“You need something to which you can give your full powers. The swan doesn’t cure his awkwardness by beating himself on the back, my moving faster, or by trying to organise himself better. How does it by moving towards the elemental water where he belongs. You only have to touch the elemental waters in your own life and it will transform everything. But you have to let yourself down into those waters and that may be hard. Particularly if you think you might drown.
“It takes courage. The word courage comes from the old French word coeur ‘heart’. You must do something heartfelt and you must do it soon. Let go of all of this effort, and let yourself down awkwardly into the waters of the work you want for yourself. Your exhaustion is a form of inner fermentation. You are beginning, ever so slowly, to rot on the vine.”
~ Benedictine Monk, Brother David Steindl-Rast
“Let the Beauty we love, be what we do”
~ Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī
The Window by Henri Matisse (1869 –1954)
From: Standing At the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet by Joan Halifax
Roshi Joan Halifax PhD is a Buddhist teacher, Zen Monk and Anthropologist who explores the edges of human experience and writes incredibly compelling books about the intersection of spirituality, psychology and human consciousness.
Kea Nestor notabilis are an endemic parrot of the South Island of New Zealand. Playful, inquisitive, bright eyed and stunningly beautiful, keas are also incredibly resourceful. Many scientists argue that they are the world’s smartest bird. Not convinced? Here are some more juicy facts to win you over.
A kaleidoscope of colour
The glorious colours of kea range from olive green and darker green on the upper back and wings. Along with a reddish lower back. Their under wings have spectacular shades of orange that are on the UV spectrum and can’t be seen by humans. However this can be seen by other birds and insects.
Mum and dad are domesticated
It’s thought that kea mate for life. The female lays a clutch of 2-5 eggs per season deep under beech tree roots or in a rocky outcrop. Both parents line the nest with moss and lichen for added comfort factor. The female incubates the eggs for month during the harsh winter months, while the male seeks out food.
Guardians of the Waitaha tribe
This tribe believed that kea were kaitiaki (guardians) of their people along with the kāhu (harrier) and ruru (morepork).
Their weird claws act like hands
They have 4 toes on each foot. Two toes point forward and two backwards (zygodactyl). This means that they can easily mess with your shit. Although by no means are they threatening. Rather they can drink your latte while you’re not looking, and do it in an elegant and persistent way, like any coffee starved metropolitan gent.
The name is onomatopoeic
The dulcet sounds of ‘Keeeeeaaa’ echoing through the alpine forest, was the reason why those imaginative scientists gave them their name.
They are gravely misunderstood
Although they have been known to be pesky and invasive, Nestor notibilus are considered one of the world’s most intelligent birds. In this BBC clip, a Kea makes light work of some heavy logs that lay over some wheelie bins. Other complex tasks to retrieve food that would confound a monkey or a small child, have similarly remarkable results. This shows that the kea is unfathomably intelligent.
They are unfussy and resourceful
Kea have managed to survive in the harsh alpine region of New Zealand’s South Island because of their inquisitive, adaptable and supremely intelligent nature. Their varied diet reflects this. In summer they feast on seeds, flowers, insects and mountain flax. They even occasionally take Hutton’s Shearwater chicks from their nests. During the leaner time of winter, they feed on animal carcasses and may occasionally even attack live sheep.
They are vulnerable, but thankfully now protected
Because of the above sheep hassling, farmers continue to see them as a nuisance. There once was widespread bounty hunting of kea. Prior to 1971, 150,000 were killed before partial protection act came in. Then the kea gained full protection under the New Zealand Wildlife Act 1953, in 1986.
Do you love the kea, or any other parrot? Share your experiences with them below…
The Māori language is one of the most beautiful languages in the world. Unlike other indigenous languages in the world, it has experienced an ongoing cultural renaissance. Every year in Mahuru (September) we celebrate Te Reo in ‘Mahuru Māori’ or Māori Language Month.
Although any time of year is a good time to learn some Māori words, so I’ve reposted this now. 🙂 A lot of people liked this post and so I’ve added a few more phrases in there.
Māori is actually not one language, and there is not really one Māori people, but many tribes (Iwi) and many different dialects and variations in the language according to what part of New Zealand you happen to be in. Many proverbs come from particular tribes (iwi), other proverbs are variations of the same thing in different words throughout the country. For the purposes of simplicity I have amalgamated these proverbs from different Iwi together. The background images used throughout the proverbs are all from Archives NZ on Flickr and are Creative Commons. The remainder are purchased stock images.
Feel free to download, reproduce and use these Māori proverb images for your educational purposes or personal Te Reo learning.
