Babel

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  • My Face to the Light: Alice Walker’s Thoughts about Christmas

    Cover of "Anything We Love Can be Saved"
    Cover of Anything We Love Can be Saved

    As I was reading Alice Walker (best known for her book The Color Purple) collection of essays entitled Anything We Love Can Be Saved, I thought her ideas only represented me on an abstract – perhaps metaphorical level. I can relate to her situation only in certain aspects, others I can’t even begin to understand. In my opinion, she is rather centred around a purpose and she definitely has a leit-motif (the Goddess, for example), but, as I said, I don’t fully understand her situation, so I won’t be judging her for some linguistic clichés (I know I have mine, and I’m pretty sure each individual, social/enthic group or country has plenty as well!).

    In any case, from the whole book, I chose an essay that I think is still very much current, even after fourteen years. It’s about Christmas and its sometimes empty, sometimes ideologically charged stories. First, the subtitle is quite interesting and very much poetic: “seed catalogs like paper flowers”. (more…)

  • The Importance of Being … Unaware People Understand What I Talk (In a Foreign Language)

    Illustration depicting thought.
    Image via Wikipedia

    With such a long and complicated (but cutely suggestive, right) title, you may wonder what I am on about right now. Well, I came up with the idea a couple of days ago when I was standing in a Costa drinking a green at 6 p.m. (don’t judge me!) and I was absorbed in writing something very sad and serious and, out of nowhere, I hear people talking in Romanian. Now this is not uncommon in London, especially in the area I live in, but when I do it’s often from all the wrong people (the ones I wouldn’t be too happy to go and say “Oh, you’re Romanian, too? Let’s talk about our culture and share our experiences of being Romanians in a quite hostile land – against us, I mean:  I won’t get too much into it, but, what I can say, it’s no picnic being Romanian or Bulgarian in Europe at the moment).

    Well, for a moment I was completely distracted and I got agitated for a (short) while. I knew I shouldn’t eavesdrop on a conversation that was more likely private (even more so when thinking nobody around understood them), but for a second there I just rejoiced hearing my mother tongue being spoken by normal and educated people in a Costa, in London. Yesterday had another not-so-similar experience. This time when I arrived home I was struck by the lack of education two strange men (that is that looked like thugs in leather jackets) that went in the hall right before me, but didn’t bother to hold the door for me. (more…)

  • What's in a Word?

    The famous Greek word logos — “word, speech, a...
    Image via Wikipedia

    This is an excerpt of one my my articles (click on this phrase to read the whole text) from my Helium account, which I think is relevant to the world not only relating the “Arab Spring” or the “Occupy” movements, but to the way the society is built as a whole. 

    _________________________

    Strong words relating to a vague, ethereal group that represents an unseen but really dangerous enemy – or so we are let to believe! – can identify a rhetoric or another for the connoisseur, but they are as liable to become a cigarette thrown into a tank at the gas station. Such words as “terrorists”, “nazis”, “activists”, “environmentalists”, nowadays “occupiers” (or as I keep hearing in a so-called democratic Romania words like “golani” – punks, “tineri” – youth or “studenti” – students used pejoratively as the ones who don’t work and are like leaches on the respectable workers and peasants who keep the country going, and so on). Using these words it’s quite easy to fall into the trap of generalized non-action and perhaps even opposition to change, unless change is imposed by the Man. Even terms of endearment can be dangerous when used in a work environment, for example in a place where all participants should be equal, but the majority is male and the women are addressed as “dear” or “darling”, or with terms otherwise reserved to the bedroom. Therefore, words are both positive and negative. They are positive if we know how to defend ourselves against them (even insults can be kept away with a shield!) and understand that a word can have countless meanings and we should use and interpret it according to a definite context and combination. They are negative if we don’t acknowledge these facts and only take words out of contexts and for what we think they mean. In any case… Is there a reason for why “word” and “world” are such close brothers (sisters, or siblings if we are to include all readers in the equation)?

