regarding WONDERMENT!

"The first teaching of Baha’u'llah is the duty incumbent upon all to investigate reality. What does it mean to investigate reality? It means that man must forget all hearsay and examine truth himself, for he does not know whether statements he hears are in accordance with reality or not."

~ Abdu’l-Baha

i wanted to share with you, my dear two readers, this amazingly refreshing and wonderful TED talk. Marian Bantjes speaks about how it is so important to do whatever it is you do from your heart, your true self. i found this talk to be exceptionally inspiring as it resonated with my very core. it helped to remind me how i should be constantly inquiring with myself about what i am doing with my time, my life, my minutes, my breaths. you don't even know how much i love to hear stories of people who have found their direction, their path and their unique way to share themselves with the world. I LOVE it. hearing things like this give me faith that i am not alone in striving and focusing on a GOOD life, full of spirit, joy, laughter and light. Bantjes asks herself at one point in the talk, "what is worthwhile for my time, my life" - and i think this is something we have to ask ourselves daily. for instance, in the Baha'i Faith, as Baha'is we are meant to bring ourselves to account every morn and eve. i love that practice because it gives us that opportunity to reflect and consult with ourselves, so to speak, on what is most important and if we are following our true path(s). Daily I strive to life my life with a huge sense of WONDERMENT. i have found myself getting really frustrated or stressed out about something lately and i have been able to just tune it all out, even if for a minute, and zone out on the wind outside, or the way the light shines in the room, hearing the ocean (even from south dakota. my point is, being there, being PRESENT and acknowledging and tapping into that lovely source of wonderment that i believe - is ALWAYS there. always urging you to pay attention, take a moment and be filled with the wonder and beauty that surrounds. i believe you will all enjoy this talk, whether you consider yourself an artist or not.

i wanted to dedicate this post to my wonderful, inspiring artist girlfriends, Shirin Samimi-Moore, (Leili) Towfigh, Kylie Manning & Misha Maynerick-Blaise.



I am grateful for you all!

kylie also sent me this intersting article about guilt and creativity. you can read the entire thing here. kylie and i were just talking about the notion of "letting go" and how there is a stigma around it, rather a fear...and how sometimes i want to let go of something but then i feel i will go crazy/lose control! [I'M SO CRAZYYYY- HAHAHA!!!] but here is an excerpt i am particularly fond of:

Larry: When we really start creating, something lets go and begins to flow. It's like something takes over, and all these things that we didn't know we had inside come pouring out. But this "letting go" can be scary. A lot of people worry that they might go crazy. When we let go of the ego we may feel as if we don't have any control. But eventually the flow will stop, and the ego will come back. It's like a cork that bobs down, and then bobs back up. The same thing happens when we dream: the ego goes to sleep, and the unconscious begins to flow. Writers and artists literally dream while they're awake by diminishing the ego. The only difference between the creative process and insanity is that the ego leaves and never comes back.

and...another:

Larry: Aloneness is much more than the presence or absence of others. We can be in a crowd, or with another person, and feel lonely. Overcoming loneliness is much more about getting in connection with ourselves. We're lonely because there's a part of ourselves that we keep "in the dungeon," so to speak. When we feel loneliness, it's that "jailed" part of ourselves that we're feeling. But we'll always be lonely if we think someone else can solve our loneliness.

Pythia: You also write that when we're in the act of creating, we don't feel lonely or guilty.

Larry: That's because when we're being creative the lonely parts of ourselves come out for air and join us. The main process by which we become whole is to bring the (inner) orphans out of the orphanage, and the (inner) prisoners out of the prison. This is the way authentic, creative work makes us whole.

what's your favorite part of the TED talk?
what about the article?

what does it make you think about?

[this was taken this weekend when baktash and i were driving back from an awesome swimming hole. this storm was INSANEEEEE!!]