I'm always fascinated by the Pollinatrix's discussion of synchronicity: the interlacing of strange serendipitous coincidences. Whether or not they were caused by some higher power, they always seem to carry some sort of deeper meaning, applicable to one's existence. (Read what she wrote about the color orange, it's brilliant.)
What does my existence consist of right now?
Castles in the air.
There are some castles way off in the sunlit clouds which I'm trying to lease, but I'm still down here on the ground, building a ladder to reach them.
Some days it feels like Jacob's ladder. No matter how long I work or how high I climb, I never seem to get anywhere. I'm in the vertical doldrums.
And yet...inspiration is everywhere. If I needed a reason to keep up the fight, synchronicity might come to the rescue. Each way I turn I'm reminded in some way of my struggle to attain the clouds.
I'm in the middle of reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Chapter 13 is named "Castles in the Air." In it, the girls and Laurie divulge their dreams to each other. Laurie would like to live in Germany and be a musician; Meg wants a lovely house with lots of luxurious accoutrements, and would rather live a charitable life as a well-loved woman (with, perhaps, a man); Jo needs a stable full of Arabian horses, a library full of books, and a magic inkstand; Beth simply wishes to stay at home and be of help to her father and mother; and Amy desires to be an artist, go to Rome, and paint fine pictures. It's a touching chapter, a delight to read. The girls and Laurie have each built a castle in the air and now plan to pursue it with every breath.
As most of you know, I'm somewhat into Japanese comics, or manga. My favorite is called One Piece. It's a pirate-themed comic book wherein a 17-year-old boy, Monkey D. Luffy, sets out to sea to become the Pirate King. One of my favorite story arcs in this marvelous comic is when Luffy and his crew discover the existence of the sky island, Skypiea. It's an amazing voyage. Thought to exist only in legend, Skypiea is proven real when Luffy and his crew ride a monstrous ocean current up into the clouds and find the mystical land for themselves. But it's not a heavenly paradise. The sky islands are lorded over by a rather nasty villain, Enel, who has the powers of thunder and lightning. Luffy and his mates win the day through a series of hair-raising battles and close calls, all in the clouds and the islands floating on them. This is fascinating stuff, and partly what inspired me to try to write my own comic in the first place.
But perhaps most tellingly of all, there's a quote by Henry David Thoreau. I put it on my Facebook page a while back, but neglected it. It's my favorite Thoreau quote, which is rather telling; that man was nothing if not quotable.
"Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
How does this relate to me? Well, I'll tell you. Laurie, Beth, Jo, Meg and Amy remind me that you have to start out big or you'll never go anywhere. You have to have grandiose schemes and great ambitions. You must shoot high, right from the very beginning. And you have to be prepared to do what it takes to get there. Otherwise you'll forever remain a nowhere man. Like Stephen King says, "If you don't start out too big for your britches, how are you going to fill 'em later on?"
Luffy and his pirate crew never cared if they were laughed at for believing in the impossible. They kept going regardless. They believed. They tried. They strove. They braved the storm and the danger and the fear of the unknown. And in the end, they won through...and were privileged to see something few others ever had. They had themselves a real adventure, kept their eye on the ball, and enjoyed the journey. What more is there to do in life?
And as for ol' Henry...well, his sentiments are self-explanatory. I've set my sights on something I want, and all I have to do now is get there. I have built my castles in the air. Now I must see to the foundations, even if it's just one brick at a time.
So I have to remember to stick with it. I must keep up the work I've begun. Even if it seems like I study day after day and hardly ever go down to Riverside to take a test, I have to continue my bartender's training. Even if I've completed the requisite 40 hours of flight training for my private pilot's license, and can't take my exams because of time and financial constraints, I'm still cracking books. Even if I'm frightened of my novel, not confident in my writing ability, or disgusted with the premise (as I am sometimes), I'll keep revising.
Because what lies at the end is everlasting glory. A bartender's certificate. A pilot's license. A published book. A high-paying job in a bar or casino. An international airline. A successful, well-liked novel series.
A castle in the air.
This brought to mind a quote I'd like to share with you. It does have some God-language in it, but I think it works just as well without it.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Interesting post, I too see or want castles in the sky... my favorite being Hayao Myazaki's Laputa. Great airships in that movie also. The minute I saw your banner I knew that shot looked like The Pima Air Museum. cheers, parsnip
Polly: Wow, speaking of beautiful...that's an amazing quote. Inspirational to say the very least. Who is Marianne Williamson? I'm afraid I haven't heard of her before...thanks for putting this up here. It's scintillating and apt. angryparsnip: Hey! Thanks for stopping in! I appreciate the comment. I too adore anything by Studio Ghibli or Hayao Miyazaki. I believe the first picture is an early sketch from "Castle in the Sky" before they finally decided what they wanted Laputa to look like. And I love airships, too. I wish they'd bring 'em back.
She's a follower of A Course in Miracles who's written books about it. She's a pretty well-known author in the spiritual self-help realm.
I've only read a couple of her books, a long time ago, but I came across that quote on the web during Advent when I was looking for materials to use for our Quiet Day.
Oh. Also, I was thinking about what you say at the beginning of this post about interlacing/synchronicity. I think it doesn't have to be seen as a "higher" power, as in conventional ideas of "God," but it is an inner power, like the collective unconscious, I guess you'd call it. A collective intelligence that has no borders except our own judgments. Which is why when we open to seeing these connections, we do see them.
