“Aldo Leopold said that our ability to perceive the quality of nature begins ‘as in art, with the pretty’ After that it expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language. What he was getting at is this: knowledge deepens appreciation. Seeing cranes feeding in a wetland he saw notContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Knowledge Deepens Appreciation”
Tag Archives: Philosophy
10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #96
Prepare yourself for celestial wars between the gods, secret signals by airport ground staff, a catalogue of pompadour hair styles, a quirky Japanese museum and much more, it’s edition #96 of Interesting Things!
Environmentalism boils down to faith in the end
Faith in the possibility of change, the prospect of a better future. For green shoots in the rubble, fresh water in the desert. And our faith is often tested. Everywhere I have looked, everywhere I have been – places bent and broken, despoiled and desolate, polluted and poisoned, I have found new life springing fromContinue reading “Environmentalism boils down to faith in the end”
Ancient Word of the Day: Kodama
Many Japanese folk stories are about kodama, a kind of nature deity that lives in a tree, a bit like a Greek Dryad. Some people believed that kodama travel throughout the forest, moving from tree to tree. Others believe that they inhabit a particular tree.
Comforting Thought: Each life is a mission of discovering the question of why you were born
According to Carl Jung, each life is an individuation process, one of discovering the particular question you were put on earth to answer. This question may have been left unanswered by an ancestor, although you must proceed with it in the manner of your own generation. But the question is not easy, or it wouldContinue reading “Comforting Thought: Each life is a mission of discovering the question of why you were born”
10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #95
This week, Baba Yaga greets you in the Polish twilight, you will get insights into pet body language, see a Mardi Gras ready caterpillar, lunar snails, a levitating coffee, some ancient Greek badasses and more in edition #95, stay cool but if you are in a wintery place now – stay warm.
Comforting Thought: We should allow ourselves to receive love and care from others
Paradoxically, letting go sometimes means allowing ourselves to receive love and care from others. Our can-do culture has made many of us believe that we should always be self-sufficient. Somewhere along the way we also get the message that asking for help is a sign of weakness. We often forget that we’re interdependent creatures whoseContinue reading “Comforting Thought: We should allow ourselves to receive love and care from others”
Book Review: Auspicious Animals, The Art of Good Omens by Jun’ichi Uchiyama
If you have ever looked at a Japanese silk screen print or sculpture and wondered what the cranes, monkeys or bears mean…this book is for you! I found this beautiful book in an art gallery and decided that, despite the hefty price-tag, I simply had to own it! This elegant coffee table book charts the artistic symbolism of animals in northern Asia with a particular focus on Japan and China. Each page is translated and in both Japanese and English.
Comforting Thought: Regard yourself as a cloud
“Regard yourself as a cloud in the flesh; because, you see, clouds never make mistakes. Then through this capacity you will develop a kind of confidence … you will be able to trust your own intuition.” Alan Watts
10 Interesting Things I Found on the Internet #94
Watch a cosy French family film about a boy and a wild horse, learn how to make an easy wild mushroom pasta, how to enjoy rituals in your relationship and some psychedelic AI art in the style of Codex Seraphinianus and much more in edition #94 of Interesting Things
Content Catnip 