i have been quiet. looking within. contemplating
the gravity of stone,
stars,
the colour of rain.
a long journey back to a life of
before.
a life when
every direction
seemed plausible, un-hurdled,
effortless with the languid joy of the untested.
i have been quiet, and i have been listening.
listening to stars and the secrets of
stones.
so ancient with heaviness....so weighty and cumbersome;
this great burden we arrive carrying
to the light of each dawn.
not one of us unscathed, not one of us carrying a heavier
burden then the ones we have chosen
to hold on to.
what if navigating the wild terrain of living
is more about
seeing the vantage point born from this very weight?
what if our work is the
sculptures seasoned practice of striking free the superfluous,
removing what is, to see what if?
pairing down so close to bare bones light emerges
translucent in every detail of our being.
what if we are struck like a bell that has
waited a lifetime to ring out?
and all we carry is provided as a reminder of letting go,
so that the monolithic out-climb is just that,
a corner stone of strength to climb upon,
and from this great sheering up of heart
a song, a lightness, a realization,
a perfect clarity of love.
each photograph taken with my phone, from one perfect moment
of my time in mendocino.
in the company of cherished friends, where
Jon Fisher inspires,
unleashing the lightness of being out of ancient cumbersome stone.
rebecca,
This is so deeply moving and transcendent. It is the only word that I can find right now to describe the luminosity of these figures, how they are set free, weightless from their origins as the spirit is set free from the body in meditation or prayer. I am reminded of Michaelangelo's belief that the work of art was living and breathing within the stone and only had to be discovered by the artist's hand. More than that though, I see these words:
What if our work is the
sculptures seasoned practice of striking free the superfluous,
removing what is, to see what if?
pairing down so close to bare bones light emerges
translucent in every detail of our being.
what if we are struck like a bell that has
waited a lifetime to ring out?
And I think of Palestine and her desire for freedom, a sheering up of heart, for light and for love. I hope the best for her, and I thank you for this beauty.
Love,
Noelle
Posted by: Noelle | September 27, 2011 at 03:02 PM
And I realize too, dear rebecca, that you were pondering the message that I sent you about your own journey and the "unbearable lightness of being" that has been born in you as a result of your experience. You are, as Teilhard du Chardin remarks a spiritual being having a human experience and sharing it with the rest of us. I am proud to know you.
xoxox,
Noelle
Posted by: Noelle | September 27, 2011 at 03:49 PM
Dear Rebecca,
You carve your words effortlessly...or so it seems. Your light shines here so beautifully and your heart touches us all.
I hope you are well,
x..x
Posted by: Stephanie | September 27, 2011 at 08:20 PM
"and all we carry is provided as a reminder of letting go,
so that the monolithic out-climb is just that,
a corner stone of strength to climb upon,
and from this great sheering up of heart
a song, a lightness, a realization,
a perfect clarity of love."
.
.
.
yes... yes... yes...
xoxo
Posted by: lynne | September 27, 2011 at 08:46 PM
Such beautiful images, I truly am amazed! It just goes to show what emerges effortlessly in one moment of awareness.
The words are very poignant, each sentence having so much meaning for me personally. I am ever grateful to be a recipient of your magic!
Sue x
Posted by: Sue Fox | September 27, 2011 at 11:13 PM
you take words and sculpt them into truth and beauty and hope. your words here, make the unbearable almost bearable. they are beauty from ashes. may you dwell in this light and love, today, dear one...
"for i consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us..."
Posted by: leslie | September 28, 2011 at 06:42 AM
Thank-you for lending us your eyes.
Posted by: Ms. Moon | September 28, 2011 at 08:25 AM
Hello Lovely dear Rebecca,
Yes to your thoughts of light and enlightenment and love and stone and the ability to sculpture of a life!!
AND YES also, to Mendocino, California which is a place I took art lessons in the summers with my parents as a child. It changed my life in a good way. My dad took weaving one time I remember and It is a happy thing to stitch together in my mind, so thank you!!
Sending healing thoughts your way!
Love,
Constance
Posted by: rochambeau | September 28, 2011 at 05:38 PM
Celestial windows shine light around your words.
Posted by: gemma | September 28, 2011 at 05:41 PM
Each word so beautiful and so exquisitely painful. Each photo amazing and with your cell phone. Thinking of you.
Posted by: Fran aka Redondowriter | September 28, 2011 at 08:45 PM