My favorite poem. What 's yours?

Joseph Campbell formulated what became his most quoted dictum, "Follow your bliss" in the decade before his death. Join this conversation to explore this idea and share stories.

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Nermin
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Post by Nermin »

To me that bird lives here! And to me that song is being played by all of you!
I agree, James, yet I dare asking how this is possible? How come these people
that I've never met, never touched, never heard the voice and that I know so few about
can have soch a profound effect on how I feel? Is-there on earth an explanation :?:
True friendship is based on trust, honesty and sincere generosity of our hearts

JamesN.
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Post by JamesN. »

Nermin;

This indeed is part of the essence that Joseph Campbell addresses throughout his work. As he went from culture to culture; from time period to time period; from art form to art form; this was the quest. And as he went from Jung to The Buddha to Christ to the American Indian, the Upanishads, the Bible and the Koran, The Tao and the other spiritual interpretations across the world; and from music to painting to literature and so on; this was also part of the push you can see throughout his work: ( to identify the universal " Adrianne Thread " if you will of " The Monomyth " or " The Hero's Journey " as a metaphor of man's search of identity with and for meaning ).

One of the main dimension's of this " Grand Design " as he saw it; in my opinion; was the connection and identification of common human experience across cultural boundaries such as the " Arctypes " that Carl Jung talk's about that show up in cultures that have no possible connection or contact with each other. ( Say like Europe and the American Indian or Japan, China, and Africa; or the Aztecs, the Inca's; or any of the other cultures or primative societies spread across the globe and throughout history. ) And in his view; which he talks about in " Power of Myth ": " To the point that it's absolutely stunning! "; is this identification of " what the common links, themes, and essencial human constructs and experiences that we share; regardless of the possibility of anthropological connection "; and to him became an obvious result of this search.

When he quotes in The Power of Myth " the story of the policeman who reaches across the bridge to save the young man from suicide at the risk of his own life he states:" It is the psychological breakthrough to the realization that you and I are one. " A kind of redefinition of the Golden Rule " not that you treat someone like you would yourself; but that you see that person in the perception that he IS yourself. This understanding I think is one of the main thematic core threads that he identifies in the weave of the fabric of mankinds DNA tapistry if you will. Whether we read a poem or a book; hear a song; see a play or a painting; whether now or across time; we are moved ! ( Why is that? )

(In my opinion ); when he cross-connects different dimensions of mans depth of experience by saying things like: " To see life as a poem and yourself participating in that poem not in words but in a series of acts and deeds ". Or; " to see yourself participating in a play over timeless ground. "; this is the aspect he is addressing as in the song and songbird metaphors just mentioned. ( The search or quest : " To find the thing that you inwardly are! "; aspect. ) And to recognize this common bond in others that all humanity shares. I think that is what he is pointing towards. In other words the answer within itself to the implied question: " What does it mean to be a human being? " ( And I might add; in the greatest possible sense. )

So if say something like; " What does compassion mean? "; and " How does the beauty of Art and Love connect in a larger contex to this ability to recognize the link to the experience of the rapture of being alive within our common humanity ? ";it is within this asthetic then; that these larger threads hold our bond together as we navigate the complex labyrinth of life's journey together.

Anyway; although this is a rather simplistic synopsis to answer your question; IMHO; that is as close as I can come to the way I see it. ( Others may have a different view. ) :wink:

Cheers :)
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

Nermin
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Post by Nermin »

James,
I'll be honest about myself, my frustrations and the deep sense of injustice I keep on
carrying from town to town, from culture to culture. These conversations are truly changing
my perception of life but still a profound anger can dominate my soul and I'm asking the
secret of others who don't seem to have a Jungian shadow :idea:
Please, tell-me your secret, my friend? Do-you meditate or pray or do any other thing
that takes you to that higher plane where you can love and understand everything as if
from a distance?
Or, is-it my anger, my serpent's tongue the best thing I can share with the world?
I need suggestions :(
If there's sarcasm in my making but I don't know what to do about it and also feel
some guilt -what can-I do? :?:
True friendship is based on trust, honesty and sincere generosity of our hearts

JamesN.
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Post by JamesN. »

My Dear friend;

Please do not think you are alone with this dilemma!

Many many of us here share in this frustation! I cannot speak for others but for myself there are several points of address that I employ; ( but do not think any of this magically breaks all spells of the dark ).

