Re: holding the opposites

[Guest guest]

Jim your question has inspired me to think,reflect. I'm interested also as to how this is possible on a more or less continuous basis. Thoughts.....per your example, perhaps pairing spirit with the sensual? Or another example living life fully in the moment while realizing at the same time one will die? I'm not sure... Certainly takes it to another level......

Gail

holding the opposites

I continually fail to grasp how one "holds the opposites." I understand what it means to flop back and forth between them, that accepting one side activates the other side in the unconscious, etc, and that this play of opposites supplies energy to psychic processing. But "to hold". . . does it mean simply to accept that reality in myself? I feel I have but still flip. But rather that continuing to say what it is not, I ask for someone to tell me what it is. If possible please deal with a very common and very active pair, like sensuality and spirituality. And please be very practical and use small words unless that makes it an impossible task.

Thanks

[Guest guest]

nice http://youtu.be/kw0f7ZGA9r8

[Guest guest]

 Thoughts.....per your example, perhaps pairing spirit with the sensual? Or another example living life fully in the moment while realizing at the same time one will die? I'm not sure... Certainly takes it to another level...

 

I continually fail to grasp how one " holds the opposites. " I understand what it means to flop back and forth between them, that accepting one side activates the other side in the unconscious, etc, and that this play of opposites supplies energy to psychic processing. But " to hold " . . . does it mean simply to accept that reality in myself? I feel I have but still flip. But rather that continuing to say what it is not, I ask for someone to tell me what it is. If possible please deal with a very common and very active pair, like sensuality and spirituality. And please be very practical and use small words unless that makes it an impossible task. 

*good stuff!--

Take more time, cover less ground.

~ Merton - Dancing In The Waters of LifeAbove all, don't wish to become a future Buddha.

Your only concernas thought follows thought,should be to avoid clinging to any of them.

~Dogen Zenji (1200 - 1253) 

To

practice self-liberating thoughts, whatever thought arises in your mind, just look at it and let go and relax. Look straight at its essential nature and let go and relax; it will be self-liberated. Do not

concern yourself with what you are thinking about. Do not concern yourself with the object of your thoughts, whether it is a person or a thing. Just look at the essence of the thought itself.

~From The Melody of Dharmata: Verses on the Profound View of the Middle Way, by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield & Jim , P.47.

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

[Guest guest]

in a hologram, every single tiny bit of it actually contains the entire thing.i've been thinking about this all day (in fact i have an as yet virgin 'draft' page awaiting an instant away from the grindstone - let's take that instant here...)

this is just an analogy, but, in meditation, for example, the two major flaws are what are technically called 'sinking' and 'scattering'.The former is when you lose clarity and drift off into a sort of dull state where nothing much is very clear. The other is over-excitement - millions of 'brilliant' flashing ideas and so on... At first, as your meditation is learning to become stable, you need to apply antidotes when you notice either of these coming up, rousing yourself when dull and forgetful and bringing yourself back when over-stimulated so that the object of meditation, whatever it might be, remains clear to you and you can examine and become completely familiar with it. This takes time - years, generally, if not 'lifetimes' - but if you persist, lifting yourself out of mental gloom when sinking and gently calming yourself when slipping away into scattered thought, over and over and over again, eventually the mind becomes tamed - trained - and can remain with the object for a few minutes, then a few tens of minutes, and so on, until, finally, it remains concentrated clearly wherever you place it.

In our television-driven ADHD world, we are generally not even aware that our minds make butterflies look like stone buddhas, but, if you want to embrace both ends, you first need to know both ends and then need to know how to rest between them...

Enough!Sorry if i sound 'clever' (though if i know me, i probably just sound confused) - not meant to be.--

Take more time, cover less ground.

~ Merton - Dancing In The Waters of LifeAbove all, don't wish to become a future Buddha.

Your only concernas thought follows thought,should be to avoid clinging to any of them.