Haere mai and welcome to another action-packed edition of 10 Interesting Things, I hope you have packed warm and light because we’re about to mount a rescue mission for your mind, so that you can crack a smile once again. Get your crampons on your feet and get ready to bivouac with some langurs up in the tree-tops, they have been trained to bring us pawpaw and nectar from the tree of life, so it’s all good…
Sámi artist, mum, Buddhist and all-round cool person Monica Olivia talks about a personal painting of hers, which depicts the calm place that she went to inside while giving birth to her son…
‘This is the “place” I went to in my imagination before and during giving birth. It was cold and silent, and this is where I could go in my mind to gather strength and breathe fresh crisp air. I could also clearly see our son there the whole time, sitting close by, waiting to be born’
A moving meditation, roaming around the sacred temples of Kyoto with some sweeping orchestral music. A nice armchair travelling experience, for all of those people missing Japan.
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – All the Gold in California
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis create a gritty, bluesy and dark sound which lends itself well to crime dramas as well as gritty historical biopics as well. I have really enjoyed their film and TV soundtracks more than a lot of studio albums, if I am being honest! Here is one such song of their from the OST for True Detective.
Paul Pfurtscheller (1855-1927) was an Austrian zoologist and natural history artist who produced a series of stunning and slightly creepy zoological wall charts of unusual animals from 1902 onwards. Via Twitter
You know how it is, it’s just easier to reach for a packet of crisps while at your laptop and still working in your PJs, fresh fruit stays in the bowl. From the always amazing miniature artist Tatsuya Tanaka via Twitter
An interesting map showing traditional scripts across West Africa. “Few regions of the world rival West Africa for the sheer scale, diversity and dynamism of its indigenous writing traditions.” – Piers Kelly Via Twitter
This spectacular land art is by Greek artist Danae Stratou. She created this hypnotic and epic piece named Desert Breath in 1997. This was a collaborative large-scale land art installation in Egypt that extended over 25 acres and involved exquisite circular pits and mounds that attracted rain water and evolved over the seasons. Via Twitter
There is an old Cherokee parable about the two wolves that live inside of every person. One wolf embodies everything life-giving and loving in the world, the other embodies everything that’s destructive in the world. The two are fighting to the death inside of you, and every other person. The wolf that survives is the one you feed. Here’s Johnny’s insightful reflections on facing down your fear:
Behind the evil wolf stands the good wolf. He’s hungry too. How do you go about feeding him? That evil wolf is always right there in front of the gate, ready to gobble up any food you toss in there. You must open the gate and confront him. See, the evil wolf is fear, so if you walk towards him, he will still show signs of aggression, but he’ll back up as far as possible because he is scared. There is the chance he’ll lash out, but only out of fear. You take that hit and keep moving forward, and he’ll keep backing up. Then place the food in front of the good wolf, who the evil wolf fears. Eventually, that evil wolf will begin to fear you and stay out of your way as you go into feed the good wolf. He’ll still try you. That’s what he does.
Loneliness is a place from which we pay real attention to the voices other than our own. Being alone allows us to find the healing power in the other. The shortest line of an email can heal, embolden, welcome home and enliven the most isolated identity. Lonely human beings are lonely because they are made to belong. Loneliness is the single malt taste of a very essentiality that makes conscious belonging possible.
The doorway is closer than we think. I am alone – therefore I belong.
Peasant Women Dancing by a Lake by Akseli Gallen Kallela
Everything is going to be alright – Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Neon
The courtyard of the National Gallery of Ireland
From: Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words by David Whyte
Genre: Non-fiction, Spirituality, Philosophy
Rating: 3.5 stars
*Contains no spoilers
In this slim and elegant volume of philosophy and inspiration, writer David Whyte tackles the big topics and words that rarely get any airtime in our society, the kinds of things that haunt people but that are difficult to resolve and so are pushed under the rug. Read full review
This is one from the dusty vaults of Content Catnip and overdue for a revival. I created an interactive slider using a free tool involving Klimt’s classic paintings and a modern-day interpretation/re-enactment by photographer Inge Prader. I hope you like it!
Push the slider from left to right to see the Klimt paintings come alive…
Inge Prader is the photographer responsible for this highly stylised ensemble of models languidly posing in such scintillating and baroque surroundings. Inge has perfectly paid tribute to Klimt’s legendary works.
The occasion for inspiration was the 23rd Annual Life Ball in Vienna. A celebration of artistic plenitude and all of the verdant symbolism of Klimt’s Vienna.
