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Showing posts from December 12, 2010

Who is the Green Man?

A Riddle I am born on May Morning - by sticks, bells, and ribbons I am the sap - in the dark root I am the dancer - with his six fools I am the tump - behind the old church I am the lost soul - under the misericord I am the oak - against the stars I am the face - that peers through the leaves I am the fear - in a child' s mind I am the demon - on the roof-boss I am killed in October - and laid on church altars I am the guiser - on the bright bonfire I am the old grain - sown with the seed I am the flame - in the pumpkin ' s grin I am the spirit - in the kern-baby's bosom Who is the Green Man?

Quadrangle #1

Quadrangle 1. a plane figure having four angles and four sides, as a square.   2. a square or quadrangular space or court that is surrounded by a building or buildings, as on a college campus. 3. the building or buildings around such a space or court. My thoughts are starlight Through broken glass And when that splintered light Falls upon me I will walk one side only I will walk in shadow Quietly crying, "I am here! I am here!" Like a small child Lost on a beach

Untitled (Et In Arcadia Ego)

Untitled (Et In Arcadia Ego) 2009 Charcoal on mounted paper 60 x 114 inches/152.4 x 289.6 cm

thatwhichfalls #1

But while a tree doesn’t fall to crush a flower, it also doesn’t fall because its a tree! Things other than trees fall, even though it seems pretty clear that a tree is always concomitant with “that which falls”. Just Thomism

3. Of the making of the Chrystal and the Form of Preparation for a Vision. - Trithemius

Then place the vessel for the perfumes between thy circle and the holy table on which the crystal stands, and, having fire therein, cast in thy perfumes, saying, "I conjure thee, oh thou creature of fire ! by him who created all things both in heaven and earth, and in the sea, and in every other place whatever, that forthwith thou cast away every phantasm from thee, that no hurt whatsoever shall be done in any thing. Bless, oh Lord, this creature of fire , and sanctify it that it may be blessed, and that they may fill tip the power and virtue of their odours; so neither the enemy, nor any false imagination, may enter into them, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen ." Now, this being done in the order prescribed, take out thy little book, which must be made about seven inches long, of pure white virgin vellum or paper, likewise pen and ink must be ready to write down the name, character , and office , likewise the seal or image of whatever spirit may appear (for t...

The World Behind the Sky #5

The Face If we could tear down the sky like the cheap Drapery it really is we would see All these things and more, but behind it all, We would see a face - huge, asymmetrical Broken like a boxers at careers end Eyes red with blood, blurred with tears, filled with rage Look from a face like an ancient mask of Terracotta, cracked by time, unglazed Dusty red, wet lips move, slow syllables Make out the word of unmaking, one word An eon, a mad god unwinds the threads that Hold together the world behind the sky

Connection #3 - Maimonides to Averroes

"jDABBI MOSES Ben Maimon or Maimonides, called alsoRAMBAM from the initials of his name, and Moses the Egyptian from his long residence in Egypt, was bom at Cordova in Spain, in the year 1131, or according to some 1138, of the Christian era. His father, who was descended from an illustrious line of ancestors, sustained the office of judge among his own nation; and by his knowledge of jurisprudence, and the ability and integrity with which he executed the difficult and important duties of the magistracy, secured the respect of Christians as well as Jews. The education of young Maimonides appears to have been conducted,at first, under the immediate superintendence of his father ; but a series of domestic quarrels having subsequently obliged him to quit the paternal roof, he placed himself under the care of the most learned Jewish teachers, and studied, with sedulous attention, the Mosaic Law, and its various Talmudical and Rabbinical commentaries. After devoting some ...

The World Behind the Sky #4

The Machines In other places hidden by the sky There were cascades of machinery Turned, powered by paddles pushed by super- Sonic waterfalls, pistons and cogs moved Together in relays as long as A continent, as high as a house. engines That carried coils of data upward to The inaccessible peaks where, under Loops of light, reality becomes real And flows downhill in vast cataracts to Infect worlds below with consistency

Connection #2 - Baruch Spinoza to Maimonides

Born at Amsterdam , 24 Nov., 1632; died at The Hague , 21 Feb., 1677. He belonged to a family of Jewish merchants of moderate means, and was originally called Baruch, a name that he later translated into its Latin equivalent Benedict. His father's name was Michael, his mother, Michael's second wife, was called Hana Debora. In 1641 Michael married a third wife who was named Hester de Espinosa. The family probably had some connexion with the little town of Espino in Spanish Galicia, and with the celebrated Marrano family there called Espinosa. (The Marranos were Spanish Jews compelled to conform outwardly to Christianity .) Baruch attracted attention in the school for Portuguese Jews at Amsterdam by his talents and application to study. He made rapid progress in Hebrew and the study of the Talmud, and his teachers, especially Rabbi Saul Levi Morteira, had the greatest hopes of his future. It was intended that he should become a rabbi. The subtle methods of the teachers ...

The World Behind the Sky #3

The Cities There were cities up there, intricately Carved into living rock, up and down a Thousand feet, fifteen feet deep, elegant Homes, one room after another, shallow Caverns containing formal gardens, scents Of mountain flowers drifting over rocks that Were encrusted with lichen, pale gray, rose Red grey, washed out pastels against the Dark grey of the rock, there were farms, six inch Wide terraces of pounded rock mixed with Excrement. There were vertical hunts for Nests of giant birds or the lizards of The High Cliffs where loops and curtains of light Crash against jagged black rocks forever