~Dogen Zenji (1200 - 1253) 

To

practice self-liberating thoughts, whatever thought arises in your mind, just look at it and let go and relax. Look straight at its essential nature and let go and relax; it will be self-liberated. Do not

concern yourself with what you are thinking about. Do not concern yourself with the object of your thoughts, whether it is a person or a thing. Just look at the essence of the thought itself.

~From The Melody of Dharmata: Verses on the Profound View of the Middle Way, by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield & Jim , P.47.

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

[Guest guest]

our minds make butterflies look like Buddhas

*what i meant by this is that, although butterflies are not exactly famed for their stability and intense concentration, compared to our ADHD minds they are as solid as stone buddhas. 

--

Take more time, cover less ground.

~ Merton - Dancing In The Waters of LifeAbove all, don't wish to become a future Buddha.

Your only concernas thought follows thought,should be to avoid clinging to any of them.

~Dogen Zenji (1200 - 1253) 

To

practice self-liberating thoughts, whatever thought arises in your mind, just look at it and let go and relax. Look straight at its essential nature and let go and relax; it will be self-liberated. Do not

concern yourself with what you are thinking about. Do not concern yourself with the object of your thoughts, whether it is a person or a thing. Just look at the essence of the thought itself.

~From The Melody of Dharmata: Verses on the Profound View of the Middle Way, by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield & Jim , P.47.

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

[Guest guest]

so our minds make sensuality look like and spirituality?  

Funny. Watching PBS online last night (Secrets of the Dead) about

Michelangelo. All very much memory management -- a gentler, kinder,

form of inquisition-- claiming (basically) Michelangelo as a a closet

Protestant, that " by faith alone is salvation " and none of those

sacraments or good works for him, thank you. Once again it's that

modern tendency of stuffing something into a bin that simply didn't

exist at the time, certainly not in the way it " exists " now. No faith?

Sacraments were defined as the " outward sign of faith " . Faith is

essential to make any spell work (Alohomora!) and corruption simply

corruption (No worry. Into the fiery hole, you scum! Back on the

wheel!).

Old Catechism: Why do we exist? We exist to know, love, and serve god.

So -- minds that make sensuality look like spirituality? Of course and

vice versa -- remembering that the great magnum opus IS the great

magnum opus: stuffing souls (sentience, consciousness) into bodies

(Sit up, clay!). Move us, Eros. Move it all. Dancing really is a fine

religion.

" ...The ultimate fate of every dogma is that it gradually becomes

soulless. Life wants to create new forms, and therefore, when a dogma

loses its vitality, it must perforce activate the archetype that has

always helped man to express the mystery of the soul....the psychic

archetype .... take form and become accessible to understanding....But

the supremely important motive power which is needed .... and which

sets the archetypal possibilities in motion at a given historical

moment, cannot be explained in terms of archetype itself. Only

experience can establish which archetype has become operative, but one

can never predict that it must enter into manifestation. ... "

(CGJung, Collected Works, Vol. 14, p. 347, par. 488)

UNFOLD YOUR OWN MYTH

Who gets up early to discover the moment light begins?

Who finds us here circling, bewildered, like atoms?

Who comes to a spring thirsty and sees the moon reflected in it?

Who, like blind with grief and age, smells the shirt of his lost

son and can see again?

Who lets a bucket down and brings up a flowing prophet?

Or like Moses goes for fire and finds what burns inside the sunrise?

Jesus slips into a house to escape enemies, and opens a door to the other world.

cuts open a fish, and there’s a gold ring.

storms in to kill the prophet and leaves with blessings.

Chase a deer and end up everywhere!

An oyster opens his mouth to swallow one drop.

Now there’s a pearl.

A vagrant wanders empty ruins. Suddenly he’s wealthy.

But don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others.

Unfold your own myth, without complicated explanation,

so everyone will understand the passage:

We have opened you.

Start walking toward Shams.

Your legs will get heavy and tired.

Then comes a moment of feeling the wings you’ve grown,

lifting.