You're not preachy. That was merely my own personal disclaimer. If I start talking about strange coincidences, somebody is bound to think either "Oh, great, he's a flake" or "Oh, great, he's a Christian." So I stuck that in there just to be safe. It had nothing to do with what you wrote.
That is a NICE CASTLE. It looks a bit...evil. I like it.
You, sir, have no reason to doubt your writing abilities. You're keeping us readers hooked, aren't you? Anc judging by what we've heard about your flying, you shouldn't doubt that either. The money will come in good time for building that castle. And as for bartending; that is a science which can be mastered with time and patience. I'm glad you're still going for it. :)
I'm always fascinated by the Pollinatrix's discussion of synchronicity: the interlacing of strange serendipitous coincidences. Whether or not they were caused by some higher power, they always seem to carry some sort of deeper meaning, applicable to one's existence. (Read what she wrote about the color orange, it's brilliant.)
What does my existence consist of right now?
Castles in the air.
There are some castles way off in the sunlit clouds which I'm trying to lease, but I'm still down here on the ground, building a ladder to reach them.
Some days it feels like Jacob's ladder. No matter how long I work or how high I climb, I never seem to get anywhere. I'm in the vertical doldrums.
And yet...inspiration is everywhere. If I needed a reason to keep up the fight, synchronicity might come to the rescue. Each way I turn I'm reminded in some way of my struggle to attain the clouds.
I'm in the middle of reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Chapter 13 is named "Castles in the Air." In it, the girls and Laurie divulge their dreams to each other. Laurie would like to live in Germany and be a musician; Meg wants a lovely house with lots of luxurious accoutrements, and would rather live a charitable life as a well-loved woman (with, perhaps, a man); Jo needs a stable full of Arabian horses, a library full of books, and a magic inkstand; Beth simply wishes to stay at home and be of help to her father and mother; and Amy desires to be an artist, go to Rome, and paint fine pictures. It's a touching chapter, a delight to read. The girls and Laurie have each built a castle in the air and now plan to pursue it with every breath.
As most of you know, I'm somewhat into Japanese comics, or manga. My favorite is called One Piece. It's a pirate-themed comic book wherein a 17-year-old boy, Monkey D. Luffy, sets out to sea to become the Pirate King. One of my favorite story arcs in this marvelous comic is when Luffy and his crew discover the existence of the sky island, Skypiea. It's an amazing voyage. Thought to exist only in legend, Skypiea is proven real when Luffy and his crew ride a monstrous ocean current up into the clouds and find the mystical land for themselves. But it's not a heavenly paradise. The sky islands are lorded over by a rather nasty villain, Enel, who has the powers of thunder and lightning. Luffy and his mates win the day through a series of hair-raising battles and close calls, all in the clouds and the islands floating on them. This is fascinating stuff, and partly what inspired me to try to write my own comic in the first place.
But perhaps most tellingly of all, there's a quote by Henry David Thoreau. I put it on my Facebook page a while back, but neglected it. It's my favorite Thoreau quote, which is rather telling; that man was nothing if not quotable.
9 comments:
Beautiful. Just gorgeous.
This brought to mind a quote I'd like to share with you. It does have some God-language in it, but I think it works just as well without it.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
~Marianne Williamson
Interesting post,
I too see or want castles in the sky... my favorite being Hayao Myazaki's Laputa. Great airships in that movie also.
The minute I saw your banner I knew that shot looked like The Pima Air Museum.
cheers, parsnip
Polly: Wow, speaking of beautiful...that's an amazing quote. Inspirational to say the very least. Who is Marianne Williamson? I'm afraid I haven't heard of her before...thanks for putting this up here. It's scintillating and apt.
angryparsnip: Hey! Thanks for stopping in! I appreciate the comment. I too adore anything by Studio Ghibli or Hayao Miyazaki. I believe the first picture is an early sketch from "Castle in the Sky" before they finally decided what they wanted Laputa to look like. And I love airships, too. I wish they'd bring 'em back.
Pima Air Museum it is! What a treasure trove!
She's a follower of A Course in Miracles who's written books about it. She's a pretty well-known author in the spiritual self-help realm.
I've only read a couple of her books, a long time ago, but I came across that quote on the web during Advent when I was looking for materials to use for our Quiet Day.
Oh. Also, I was thinking about what you say at the beginning of this post about interlacing/synchronicity. I think it doesn't have to be seen as a "higher" power, as in conventional ideas of "God," but it is an inner power, like the collective unconscious, I guess you'd call it. A collective intelligence that has no borders except our own judgments. Which is why when we open to seeing these connections, we do see them.
Does that make sense? Am I being too preachy?
I found you another castle. Well, it found me - I wasn't looking for it.
http://www.rfractals.net/gallery/main.php/v/Temples/Castle.jpg.html
You're not preachy. That was merely my own personal disclaimer. If I start talking about strange coincidences, somebody is bound to think either "Oh, great, he's a flake" or "Oh, great, he's a Christian." So I stuck that in there just to be safe. It had nothing to do with what you wrote.
That is a NICE CASTLE. It looks a bit...evil. I like it.
The seed has been well planted in your fertile mind. Water it, fertilize it, tend it, talk to it -- and your plants castle will flourish.
You, sir, have no reason to doubt your writing abilities. You're keeping us readers hooked, aren't you? Anc judging by what we've heard about your flying, you shouldn't doubt that either. The money will come in good time for building that castle. And as for bartending; that is a science which can be mastered with time and patience. I'm glad you're still going for it. :)
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