Fragile

Oh dear @Appleblossom I watched and hoped to be enlightened and could only think "she's conflating organic putrefaction with inorganic slurries then hoping to refine like a metallic ore " and "but you can't transmute elements". I'd go back to John of the Cross but for the homoerotic imagery. A dark night indeed. I apologise as I realise I've missed the point entirely. But I did try

I remember being in a dark and sooty factory lit by the red glow of furnaces that was one of several real-life visions of Hades I've experienced, so the description of the alchemist at work probably didn't help.

Richard Rohr and Bill Gaultier seem to incline towards a realised eschatology I find altogether more hopeful even if heretical.

Oooh @Dimity sorry to lead you down a garden path that distressed you. I was signed up with Richard Rohr for a while. I will look at Bill Gaultier.

Maybe my brain skates over things that you are more precise in noticing: re conflation. I hope you can let it go and dont let it bother you.

I am always trying to stretch myself too thin.

I know you are vulnerable and dont want to add stress.

Gently Bently

Be you.

love apple

Played Zartlich Liebe by Beethoven with 2 violinists this evening. It will be lovely when we do it in May.

Hello @Appleblossom

How are you going today my friend 🧡

@Dimity , @tyme , @outlander , @AlwaysMyself

Its been intense here @Shaz51

I hope it is just the ebb and flow of reasonable intensity.

I can accept that I have had such a de-escalation approach to life, that I am not comfortable with what may be normal intensity or excitement or passion. idk. I also know that I dont know what is normal.

Hope you are all paddling along within reason, but not too strait jacketed or constrained. We are all allowedto have feelings. Jeez I dont even know what is normal for me anymore.

@AlwaysMyself @outlander @outlander @Dimity

Howdy @Appleblossom

I dunno - what's normal and reasonable today for someone might be different on another day or for someone else or for a given cohort.

Let the leaves fall onto the water and float downstream.

I've dipped into Plum Village at times and found it helpful particularly when life gets complicated.

Pax et bonum.

ah @Dimity another sangha

I went to Tara House, and dipped into Theravada and Mahayana &Raj Yoga. In the 70s, I lived down the road from the Hari Krishnas. I found some value in all, but never committed to any. I guess my Christian roots won out, but I always acknowledge the value in good practices that have helped me. So have tended to identify as Interfaith, rather than Christian per se, even though I have done Sacred Christian music a lot of my life. Christianity being misused, may be part of the reason I needed to seek help elsewhere. It was just what was naturally around. I walked past the Raj Yoga place on my way to uni etc etc.

@Appleblossom hmm Christianity being misused... as have also other great religions. I'll hold my peace on that.

I was so restricted and constrained I didn't experience encounters with other faiths except hare krishnas and scientologists at tramstops, and JWs aggressively proselytising in uni cafs. But the lefty greenies like me a few years later took care to march on Palm Sundays. Then I crashed. And completely lost touch with the people I'd started connecting with.

Haha @Dimity I also did the Palm Sunday rallies, as a leftie greenie from 2008-2017, after singing at my city church. I was too busy working or studying or with family to do many protests when I was younger, though I did go to one Reclaim the Night around 1983 with my sister before she died, but we both found it a bit aggressive in its politicking. Still glad I did them. Know what you mean about too much 'in your face' pushing from various faiths and political persuasions.

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@Appleblossom wrote:

Yes I was similar @outlander being with older people as I had not much in common with the people my own age.

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Ditto @Appleblossom @outlander . But for mental-maturity reasons as a young-teen I mostly preferred spending time with my adult-friends (often over 40) that I knew through church or family-friends. I found my peers too focused on "excitement" and inconsequential things that didn't gel with my depression-feelings (and what I also now know to be my autistic-sensory overwhelm).

I still enjoy the company of many friends who are the age or older than my parents. But since mid-20's I was able to start having more meaningful connections with my same-age peers also as they started to mature into a broader life experience perspective and 'calmed down' in their sensory-seeking I guess.

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@Appleblossom wrote:

Its been intense here @Shaz51

I hope it is just the ebb and flow of reasonable intensity.

I can accept that I have had such a de-escalation approach to life, that I am not comfortable with what may be normal intensity or excitement or passion. idk. I also know that I dont know what is normal.

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@Appleblossom sending (belated) hugs. Regardless of what is "normal" for others - whether "are you OK / can people help you / what do you need" I reckon is the more important questions; but that's because I care for the individual's experience regardless of whether it is "mild" or "severe". We all have different (often fluctuating?) windows of tolerance 😊 and that is OK/normal I think.