic experience.
    Emily Dickinson

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment - I really appreciate it :)
I've activated comment moderation - to catch any spam - so your comment won't appear until I've read it, and publish it, so do bear with it...
Thanks again xx