~RUMI

[Guest guest]

or as mike dickman once put it

The Mass is not a parody of the Magnum Opus. The Mass is an exact

manifestation of the Magnum Opus. Most Parisian Catholics have no idea

of what they're about. They're Sunday Christians only. Many French

people today are fascinated with all things esoteric. But it's only an

intellectual fascination. Alchemical wisdom can not be understood

intellectually but only experienced...or -better put- Alchemical

wisdom can only be understood intellectually IF experienced.

again

> " ...The ultimate fate of every dogma is that it gradually becomes

> soulless. Life wants to create new forms, and therefore, when a dogma

> loses its vitality, it must perforce activate the archetype that has

> always helped man to express the mystery of the soul....the psychic

> archetype .... take form and become accessible to understanding....But

> the supremely important motive power which is needed .... and which

> sets the archetypal possibilities in motion at a given historical

> moment, cannot be explained in terms of archetype itself. Only

> experience can establish which archetype has become operative, but one

> can never predict that it must enter into manifestation. ... "

> (CGJung, Collected Works, Vol. 14, p. 347, par. 488)

Culianu:

Magic is not about disorder. On the contrary, it reestablishes a

peaceful coexistence between the conscious and unconscious when

coexistence is under attack. ~Ioan Couliano

And I dare say that's also the function of art.

And here's the kicker. " Peaceful coexistence " = Equilibrium. And that

means no movement, no change, no gradients, no life. No dance. No

Eros. No Mojo. So... embrace the tension. Live your story. In the end,

equilibrium. And behind it all always, equilibrium. It just that just

now, you're still moving through your own story.

[Guest guest]

>

> Subject: Re: holding the opposites

> To: JUNG-FIRE

> Date: Sunday, July 24, 2011, 10:51 AM

> so our minds make sensuality look

> like and spirituality?  

Now that was right touching Muse,,,

Good evening Jung-Fire,,

How the Hell for art Thou?

My name is Dail,,,I usually carry the US Mail,,but here lately, this wretched

infernal heat wave had got me acting a little peculiar,,

It's not like I have any overwhelming urge to go Postal you know,,and blow up

gub'ment buildings and shoot up a bunch of innocent young Norwegians,,,

No,,,Actually,,what I have an irresistible urge to do is Far more detestable and

deviant than that,, Like jumping up on some open mic performance stage hall

somewhere and commence to torture a beautiful innocent young classic guitar like

the one I'm holding in my hands,Right before your very eyes,,

Erstwhile,,singing songs that are reprehensibly loathsome and deplorable to the

ears of anyone who regards themselves as having any redeemable social stature in

their local community,,,How diabolical is that now eh?

Songs such as the one I'm currently torturing whilst engaged in this one sided

Dail-ogue,, that was written long ago by the bard Ian of Jethro Tull, A

song that in it's prime heyday once filled the hall of Madison Square Garden in

NYC to overflowing capacity,,but now nearly 40 yrs. later in this more

downtrodden and tragic era,,has been delegated to be sung in back alley Ale

drinking pubs of formerly Jolly ol England,,but known better now as the Paranoid

Police Surveillance State United Kingdom,,or PPSSUK for short.,,(rhymes

with,,well you know) A song called Thick as a Brick,,

Now I do have this passable flute here on my left if anyone cares to hop up here

and accompany me on the overture melody part,,Hmm? NO? Well in that case,,,

TBC,

Dail the Mail uh man,,

[Guest guest]

so our minds make sensuality look like and spirituality?  

*no - that's not what I'm saying, but i do like your ad lib off of it.....what I'm saying is rather that, even when seeing more or less clearly, our minds are generally plastering what's actually there with hope, fear and general 'ends in view'... also that our sense of concentration is lacking... watch your thoughts for a minute or two; write them down as you notice them; and then check to see if there's any genuinely 'logical' link between 'em! i think you'll be surprised.

--

Take more time, cover less ground.

~ Merton - Dancing In The Waters of LifeAbove all, don't wish to become a future Buddha.

Your only concernas thought follows thought,should be to avoid clinging to any of them.