Life is ever constant in its challenges for it is Life. And rule #1 as Joe puts it is acceptance of life as it is! This is what the higher religions teach; BUT; it is what you might call the psychological position that you use to meet it with; that is utilized in your struggles as you go along. One of the best metaphors I ever heard was: (" You may not be able to control life's weather; but you can control your behavior in the face of it " ). Doesn't solve war or world hunger but just says basically I will do the best that I can.

That being said what I am trying to get at is you participate in the game of life. It hurts; and often alot; and even to the point of horrific sometimes; but you engage in the Opera whether it is a triumph or a nightmare with the best efforts that you can muster. ( And here is a special insight that Joe also mentions: " You bring the meaning to it! "; You define it; not the religion itself that is teaching; but what you get from it's insights. Not The Deity but the message that is referred to like; ( love your neighbor as yourself ) sort of thing. ( " To joyfully participate in the sorrows of the world " That is what he called his little theme song. ) Transcendending the horrors of everyday life is tough buisness. That's why Joe's work has been so helpful to me in living; as he quotes James Joyce: ( " That History is a nightmare from which I am constantly trying to awake " ).

So very very often I am down; just really bummed out; but his work and a little Carl Jung that Cindy has suggested; is helping me in small steps; one at a time; little by little; to see that many things are not always what they seem. ( Or if they are; to try to affirm them as best I can. ) But more than that; as again Joe mentions; help to reveal the deep inner sense of mystery of life and of living in the world.

Sometimes we fail. We give it our best shot and it's just a defeat. But there is also the possiblity of Success too; and we absolutely must remember that! ( We wouldn't be here having this conversation otherwise. ) All life rests on the shoulders of the people and things that went before. Throughout time these battles have been fought in all the mythologies and histories we know; it just happens to be our turn in the this age old story.

One of the major weapons that I use to do battle with the darkness; depression; frustation; anger; etc. is friendship and companionship. A sense of some sort of community where I feel that I am not only not alone; but that I have worth!

Another weapon I use when possible is laughter; ( when appropiate ); and a sense of Fun.

One of my very favorite mindsets or psychological perspectives I try to access is a kind of reflective mood where I can sort of ruminate, cogitate, contemplate; or just wander and let my thoughts have some time off.

Now all of this may not resonate, connect, or work for you and that is perfectly fine. Each one of us has their own path that they must follow to find and workout what is right for themselves. And what works for me may not be right for you. But perhaps some of this may give you some ideas of your own.


But in the end you have friends here; ( remember that!) Especially if you feel a little down. I come here all the time for that very reason! I love this place! :wink:


Hope this helps; best wishes! :)
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

Andreas
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Post by Andreas »

Hello guys,

I struggle with this also, I think we all do.

My own defense against feelings of guilt, anger, frustration, etc, is that everything needs balance, even compassion that so often I praise here.

There is a reason for everything as far as I am concerned and these emotions will be expressed one way or another. So when I experience them, I take a step back to understand what is happening.

Another defense against the chaos is bliss. Find your bliss and follow it! No compromises, guns blazing! Yarr...

James post is amazing for meditation. Jung and Campbell...there is so much information and tips on how we can start exploring our psyche, truly amazing.

Small steps because the territory is dark and unknown and there is animal poo... :lol:

I experience these attitudes that you talk, often, Nermin. We always have a choice and your own attitude towards life is a choice. Understanding this certainly helped me.

But what serpent tongue are you talking about? I have seen no such thing from you, Nermin. ;)
“To live is enough.” ― Shunryu Suzuki

Ercan2121
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Post by Ercan2121 »

These forum conversations are like school memories -they don’t suddenly vanish because
I turn offline but they persist and even get through my daily routine like those poetry books
that I never finish reading or like those old songs that I find myself humming the refrain
now and then.
In a sense, here’s our event horizon – a holographic zone thin enough to be
called transparent but also exceptionally comprehensive.
Our discussions are like quantum entanglements because we’re also apparently
distinct
and spatially separated :D

anniemay
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Post by anniemay »

A place to play

Through the Gates of Indestruction
Down the dusty Trails of Time
Here be the Land of Memories
Where the Valley of Truth does lie
Paths wind on through forests of tall white spires;
That rain down golden dreams unending
and the Stream of Destinies untold flows forth forever on...

