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Monday, January 02, 2012

A new blog in a new year: sparks and mirrors

 for a -
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“Go into yourself and see
how deep the place is from which your life flows.”

~ Rainer Maria Rilke 

Some of you found me, with Lorenzo (of The Alchemist's Pillow blog), at our year-long blog where we posted readings from the book A Year with Rilke in 2011. It feels impossible to summarize the year there, much as it did after I finished RUMI DAYS, another such blog of soul and spirit the year before. I know that I have been changed as a result of those daily readings, and the interactive commentary from readers. It was deep and wondrous, opening doors and windows onto light I had not imagined existed. Sometimes I think we created light, together, following Rilke on his path. And now, I can't recall what or who I was before these transformations.

In a letter to Witold Hulewicz Rilke wrote:

All the worlds of the universe plunge into the Invisible as into a yet deeper reality. Certain stars increase in intensity and extinguish themselves in the angels' endless awareness. Others move toward transformation slowly and with great effort, and their next self-realization occurs in fear and terror.

We are the transformers of Earth. Our whole being, and the flights and falls of our love, enable us to undertake this task.

Because of that power of transformation, and the joy of community Lorenzo and I found with our friends at AYWR, we have launched another such blog called sparks and mirrors. We didn't want it to end, that daily dive into waters of discovery, truth and beauty. We want the practice to continue. We will post at our new blog every few days, mostly passages from authors who have themselves opened windows onto the universe within and without, with a few words about how and why they have inspired us. We would love for you to dive in with us there, with a hearty and warmly welcoming splash. (Swimsuits optional.)

I will, of course, continue here with poems, photos, art, music, and whatever else wants to be shared. I am so very grateful that you are in my life, and how we learn from one another.

May the year ahead be awake and alive for you!
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20 comments:

erin said...

just now i sat down at my desk and said these words aloud, someone please say something real and meaningful to me. with this, i believe we are on our way:)

i do not give my gratitude enough and so i give it again to both you and lorenzo. thank you.)))

much love!
xo
erin

Friko said...

A year already, but of course. How time flies in the world of blogging.

I look forward to reading the new blog too and await the passages the two of you choose with anticipatorypleasure.

I too am back in my beloved blogland after a sparse time and wish you a very Happy New Year.

Bloggers unite, we have nothing to lose but the prejudices of the world.

steven said...

ruth!! wow . . . breaths come short and quick . . . perhaps wine will help here!!! i am so wishing you a happy time for this year and i am very excited to swim in a sea of sparks and mirrors !!!! steven

elizabeth said...

Wishing you much joy in the new year. And lots of creative impulses.
Rilke and Rumi --both so rich they make me dizzy --almost too much for me like re-reading Mrs. Dalloway. TOO TOO MUCH

"Here it is memory
there it was breath"
Duino Elegies

On a more mundane note, I hope this finds you well and cheerful.
All best wishes

JeannetteLS said...

I'm with Erin here. And Steven. They said it all.

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

I like the sound of that... "Sparks And Mirrors." A lovely word picture, it paints.


Lots of gentle beginning-the-New-Year-hugs...

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."
~ Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

Rosaria Williams said...

Fantastic! A new adventure for a new year.

Maureen said...

Looking forward to traveling with you. Great title for a blog.

hedgewitch said...

Thanks for investing so much of your time and spirit in these enterprises, Ruth. They do indeed make a difference, and change us for the better. Look forward to what this next year will bring.

George said...

As you know, I've already landed on the site, and I look forward to this new journey. Once again, thanks to you and Lorenzo for the new forum and its myriad opportunities to learn and share.

ksam said...

Ditto probably all of these posts! Especially Erin's comment, perhaps not having said thanks enough! Having come late...there was the delightful sensory almost overload of reading them both at the same time!! Quite the work out! Gracias...and very much looking forward to the new year!

ds said...

So excited about this. Thank you, thank you for being willing to take up the challenge of yet another thought-provoking blog. You and Lorenzo are graciousness personified.
Cannot wait to see who strikes sparks at the new blog. I know I shall delve into them as I continue to delve into Rilke and Rumi, and will learn so much from all who visit the new place.
Happy, happy New Year, Ruth!

Deborah said...

Bravo, Ruth! Your enthusiasm and energy are so evident - you represent some of the best of what can happen in this remarkable community.
Wishing you a New Year of peace and happiness, friendship and open doors.

Marcie said...

How exciting - a fresh new beginning!! Will definitely stop by and read. Happy 2012!!!

Nautankey said...

wow..god speed ruth..wishes for a happy new year and a spirit which keeps churning out more such endeavors..

Reena said...

I so look forward to another year with your words and images!

Ruth said...

Hello, Friends!

Thank you for all your encouragement here. Lorenzo and I are eager to get this new train going after a pause in the station disembarking from the Rilke train. We would love it if you would ride along and perhaps even help determine the destination. Rilke will be riding too (or maybe he is one of the conductors), and Rumi, and Joseph Campbell, and Carl Jung, and James Hillman, and any number of poets and writers who explore the ways of the soul. And watch closely, because we may quote you!

elizabeth said...

Dear Ruthie,
Can you email me (elizabethwix@hotmail.com) and give me your email.
I would like to write a more detailed response to your reply/ comment above.
On a different note -- you cannot imagine (well, I thinkyou ALMOST can), the joy a grandchild brings.
Happy New Year.

Amy @ Soul Dipper said...

The best New Year's wish of all, Ruth - that I be awake and alive. Thanks and all sorts of blessings to you, as well.

The wee one will be along soon...

Ginnie Hart said...

I bookmarked this site immediately, Ruth, and have it in my Google Reader for checking at least once a week. I know it puts you (again) in Paradise.