To add a further touch of magic to this art, I used a free tool called JuxtaposeJS by Knight Lab. It’s a content creation tool that’s ideal for creating before and after shots, as well as comparing historical moments frozen in time with present day settings.
Alesha Sivartha’s enigmatic 1898 book The Book of Life: The Spiritual and Physical Constitution of Man, combines mysticism, sociology, theosophy, art and culture into a unique philosophy. Other than the obscure and bewildering ideas in this book, the illustrations and diagrams of the human body, mind and spirit are otherworldly and amazing.
Sivartha was a man bursting at the seams with unusual and esoteric ideas. He was obsessed with the idea that the number 12 had special mystical sacredness attached to it. So his intricate diagrams of the brain break down our grey matter into 12 mystical sections.
Chart of Vibrations by Alesha Sivratha
He analyses the human body with a surgeon’s precision. He sees all aspects of human life working together in mystical, ever-more complex interconnected systems. The results are these bewitching 19th Century infographics which see humans as machine sand system, much akin to the well-known Fritz Kahn etching Der Menschen Als Industriepalast.
Chart of the hand by Alesha SivrathaNervous Structure by Alesha Sivratha
The human race has been marching upward from the first ages of history. Under what law has that mighty procession of the ages taken place? Science and history both answer that man has advanced, step by step, from the ignorant and selfish rule of his lower brain organs uptoward the beneficent dominion of his higher faculties. The laws which have controlled that vast upward movement are still in force. They are fixed in the very constitution of man. And they are of supreme importance at the present time, for they determine what new institutions and what social changes are now required to meet that higher growth of man.
Alesha Sivartha
Historic Growth by Alesha SivrathaSolar Man by Alesha Sivratha
Elizabeth Gilbert is best known for her world-wide best-selling autobiography Eat Pray Love which was about her own journey of self-discovery, spirituality and travel. This girl’s own adventure was music to the ears of many young women who were already embarking on the same path as Gilbert.
This is Gilbert’s first fictional novel and one that could have wallowed in the vast shadow of her first success with Eat Pray Love. I have to admit I was a bit dubious about how well she would be able to pull off a fictional novel. It turns out I was completely wrong, she is masterful with writing fiction and has tackled square on, challenging historical fiction which takes place across the world during the 19th Century in an era of exploration, botanical discoveries and voyages across the world.
This is an ambitious, pacey and explosive novel that follows the brilliant Alma Whittaker, the daughter of a bold and brash botanical explorer who becomes vastly wealthy through his botanical discoveries. As an adult Alma makes her own intellectual discoveries. It’s her inspiring, inquiring mind and careful analyses of mosses that takes her right to the centre of evolutionary theory during the time of Darwin’s contemporary and rival Alfred Russell Wallace.
This is also a story of romantic love, lust and longing. Although there is no room for corny, overused tropes of the romantic kind in this novel. The emotional dynamics between characters are realistic, visceral and highly believable and the tensions and relationships between characters are highly compelling at all times.
The Signature of All Things takes aim at the big questions of the meaning of existence, the evolution of life, the true nature of love and connection and how when you go looking for something you end up finding something completely different.
This is a universal, epic, sweeping novel and I loved every single second of it. If you love historical fiction, strong female characters and quirky intellectual pursuits then you will love this novel too.
Do you sometimes worry that Djin will visit you in the night and hold a party inside of your dental cavities? you are not alone actually. Do you often wonder what a Spaghetti Western would sound like if it were filmed in Edo Japan, where cowboys and geishas mingled together? Someone did that for you. Read on for more… [please excuse the clickbait intro]
One of the most iconic pop songs of the 80’s is dissected and explored by the always fascinating culture blogger Robert Horvat.
“Here’s a little ditty ‘bout Jack and Diane / Two American kids growing up in the heartland / Jackie’s gonna be a football star / Diane’s debutante, back seat of Jackie’s car.”. There is arguably no other opening verse that distinctively reminds us that we are listening to a John Mellencamp song than his 1982 hit single Jack & Diane. Originally Jack & Diane was in its infancy about mixed-race couples. But Mellencamp was steered away from that idea by his record company and reluctantly Jack, the black male protagonist of the song, was suddenly a white football star. This revelation of the song’s true origins was only touched on by Mellencamp more recently some thirty years after its release.
I just love Jamela Jamil, there is something unmistakably raw and real about her. I like that she’s not afraid to poke fun of herself and isn’t afraid to talk about her difficult childhood being poor, a fat kid, a brown immigrant and also being bullied at school – can relate to a lot of what she talks about with her early life. She is also outstandingly successful now, which is a great inspiration. I am hooked on Jameela’s podcast!