To Friends

Nermin
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Post by Nermin »

Thank you so much for the beautiful poem, Anniemay.
But in the end you have friends here; ( remember that!) Especially if you feel a little down. I come here all the time for that very reason! I love this place!
James, very sincere thanks to you for the wisdom.
We all need it because we all have ups and downs as individual beings
and we all want to be understood by others, this being one of the definitions
for friendship. Really so glad that you're here.
True friendship is based on trust, honesty and sincere generosity of our hearts

Andreas
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Post by Andreas »

Xanadu - Kubla Khan
a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Xanadu
Kubla Khan

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail:
And 'mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!

The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight 'twould win me
That with music loud and long
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed
And drunk the milk of Paradise.
“To live is enough.” ― Shunryu Suzuki

Nermin
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Post by Nermin »

Crater Victoria
This link leads to a photo of Victoria Crater, in Cape Verde of Planet Mars
as seen by the NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity (MER-B) in 2006;
just wanted to share with you, folks
True friendship is based on trust, honesty and sincere generosity of our hearts

CarmelaBear
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Post by CarmelaBear »

Once in a while a door opens, and let's in the future. --- Graham Greene

Cindy B.
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Post by Cindy B. »

Hey, all.

Please keep this thread focused on poetry. Lately off-topic science posts are turning up in several threads.

Thanks,

Cindy :)
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

CarmelaBear
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Post by CarmelaBear »

Life's A Sonnet

By Onalethuso Petruss Ntema


life is a trumpet
every being responds to
a banquet
singing and joy corresponds to
a pamphlet
reading comprehends to
some bank it
some complements to

awaken is the wise
lost is the nice
fed with a jolly of rice
menu with a spice
bitter taste twice
as nice
some telling lies
and surely pay the price
but to reap a slice
you ought to sweat thrice
and ding dong like a dice
but sometimes not, and your infant cries
at times you make it, and she (joyously) smiles
for life’s a sonnet, going many miles

believe you me, life’s a sonnet
that connects the next sonnet
with the stanza of the next other sonnet
a reflection of the next text

life’s a deviant not in isolation from the rest
it is within, to attest
a guarantee to be the best
or the worst
of the wild west
‘til you laid to rest
a life on your chest
a beverage to quench your pleasure and zest
an acid to fest
on you to cleanse your pest

life’s a neutron, not a proton
a nucleus of the phantom
an octopus of ransom
a means to come from
a beast to share from
indeed, life and sonnet dot com!


Poetry in Motion (via YouTube)

Made popular by Johnny Tillotson in 1961

When I see my baby
What do I see
Poetry
Poetry in motion

Poetry in motion
Walkin' by my side
Her lovely locomotion
Keeps my eyes open wide

Poetry in motion
See her gentle sway
A wave out on the ocean
Could never move that way

I love every movement
And there's nothing I would change
She doesn't need improvement
She's much too nice to rearrange


Poetry in motion
Dancing close to me
A flower of devotion
A swaying gracefully

Whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whooooooooa

Poetry in motion
See her gentle sway
A wave out on the ocean
Could never move that way

I love every movement
There's nothing I would change
She doesn't need improvement
She's much too nice to rearrange

Poetry in motion
All that I adore
No number-nine love potion
Could make me love her more

Whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Once in a while a door opens, and let's in the future. --- Graham Greene

Nermin
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Post by Nermin »

Our lives is 'prose' my friend, Nasa's giving us some chance for 'poetry'.
Did-you hear about the astonishing ship-like wreck that they've found in Baltic sea?
& here’s my link to Viking divers’ Sea exploration website, namely the OceanX
True friendship is based on trust, honesty and sincere generosity of our hearts

Cindy B.
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Moderator's Note

Post by Cindy B. »

Cindy B. wrote:Hey, all.

Please keep this thread focused on poetry. Lately off-topic science posts are turning up in several threads.

Thanks,

Cindy :)
Again, please use this space for poems about space.



This thread is specifically devoted to space exploration: http://www.jcf.org/new/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4032

This is another space thread about Mars, etc. that orbits about the...Village Compound: http://www.jcf.org/new/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4025

This space suits, too: http://www.jcf.org/new/forum/viewtopic. ... 6738#56738

Or one can always start a new thread on science topics in the appropriate forum, oceanics included.



Thanks.

Cindy
If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s. --Jung

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