~Dogen Zenji (1200 - 1253) 

To

practice self-liberating thoughts, whatever thought arises in your mind, just look at it and let go and relax. Look straight at its essential nature and let go and relax; it will be self-liberated. Do not

concern yourself with what you are thinking about. Do not concern yourself with the object of your thoughts, whether it is a person or a thing. Just look at the essence of the thought itself.

~From The Melody of Dharmata: Verses on the Profound View of the Middle Way, by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield & Jim , P.47.

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

[Guest guest]

I understand "Thick as a Brick" was written to underscore the way in which the intellectual elite looks down at the common people......To not see them, to not hear them ie. " Thick as Brick" ...)

Gail

Re: holding the opposites

> To: JUNG-FIRE

> Date: Sunday, July 24, 2011, 10:51 AM

> so our minds make sensuality look

> like and spirituality?

Now that was right touching Muse,,,

Good evening Jung-Fire,,

How the Hell for art Thou?

My name is Dail,,,I usually carry the US Mail,,but here lately, this wretched infernal heat wave had got me acting a little peculiar,,

It's not like I have any overwhelming urge to go Postal you know,,and blow up gub'ment buildings and shoot up a bunch of innocent young Norwegians,,,

No,,,Actually,,what I have an irresistible urge to do is Far more detestable and deviant than that,, Like jumping up on some open mic performance stage hall somewhere and commence to torture a beautiful innocent young classic guitar like the one I'm holding in my hands,Right before your very eyes,,

Erstwhile,,singing songs that are reprehensibly loathsome and deplorable to the ears of anyone who regards themselves as having any redeemable social stature in their local community,,,How diabolical is that now eh?

Songs such as the one I'm currently torturing whilst engaged in this one sided Dail-ogue,, that was written long ago by the bard Ian of Jethro Tull, A song that in it's prime heyday once filled the hall of Madison Square Garden in NYC to overflowing capacity,,but now nearly 40 yrs. later in this more downtrodden and tragic era,,has been delegated to be sung in back alley Ale drinking pubs of formerly Jolly ol England,,but known better now as the Paranoid Police Surveillance State United Kingdom,,or PPSSUK for short.,,(rhymes with,,well you know) A song called Thick as a Brick,,

Now I do have this passable flute here on my left if anyone cares to hop up here and accompany me on the overture melody part,,Hmm? NO? Well in that case,,,

TBC,

Dail the Mail uh man,,

[Guest guest]

mike said: so our minds make sensuality look like and spirituality?  

*no - that's not what I'm saying, but i do like your ad lib off of it.....what I'm saying is rather that, even when seeing more or less clearly, our minds are generally plastering what's actually there with hope, fear and general 'ends in view'... also that our sense of concentration is lacking... watch your thoughts for a minute or two; write them down as you notice them; and then check to see if there's any genuinely 'logical' link between 'em! i think you'll be surprised.

-------------------I know. But then there's no story. Just know -- story is story. That's the ad lib. Dance.  

[Guest guest]

Carl Gustav Jung

We should not pretend to understand the world only by the intellect. The judgement of the intellect is only part of the truth.

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: If there is any reaction, both are transformed.

Your vision will become clear when you look into your heart.

Who looks outside, dreams.

Who looks inside awakens.

Re: holding the opposites

mike said:

so our minds make sensuality look like and spirituality?

*no - that's not what I'm saying, but i do like your ad lib off of it...

...

what I'm saying is rather that, even when seeing more or less clearly, our minds are generally plastering what's actually there with hope, fear and general 'ends in view'... also that our sense of concentration is lacking... watch your thoughts for a minute or two; write them down as you notice them; and then check to see if there's any genuinely 'logical' link between 'em! i think you'll be surprised.

-------------------

I know. But then there's no story. Just know -- story is story. That's the ad lib. Dance.

[Guest guest]

nice.

 

Carl Gustav Jung

We should not pretend to understand the world only by the intellect. The judgement of the intellect is only part of the truth.

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: If there is any reaction, both are transformed.

Your vision will become clear when you look into your heart.

Who looks outside, dreams.

