November has arrived! Here in L.A. County, November began with an eerie post-Halloween fog. It slowly lifted, leaving a brilliant blue sky. The foliage seemed to peak to classic Autumn, and now, the day has dropped red and yellow stars.
Are you enchanted yet? Whatever the week ahead may bring you, I am encouraging you today to find a positive or encouraging perspective. Modern life, with our instant news updates and finger-tip information on cell phones, often layers announcements as crises. While we are living through a time of highly-charged and reactive changes--environmental/technological/social/political shifts-- not all days are actually filled with urgency. You can stop. Take a look around you. Breathe. Consider a fresh perspective. Leaves, or fallen Stars? The ancient aphorism, "As above, so below", is a reminder of the unity, and correspondence, underlying Life. When we are clouded from understanding from one perspective, we can come to understanding through another.
Last week, I wrote of the transition from October to November, as an opportunity for a mystic encounter. That evening, I was working on the computer, sitting at a little table across from my book shelves. I looked up for a moment, across the room, and strangely saw a hooded monk figurine sitting on my shelf. It was so odd, I had to get up and move. The figure revealed itself to be a white plastic bag, stuffed between some file folders and stacked plastic storage boxes. I went back to my computer, and looking up, I saw the monk. I experimented, moving from one position to another, watching the figure shift between the image of a bag and the image of a monk, and then, the insight: "This is my mystic encounter." I didn't want the monk to fade, so I grabbed a sheet of paper and quickly sketched.
This is a reminder of the power of perspective and our human capacity to interpret, misinterpret, and yes, leap into deeper "none-of-the-above" mode. Take time this week to explore alternative perspectives in your daily life. That doesn't necessarily mean you change you mind, rather, you expand positive possibilities and meaning. (Susan Nettleton)
for poetry: https://img.poemhunter.com/i/poem_images/351/different-perspectives.jpg https://allpoetry.com/poem/16433310--A-New-Point-of-View--by-Ashari-Hansley https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/C/ColliverAndr/WhenWorld/index.html
falling stars…
Monk on the book shelf, The Mystic Encounter