Anais Nin, on the way we grow

We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells and constellations.

Bruno Bettleheim comments on the fairy tale Rapunzel, in his book, "The Uses of Enchantment"

In the story, after Rapunzel's banishment into the desert, the time comes when she is no longer taken care of by her substitute mother, nor the prince by his parents. Both of them now have to learn to take care of themselves, even in the most adverse circumstances. Their relative immaturity is suggested by their having given up hope -- not trusting the future really means not trusting oneself. That is why neither the prince nor Rapunzel is able to search with determination for the other. He, we are told, "wandered blindly through the forest, ate nothing but roots and berries, and did nothing but moan and cry because he had lost his beloved." Nor are we told that Rapunzel did much of a positive nature; she too lived in misery and moaned and decried her fate. We must assume, nevertheless, that it was for both a period of growing, of finding themselves, an era of recovery. At its end they are ready not only to rescue each other, but to make a good life, one for the other.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Be not the slave of your own past.
Plunge into the sublime seas, dive
deep and swim far, so you shall come
back with self-respect, with new power,
with an advanced experience that shall
explain and overlook the old.

Stillness as an antidote to overwork

Be still and receptive to life. The more still you can become, the more receptive you are, for it is in the stillness that you can hear My still, small voice. It is in the stillness that you become aware of My wonders all around you. You become very sensitive to the things that matter in life, and in this state of sensitivity doors can be flung wide open and anything can happen. You must seek and find periods of peace and stillness, no matter how busy a person you are, for they need not be long periods. You will find those few moments in silent communion with Me will work wonders in everything you do. Instead of rushing into a project, or doing something because it has to be done, your whole attitude towards whatever you undertake will be one of benediction, praise and thanksgiving. Because your attitude and approach are right, only the very best can come from it and bring blessings to all those souls concerned with it.

from Opening Doors Within, channeled guidance from Eileen Caddy

For more about Eileen Caddy, see: http://www.findhorn.org/

on Poetry

It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.

from Asphodel, That Greeny Flower, by William Carlos Williams


(Thanks to Barbara Boudon for this one)