Who looks inside awakens.

Re: holding the opposites

 

mike said: 

so our minds make sensuality look like and spirituality?  

*no - that's not what I'm saying, but i do like your ad lib off of it...

...

what I'm saying is rather that, even when seeing more or less clearly, our minds are generally plastering what's actually there with hope, fear and general 'ends in view'... also that our sense of concentration is lacking... watch your thoughts for a minute or two; write them down as you notice them; and then check to see if there's any genuinely 'logical' link between 'em! i think you'll be surprised.

-------------------

I know. But then there's no story. Just know -- story is story. That's the ad lib. Dance.  

[Guest guest]

Subject: Re: holding the oppositesTo: JUNG-FIRE Date: Sunday, July 24, 2011, 1:36 PM

Carl Gustav Jung

We should not pretend to understand the world only by the intellect. The judgement of the intellect is only part of the truth.

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: If there is any reaction, both are transformed.

Your vision will become clear when you look into your heart.

Who looks outside, dreams.

Who looks inside awakens.

Ah yes, that's the ticket,,and as I was saying before,,Really don't mind if you sit this one out,,My word's but a whisper, your deafness a Shout. I may make you feel, but I can't make you think,,You're sperm's in the gutter, you're love's in the sink. And so you ride all over your fields,,and you make all your animal deals,,And your wise men don't know, how it feels,,,To be Thick as a Brick,,,,! Ta ta!Ad Libyan away! Hey hey!The Mute

[Guest guest]

nice one, Gail... exactly.Nice one Deb. Dance on, my wonderful friend.Mutt, you know that Ian is of That Ilk and that about half of Scotland owes allegiance to him? Literally.He does a damn good folk program on the Beeb.

--

Take more time, cover less ground.

~ Merton - Dancing In The Waters of LifeAbove all, don't wish to become a future Buddha.

Your only concernas thought follows thought,should be to avoid clinging to any of them.

~Dogen Zenji (1200 - 1253) 

To

practice self-liberating thoughts, whatever thought arises in your mind, just look at it and let go and relax. Look straight at its essential nature and let go and relax; it will be self-liberated. Do not

concern yourself with what you are thinking about. Do not concern yourself with the object of your thoughts, whether it is a person or a thing. Just look at the essence of the thought itself.

~From The Melody of Dharmata: Verses on the Profound View of the Middle Way, by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield & Jim , P.47.

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

[Guest guest]

To: JUNG-FIRE Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 4:28 PMSubject: Re: holding the opposites

nice one, Gail... exactly.Nice one Deb. Dance on, my wonderful friend.Mutt, you know that Ian is of That Ilk and that about half of Scotland owes allegiance to him? Literally.He does a damn good folk program on the Beeb.

Hi Mike,Wish we could get such quality entertainment as that around here more often,,instead of having to go scrounging around You Tube for such gems. This is just a part of personal therapy program at the moment,,trying to exhale as much of this wretched infernally heated air around here as possible by singing my lungs out,,Well the theory seems reasonable anyhow, LOL! Just don't get too close when I'm doing so, and it should be OK. :)Cheers,

[Guest guest]

Saw Jethro Tull back in the 70s.Ian owned the stage. A wild man leaping across the stage with a flute,and a voice,what a presence! We all sat on the ground and leveraged on someone's shoulders in order to see.It was sold out, and people kept coming in the back way,an open fence, us nah, why we would never......

Re: holding the opposites

nice one, Gail... exactly.

Nice one Deb. Dance on, my wonderful friend.

Mutt, you know that Ian is of That Ilk and that about half of Scotland owes allegiance to him? Literally.

He does a damn good folk program on the Beeb.

Hi Mike,

Wish we could get such quality entertainment as that around here more often,,instead of having to go scrounging around You Tube for such gems. This is just a part of personal therapy program at the moment,,trying to exhale as much of this wretched infernally heated air around here as possible by singing my lungs out,,Well the theory seems reasonable anyhow, LOL! Just don't get too close when I'm doing so, and it should be OK.

