a man i was hiking once asked me : why do you personify the mountain?
it took me days to answer and what came was: if i deny the person in the mountain, then i deny the person in me.
also about language, i wrote some time ago that the deeper we relate to territory, the deeper the vocabulary evolves. and as the culture evolves, so does the land itself, in a cycle:
land shapes language > language shapes mind > mind shapes being/actions > actions shape the land > land shapes language
I like what you say here, Javier. I too believe that in some ways everything in this universe is alive and vital, essential and sacred. Also that interrelationship you describe between land, language and mind. Thanks so much for coming here and sharing that.
We are the world, and the world is us. How beautifully you have expressed this idea, Deborah, and with such approachable erudition. This piece is an edifying and nourishing read. Thank you for writing and publishing it here.
Yes, I believe we can learn so much from other cultures, and the spiritual teachings found in Native American and Aboriginal cultures especially have resonated with me. I love the concept of Dreamtime, and the Native American's deep understanding of the connection between the human and more-than-human worlds. I also found it interesting when reading your post including "Other You" how it connected to what I had just posted as well. Great minds, they say . . . (smile). Thank you for coming here and responding in such a thoughtful and informative way. I really enjoy these "conversations."
a man i was hiking once asked me : why do you personify the mountain?
it took me days to answer and what came was: if i deny the person in the mountain, then i deny the person in me.
also about language, i wrote some time ago that the deeper we relate to territory, the deeper the vocabulary evolves. and as the culture evolves, so does the land itself, in a cycle:
land shapes language > language shapes mind > mind shapes being/actions > actions shape the land > land shapes language
I like what you say here, Javier. I too believe that in some ways everything in this universe is alive and vital, essential and sacred. Also that interrelationship you describe between land, language and mind. Thanks so much for coming here and sharing that.
We are the world, and the world is us. How beautifully you have expressed this idea, Deborah, and with such approachable erudition. This piece is an edifying and nourishing read. Thank you for writing and publishing it here.
Thank you so much, Andrew, for your kind words. I'm glad this resonated with you. That means a lot to me.
Yes, I believe we can learn so much from other cultures, and the spiritual teachings found in Native American and Aboriginal cultures especially have resonated with me. I love the concept of Dreamtime, and the Native American's deep understanding of the connection between the human and more-than-human worlds. I also found it interesting when reading your post including "Other You" how it connected to what I had just posted as well. Great minds, they say . . . (smile). Thank you for coming here and responding in such a thoughtful and informative way. I really enjoy these "conversations."
I'd like to read more about Dreamings and Dreamtime. Are there any books you can recommend? Thank you, too, for the kind note and restack.
Thank you!