Go Ask Alice (why we write)

About a year and a half ago, in a moment of brashness - I asked the Universe to 'speed things up'. Every time I recall that, with a shiver, (because it's usually at a time when changes are coming quickly and slightly uninvited) I'm tempted to think or say, "ok, that's enough" but instead I whisper - "keep it up, I know I whine sometimes, but I like it better this way..." ..or something to that effect.
There have been lots of changes in my life lately.

You ride now on cobbled streets

beyond my ramparts

to the palace of desires and hauteurs

of sweet airs and embraces

where once you forgot your duty

and the needs of the people

until I brought the roof down.

Remember, falcon rider.

I certainly feel like I've forgotten my duty before. What is 'our duty'? To create a better life? Simply to live an authentic life? I don't know.. to follow our bliss, perhaps.

It's from another Robert Moss poem: The Tower. The destruction of structures we have created for ourselves. De-structure. The sharp-shinned hawk, mentioned in the last blog, that I saw at lunch while at a session on soul-recovery with Robert, I had thought was a falcon, and told him so at the end of that day. When I found this poem a few days ago it seemed pretty on-point for my life, and..  synchronous.

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the white knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "Off with her head!"
Remember what the dormouse said

Feed your head

Feed your head. I was making some art based on that song, and line, when my Dad died. The white knight - means to me; the empty cup - the buddist idea of letting go of all notions of yourself and letting the Universe flow through you. Adding to that the idea of "knight" = an empty warrior, one who lets the Universe flow through him, does not have his own agenda. I didn't know it meant all this to me when I was drawing it, back in 2001.

I have no parents--I make the heavens and earth my parents. - A Samurai Warrior's Creed

 
Goes hand in hand with the Tower. Although it may not seem so at first. I think it's about the cycles of life - like crab shells we all work hard on making, and then must let go of when we outgrow them - this is a natural process. The Universe can't flow through you when you're holding onto things you have outgrown. I certainly didn't see the relationship between 'feed your head,' the white knight, and the Tower, when Dad left my life. I saw that he had always fed his head - read, learned, grown, and changed. We can only grow if we can let go.

every day new dreams must die

see what's on the other side

I started following a blog called Expotera a long time ago. Not sure why, except it's good.
After a recent career set-back (not that big a deal) I've been wondering over the last few days what role writing has in my life, and if I should do more, or less. I've been asking myself: is that, in some ways, where I'm going, where I've been going for a long time?

As I was pondering this question the other day I happened upon this entry: http://expotera-ceo.blogspot.com/2011/07/open-letter-to-world.html it's called "Open Letter to the World." You should read it. I'm not sure if Tony wrote it, or reposted from here: http://www.anonnews.org/?p=press&a=item&i=619.

"But something unexpected is happening. We have begun telling each other our own stories. Sharing our lives, our hopes, our dreams, our demons.
Every second, day in day out, into all hours of the night the gritty details of life on this earth are streaming around the world.

As we see the lives of others played out in our living rooms we are beginning to understand the consequences of our actions and the error of the old ways.

We are questioning the old assumptions that we are made to consume not to create, that the world was made for our taking, that wars are inevitable, that poverty is unavoidable.

As we learn more about our global community a fundamental truth has been rediscovered: We are not so different as we may seem.

Every human has strengths, weaknesses, and deep emotions. We crave love, love laughter, fear being alone and dream for a better life.

You must create a better life.
You cannot sit on the couch watching television or playing video games, waiting for a revolution. You are the revolution."

I took the timing to be synchronous. We are all connected. Everything belongs to you and me. AND - we belong to it. I'll keep writing. Is that my duty?

His post expresses why we all write - to change the world, to change ourselves, and to ease the pain of the pain and glory of existence - by sharing it with one another. Let's all surf the net and see how much people out there are like us. They are us.

He sees the stars and hollow sky
He see the stars come out tonight
He sees the city's ripped backsides
He sees the winding ocean drive
And everything was made for you and me
All of it was made for you and me
'cause it just belongs to you and me
So let's take a ride and see what's mine