Cheers,

[Guest guest]

To: JUNG-FIRE Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 5:19 PMSubject: Re: holding the opposites

Saw Jethro Tull back in the 70s.Ian owned the stage. A wild man leaping across the stage with a flute,and a voice,what a presence! We all sat on the ground and leveraged on someone's shoulders in order to see.It was sold out, and people kept coming in the back way,an open fence, us nah, why we would never......

Greetings Gail,I likewise was in awe of this performer many years ago as one of the first concerts I was able to attend back then was his Opus Magnum,, Passion Play,,literally taken from the ancient Orphic Hymns,, Truly a singer of these ageless times, with kitchen prose and gutter rhymes,,:)Cheers,

[Guest guest]

Another poetic musical masterpiece is Astral Weeks,the entire album,by Van on( Ireland).Yes this album, this time in his life, was his Opus Magnum as well.

Re: holding the opposites

Saw Jethro Tull back in the 70s.Ian owned the stage. A wild man leaping across the stage with a flute,and a voice,what a presence! We all sat on the ground and leveraged on someone's shoulders in order to see.It was sold out, and people kept coming in the back way,an open fence, us nah, why we would never......

Greetings Gail,

I likewise was in awe of this performer many years ago as one of the first concerts I was able to attend back then was his Opus Magnum,, Passion Play,,literally taken from the ancient Orphic Hymns,, Truly a singer of these ageless times, with kitchen prose and gutter rhymes,,

Cheers,

[Guest guest]

Astral Weeks.......

To be born again....in another world darlin, in another world, in another time, gotta home on high,

Ain't nothin but a stranger in this world, I gotta home on high, so far away,so far away, way up in the heaven...

In another time, in another time, in another place... ha ha, in another time...in another place,

in another face......

Re: holding the opposites

Saw Jethro Tull back in the 70s.Ian owned the stage. A wild man leaping across the stage with a flute,and a voice,what a presence! We all sat on the ground and leveraged on someone's shoulders in order to see.It was sold out, and people kept coming in the back way,an open fence, us nah, why we would never......

Greetings Gail,

I likewise was in awe of this performer many years ago as one of the first concerts I was able to attend back then was his Opus Magnum,, Passion Play,,literally taken from the ancient Orphic Hymns,, Truly a singer of these ageless times, with kitchen prose and gutter rhymes,,

Cheers,

[Guest guest]

 

Astral Weeks.......

 

To be born again....in another world darlin, in another world, in another time, gotta home on high,

 

Ain't nothin but a stranger in this world, I gotta home on high, so far away,so far away, way up in the heaven...

 

 In another time, in another time, in another place... ha ha, in another time...in another place,

 

 in another face......*LOVED that song... still do. --

Take more time, cover less ground.

~ Merton - Dancing In The Waters of LifeAbove all, don't wish to become a future Buddha.

Your only concernas thought follows thought,should be to avoid clinging to any of them.

~Dogen Zenji (1200 - 1253) 

To

practice self-liberating thoughts, whatever thought arises in your mind, just look at it and let go and relax. Look straight at its essential nature and let go and relax; it will be self-liberated. Do not

concern yourself with what you are thinking about. Do not concern yourself with the object of your thoughts, whether it is a person or a thing. Just look at the essence of the thought itself.

~From The Melody of Dharmata: Verses on the Profound View of the Middle Way, by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield & Jim , P.47.

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

[Guest guest]

To: JUNG-FIRE Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 6:58 PMSubject: Re: holding the opposites

*LOVED that song... still do. --

Take more time, cover less ground.