Entrepreneur, host, and mental health advocate Poppy Jamie joins Jameela to discuss her new book – Happy Not Perfect: Upgrade Your Mind, Challenge Your Thoughts, and Free Yourself From Anxiety. Poppy walks Jameela through her research and explains how we tend to have two "radio channels" in our brain – Stressed FM & Relaxed FM. She helps us understand how to turn down Stressed FM and turn up Relaxed FM. She covers the importance of belly breathing, stiff thinking vs flexible thinking, why we are so overwhelmed, and shares the best advice she was ever given – "never waste a breakdown." Happy Not Perfect is out now!If you have a Wrong Turn of your own to share with Jameela, email a voice memo to PersonalDisasterStories@gmail.com, and we may include it in a future episode!Jameela is on Instagram @jameelajamil and TikTok @jameelajamil. Her Substack is A Low Desire To Please.You can find iWeigh transcripts on the Earwolf websiteAnd make sure to check out I Weigh’s Instagram, Youtube and TikTok for more!Jameela's Substack is A Low Desire To Please, you can also find her on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.Our consulting producer is Colin Anderson.Wrong Turns was created and produced by Jameela Jamil and Stewart Bailey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When I was eating meat, I loved Takoyaki balls. Although watching documentaries like My Octopus Teacher and others that all changed as I realised the sentience and immense intelligence of all animals, especially squids and octopuses. Anyway, here’s a yummy vegan alternative to try, I haven’t done so yet but it looks great.
My eyes were wet with tears, our little dog, when I bore thee (to the grave)… So, Patricus, never again shall thou give me a thousand kisses. Never canst thou be contentedly in my lap. In sadness have I buried thee, and thou deservist. In a resting place of marble, I have put thee for all time by the side of my shade. In thy qualities, sagacious thou wert like a human being. Ah, me! What a loved companion have we lost!”
Studio Ponoc and Studio Ghibli are masterpieces of anime storytelling, and here, the great YT channel Cinema Cartography breaks down exactly what the recipe is for these magical anime films that are enjoyable for film lovers of all ages and all cultures.
Ben Wilson is also known as the ‘chewing-gum man’. He is a mainstay and legend of the London street art scene and creates chewing gum art. He has been turning pieces of petrified chewing gum into tiny and intricate street art since 1998 and to date has made over 10,00 pieces of mini street on pavements throughout London and Europe. He is well known for decorating a trail of chewing gum across the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern. Others have emulated this form and technique, but Ben remains the original creator.
He spends up to ten hours painting on the piece of gum and then this is heated with a blow torch and then sealed with a lacquer for posterity. I have never felt more like bangers and mash in my life, maybe this one would be a bit chewy though! Via Wikipedia
This is a genre-bending album that blends together classic Americana, Asian instruments. The result is a bizarre and funky spaghetti western film soundtrack. It all just works very well together in my opinion!
A cool idea to cycle with turntables and a sound system blasting out drum and bass on a summer day, it seems that everybody else thought so too. I haven’t been to Brighton so it was good to see what it looks like from the street level, it looks pretty nice.
Judy Garfin was born in 1945, in Edmonton, Alberta. She studied sculpture at the Art Students League in New York City and painting and printmaking at the Vancouver School of Art and in 1973, received her M.F.A. from The Maryland Institute College of Art’s Hoffberger School of Painting. She has lived in Israel, New York City, Ireland and Italy and has traveled widely throughout the world, which has profoundly influenced her artwork opening avenues into image creation that undermines western concepts of hierarchy and artfulness. She lives in Montreal where she paints in her studio and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Print Media as a tenured associate professor in The Department of Fine Arts at Concordia University. Via Twitter and Judy Garfin’s website.
I hope that you enjoyed these picks and that some of them rocked your world. Let me know below…
What we recognise as honesty in an individual is actually the humble demeanour of an apprentice.
Someone who pays close attention to themselves, others, life and the next steps they will take.
Someone who does not have all of the answers but who is attempting to learn what they can.
Someone who is just like everyone else. Wondering what they and their society is about to turn into.
From: Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words by David Whyte
Genre: Non-fiction, Spirituality, Philosophy
Rating: 3.5 stars
*Contains no spoilers
In this slim and elegant volume of philosophy and inspiration, writer David Whyte tackles the big topics and words that rarely get any airtime in our society, the kinds of things that haunt people but that are difficult to resolve and so are pushed under the rug. Read full review
Content Catnip 
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