You ask me what the human soul is.
No human science can fathom what the soul is
in its depths.
What the soul is in its ground,
no one knows.
But this we do know:
that the soul is
where God works compassion.
Meister Eckhart (13th Century mystic
Heartfelt Dolls |
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The Soul
You ask me what the human soul is. No human science can fathom what the soul is in its depths. What the soul is in its ground, no one knows. But this we do know: that the soul is where God works compassion. Meister Eckhart (13th Century mystic
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A Brief for the Defense
by Jack Gilbert Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies are not starving someplace, they are starving somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils. But we enjoy our lives because that's what God wants. Otherwise the mornings before summer dawn would not be made so fine. The Bengal tiger would not be fashioned so miraculously well. The poor women at the fountain are laughing together between the suffering they have known and the awfulness in their future, smiling and laughing while somebody in the village is very sick. There is laughter every day in the terrible streets of Calcutta, and the women laugh in the cages of Bombay. If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction, we lessen the importance of their deprivation. We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world. To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil. If the locomotive of the Lord runs us down, we should give thanks that the end had magnitude. We must admit there will be music despite everything. We stand at the prow again of a small ship anchored late at night in the tiny port looking over to the sleeping island: the waterfront is three shuttered cafés and one naked light burning. To hear the faint sound of oars in the silence as a rowboat comes slowly out and then goes back is truly worth all the years of sorrow that are to come. Angela Singer is an internationally known New Zealand artist. Taxidermy creatures form the foundation of her work. Should art evoke a response from the viewer? If this response is negative, does it make the art bad? How do we deal with feelings of revulsion when we view some art? How important is the back-story, or should art stand alone? How does our life-story shape the art we make? How important is the role of memory in art? Is it important to evoke a personal response? When I exhibited the 'Ladies a plate' series, many viewers remembered and shared stories of their own mothers or grandmothers, and of the textiles they used. How important is art as a social commentator? Here, the artist comments on the loss of the corner shop and its vital role in developing, sustaining and naming communities. How important is it that we interject ourselves into a work of art? The Breast Labyrinth I created to raise awareness about breast cancer invited visitors to walk and remember and connect with the art and with others. I have long been awe-struck by the wisdom and compassion of Catherine de Hueck Doherty. Her single-minded focus on transforming the world through prayer and compassion; embodying and revealing the God we love through our daily lives. She expressed this desire for all to live in 'the call of the moment' (sobernost.) We may not be called to do great things but we can do the ordinary things of our daily lives with attentiveness and love. Prayer for those with a common cold
Michael Leunig God bless those who suffer from the common cold. Nature has entered into them; Has led them aside and gently lain them low To contemplate life from the wayside; To consider human frailty; To receive the deep and dreamy messages of fever. We give thanks for the insights of this humble perspective. We give thanks for blessing in disguise. Amen Richard Rohr says, "Everything genuinely new emerges in some kind of liminal space." But how do I recognise a liminal space? How can I acknowledge its presence - attentively, consciously? How do I prepare myself for the pause, for the crossing, for the transition, for the change? How do I create in such a space? How do I allow the liminal space to shape my process, my thoughts? How do I give this liminal space a voice? How do I nurture the possibility it offers? How do I open the gift of a liminal space? There are many wonderful doll-making projects, rich in compassion and love. These projects connect people through the making of a simple doll. Seeds of love and peace are sown through the commitment of ordinary people to make dolls for people in extra-ordinary situations. Differences are not a problem when we look to our common humanity. |
Liz PearceI am a doll-maker; a doll interpreter; a doll activist, perhaps, using this medium to reflect on the human condition. Archives
August 2020
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