~ Merton - Dancing In The Waters of LifeBon Soir again Mike,,Now that particular philosophy of Merton's I can relate to lately,,,as I scurry along on my walking route in the blazing hot Sun as quickly as possible and then chill between stops in the lingering shade of these mighty Oaks around here,, well what's left of them anyhow. Dang,,I knew I should have become one of those ascetic hermits that contemplate their navel in some temperature stabilized grotto cavern all day long,,,LOL! Now I'm sure this song of on's is as lovely as can be, and totally expressive of the idyllic paradise of the Emerald Isle's glorious nostalgic past

likewise, if for no other reason than the much more amicable weather there. But then who'd have any reason to sardonically sing about those dreadful Dog Days of Southern Summer in the States in that case, LOL! Wait a min,,,oh yeah,, good ol Dave Bromberg is still around,, Well it's not just another case of misery loves company,,but,,,,Droopy cheers,

[Guest guest]

Stephan,

Ah, the south .....Walt Whitman tells the tale best......

Gail

...." Oh my heart! Oh tender and fierce pangs-I can stand them not

O to be a Virginian, where I grew up

O to be a Carolinian!... "

Walt Whitman

Longings for Home. by Walt Whitman

O MAGNET-SOUTH! O glistening, perfumed South! My South!

O quick mettle, rich blood, impulse, and love! Good and evil! O all dear to me!

O dear to me my birth-things—All moving things, and the trees where I was

born—the

grains,

plants, rivers;

Dear to me my own slow sluggish rivers where they flow, distant, over flats of silvery

sands,

or

through swamps;

Dear to me the Roanoke, the Savannah, the Altamahaw, the Pedee, the Tombigbee, the Santee,

the

Coosa, and the Sabine;

O pensive, far away wandering, I return with my Soul to haunt their banks again;

Again in Florida I float on transparent lakes—I float on the Okeechobee—I cross

the

hummock land, or through pleasant openings, or dense forests;

I see the parrots in the woods—I see the papaw tree and the blossoming titi;

Again, sailing in my coaster, on deck, I coast off Georgia—I coast up the Carolinas,

I see where the live-oak is growing—I see where the yellow-pine, the scented

bay-tree, the

lemon and orange, the cypress, the graceful palmetto;

I pass rude sea-headlands and enter Pamlico Sound through an inlet, and dart my vision

inland;

O the cotton plant! the growing fields of rice, sugar, hemp!

The cactus, guarded with thorns—the laurel-tree, with large white flowers;

The range afar—the richness and barrenness—the old woods charged with mistletoe

and

trailing moss,

The piney odor and the gloom—the awful natural stillness, (Here in these dense swamps

the

freebooter carries his gun, and the fugitive slave has his conceal’d hut;)

O the strange fascination of these half-known, half-impassable swamps, infested by

reptiles,

resounding with the bellow of the alligator, the sad noises of the night-owl and the

wild-cat,

and

the whirr of the rattlesnake;

The mocking-bird, the American mimic, singing all the forenoon—singing through the

moon-lit

night,

The humming-bird, the wild turkey, the raccoon, the opossum;

A Tennessee corn-field—the tall, graceful, long-leav’d corn—slender,

flapping,

bright

green with tassels—with beautiful ears, each well-sheath’d in its husk;

An Arkansas prairie—a sleeping lake, or still bayou;

O my heart! O tender and fierce pangs—I can stand them not—I will depart;

O to be a Virginian, where I grew up! O to be a Carolinian!

O longings irrepressible! O I will go back to old Tennessee, and never wander more!

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Re: holding the opposites

*LOVED that song... still do.

--

Take more time, cover less ground.

~ Merton - Dancing In The Waters of Life

Bon Soir again Mike,,

Now that particular philosophy of Merton's I can relate to lately,,,as I scurry along on my walking route in the blazing hot Sun as quickly as possible and then chill between stops in the lingering shade of these mighty Oaks around here,, well what's left of them anyhow. Dang,,I knew I should have become one of those ascetic hermits that contemplate their navel in some temperature stabilized grotto cavern all day long,,,LOL!

Now I'm sure this song of on's is as lovely as can be, and totally expressive of the idyllic paradise of the Emerald Isle's glorious nostalgic past likewise, if for no other reason than the much more amicable weather there. But then who'd have any reason to sardonically sing about those dreadful Dog Days of Southern Summer in the States in that case, LOL! Wait a min,,,oh yeah,, good ol Dave Bromberg is still around,, Well it's not just another case of misery loves company,,but,,,,

Droopy cheers,

[Guest guest]

To: JUNG-FIRE Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 11:02 PMSubject: Re: holding the opposites

Stephan,

Ah, the south .....Walt Whitman tells the tale best......

