Truth and LIght

Have you ever noticed that the most beautiful times of day are times of transition - early morning and twilight?  I have wondered if this is because of the exquisite truth in silence and anticipation of change in light.  An Ethiopian proverb echoes this theme:

"Truth and morning become light with time."

The Best Season

Summer is the best season of all, and the image above is one of the reasons.  Even when temperatures soar near 100 degrees during the first week of June, it is bearable.  Summer is what every other season is waiting for - the fullness of nature, the world brimming with life, the ripeness of fruits and vegetables and, of course, homemade ice cream.  Magic happens in Summer's lushness, and with this photograph I welcome you to my Summer paradise.  Won't you come in and have some virtual lemonade over crushed ice?

Alabama African Lily

For Mary Magdalene - the Agapanthus, aka African Lily, has traditionally symbolized one of the greatest nymphs of all time.

Signature Scent of Southern Nymphs

The gardenia is a signature scent of the South, and my gardenia just bloomed in the garden.  Above is a gardenia from my garden - that breathtaking white bloom, velvet like in texture and heavy with scent.  The gardenia is different from most white flowers in that it does have such an in-your-face smell, completely unlike the typical light, fresh smell of white flowers.   No innocence here.  The gardenia invites you to light some garden candles, strip and run through the sprinkler singing the song of nymphs...do you know what that is?  

Erotic Objects: Hairstyx

"Things are not only capable of true intimacy, they also bring a high degree of sensuality into our lives.  We touch them, look at them, listen to them, clean them, oil them, decorate them. "  Thomas Moore from The Soul of Sex.

Thomas Moore considers his piano and books to be erotic objects in his life.  He describes in detail the relationship he shares with his "brown elephant" of a piano and the friendship he feels toward his books.  I can't think of many things in my life more intimate, sensual or erotic than my hairstyx collected over the years.  These objects have glided through my hair, touched my scalp and curved upward to secure my hair over the years.  I selected them for their artistic value, and they became symbols of years, even if I cannot tell you which years go best with which styx.  They have been lovely and functional little tools that reside in a green antique vase in the back of an armoire in my bathroom.  I have pulled them out and made them into a graceful pattern of energy...would that you could feel the wood, metals and stones beyond observation in a graphic design.  Soon they will reside in my hair again, and they will make me more myself again. 

Thomas Moore's question inspired me to celebrate in art this one group of lovely objects indwelling my life behind armoire doors.  It is nice to bring them out and stroke them with my imagination. 

What are the erotic objects of your life?  How do you relate sensually to the precious objects of your world?  How are you enriched and your soul fed with the peaches and cream of your material world?       

Puddles of Anger

There are different ways of expressing anger, some indirect and others more direct. Whichever way expressed, the human psyche usually senses the hostile presence of rage, whether it can be correctly labeled or not. In other words, exposure to phosphine will kill you whether or not you can name it due to its noxious and corrosive nature.

Indirect expressions of anger include:

sulking; pouting; teasing others; using sarcasm; ignoring, feeling suspicious, wary or cynical; competitiveness through intellectualizing; getting even in sneaky ways; humble competitiveness through comparision of self and others; eye rolling.

Direct expressions of anger include:

feeling resentful; acting helpless; lying; acting dismissive; exploding; pointing out another's inadequacies; disparaging efforts or accomplishments of others; acting aggressively competitive, feeling hostile; showing your superiority; challenging others; overreacting to a real or implied criticism; projection.

Even when we do not express anger directly - and, I submit, most of the time we don't in what we call civilized community - it may be seeping out and puddling around our feet. And the oddest thing about anger is how it attracts anger. The truth of the matter is that we live in a stressed out, angry society. We are doomed to slip in puddles unless we do three things - become aware of the various faces of anger, do the hard work required to deal with the root cause of our own anger and avoid stepping in a puddle of another.

Peering At Annabelle

Annabelle Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) beside the front porch through an iron looking glass of sorts...as white as white can be.