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  • Angel of Change

    Redoubt-photo by-Brentwood-Higman 3-27-09

    Mt. Redoubt (March 2009)  photo by Brentwood Higman

    ‘Angel of Change’ is my name for this spectacular photograph of  Mount Redoubt, Alaska exploding awake again with fire and lightening early morning March 28, 2009. Awesome!!! Can you see the angel, heart and angel fish? Beloved Creator gives us more messages and indicators.

    The angel is a messenger heralding change through the fire of transformation and transmutation who says, ‘It moves, ALL IS WELL, you are a Divine Child of God.’ The lightening heart emerging from smoke says, ‘FEAR NOT beloved… you are Loved, always taken care of and eternal’. It reminds us to Love all and do all through and with Love.’ The angel fish says, ‘HAVE FAITH things are not what they appear. Fish show us Independence, Potential and Adaptation. When swimming upwards fish indicates Spiritual evolution. The angelfish tells us angels are always around. It guides us to assist others in need… by helping others we help ourselves.  The explosion of Redoubt indicates there will be doubts projected and doubt will intensify. The mountain says, ‘HAVE NO DOUBT, hold the visions of the future you wish to collectively create… they are made manifest! The message: fear nothing, have faith, hold your visions without doubt, love self, others and the process itself, help each other, all is well and in transformation. In the end all will be new, fresh an unlike anything seen to date. Whoo Hoo… might as well let go and enjoy the ride!

    Weather.com featured the photo above with the caption:

    1:43 pm ET Incredible volcano lightning photos: These are pictures taken on March 28 of Alaska’s Mount Redoubt volcanic eruption. The volcano has been erupting for several days now but has recently evolved into a different eruption pattern.

    ~Bonnee Klein Gilligan

  • A Vision for A New Earth

    1st January photograph © 2009 Shugaley Pavel

    ‘1st January’ photograph by Shugaley Pavel

    A Vision for A New Earth

    • An Earth where chaos matures into growth and reality is a soul harmony vibrating to Love in synchronicity.
    • Knowing through radical trust, silence and stillness that the dark is pierced by the Light, and fear and ignorance transformed into insight, love and wisdom.
    • New leaders with spiritual vision unashamedly inspired by a loving connection to all life and a passionate caring for self, humanity and the environment lead the world to an unanimously agreed upon charter of peace.
    • Religion is no longer fought over, but honored as expressions of divinity.
    • Borders vanish to form one Circle of Light one earth – one vision – one garden – one economy – one humanity.
    • Diversity is celebrated within the uniqueness of each individual’s culture, race and heart.
    • Generosity and gratitude replace greed, and the desire to accumulate out of fear of scarcity, is replaced by knowing that all is provided for.
    • Spirit is acknowledged in the radiance of each person’s being beyond all illusions.
    • The creative potential of each person’s abilities unfold into expressions of joyous creations.
    • All learning celebrates soul development, character, creativity and imagination.
    • Sound, thought, light, feeling and color are understood as
      palettes of creation to manifest reality.
    • Love is fostered as the elixir of life and Joy the blueprint for achievement.
    • Beauty, compassion and forgiveness weave perception and create connection.
    • Infinity is grasped as an awakening into the ever evolving mystery of the Now moment.
    • Time is seen as a fractal of Infinity where the Now locates,
      attention focuses and intention directs.
    • Nature is Light. Light is the interplay of the dance of particles in the known cosmos of Love. Light is the breath of The Divine.
      In Light, are the codes of all life playing a symphony of Love.
    • Love is all there is. As you are in your heart. In Peace. In Love. Know that you are loved beyond measure.
    • Know that we are in a New Earth where we all celebrate our magnificence.
    • Dream it and it will Be.

    ~Author Unknown

    Amazing photograph and wisdom… thanks for the visions!!!

    ~Bonnee Klein Gilligan