Gail

...." Oh my heart! Oh tender and fierce pangs-I can stand them not

O to be a Virginian, where I grew up

O to be a Carolinian!... "

Walt Whitman

Longings for Home. by Walt Whitman

O MAGNET-SOUTH! O glistening, perfumed South! My South!

O quick mettle, rich blood, impulse, and love! Good and evil! O all dear to me!

O dear to me my birth-things—All moving things, and the trees where I was

born—the

grains,

plants, rivers;

Dear to me my own slow sluggish rivers where they flow, distant, over flats of silvery

sands,

or

through swamps;

Dear to me the Roanoke, the Savannah, the Altamahaw, the Pedee, the Tombigbee, the Santee,

the

Coosa, and the Sabine;

O pensive, far away wandering, I return with my Soul to haunt their banks again;

Again in Florida I float on transparent lakes—I float on the Okeechobee—I cross

the

hummock land, or through pleasant openings, or dense forests;

I see the parrots in the woods—I see the papaw tree and the blossoming titi;

Again, sailing in my coaster, on deck, I coast off Georgia—I coast up the Carolinas,

I see where the live-oak is growing—I see where the yellow-pine, the scented

bay-tree, the

lemon and orange, the cypress, the graceful palmetto;

I pass rude sea-headlands and enter Pamlico Sound through an inlet, and dart my vision

inland;

O the cotton plant! the growing fields of rice, sugar, hemp!

The cactus, guarded with thorns—the laurel-tree, with large white flowers;

The range afar—the richness and barrenness—the old woods charged with mistletoe

and

trailing moss,

The piney odor and the gloom—the awful natural stillness, (Here in these dense swamps

the

freebooter carries his gun, and the fugitive slave has his conceal’d hut;)

O the strange fascination of these half-known, half-impassable swamps, infested by

reptiles,

resounding with the bellow of the alligator, the sad noises of the night-owl and the

wild-cat,

and

the whirr of the rattlesnake;

The mocking-bird, the American mimic, singing all the forenoon—singing through the

moon-lit

night,

The humming-bird, the wild turkey, the raccoon, the opossum;

A Tennessee corn-field—the tall, graceful, long-leav’d corn—slender,

flapping,

bright

green with tassels—with beautiful ears, each well-sheath’d in its husk;

An Arkansas prairie—a sleeping lake, or still bayou;

O my heart! O tender and fierce pangs—I can stand them not—I will depart;

O to be a Virginian, where I grew up! O to be a Carolinian!

O longings irrepressible! O I will go back to old Tennessee, and never wander more!

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Thanks Gail,That was nice! Allow me to return the favor,

regards, who was kinda wonderin what Alice has been up to lately,,Mebbe I should have said "Irreprehensibly"

[Guest guest]

They seem to come together in an electrical, stream of energy of some nature, difficult to describe... There are many "names" for it from east to west, but this energy phenomonon whatever it is,and whatever you may call it, seems to contain the opposites..Just my observation of a possibility, could this be where the opposites meet?

Gail

holding the opposites

If anyone's still interested in this topic, which "arose" when I misunderstood what someone was saying, I think the paragraphs 601-605 of Mysterium Coniunctionis might apply to it. I'll include para 601 in this note:

"As high as the Primordial Man stands on the one side, so low on the other is the sinful, empirical man. The phenomenon of contamination, which we meet so frequently in the psychology of dreams and of primitives, is no mere accident but is based on a common denominator; at some point the opposites prove to be identical, and this implies the possibility of their contamination. One of the commonest instances of this is the identity of the god and his animal attribute. Such paradoxes derive from the non-human quality of the god's and the animal's psychology. The divine psyche is as far above the human as the animal psyche reaches down into subhuman depths."

Jim