“I saw him as I was able to comprehend him.”

Henry Corbin: It goes without saying that the form in which each of us receives the master’s thought conforms to his “inner heaven”; that is the very principle of the theophanism of Ibn ‘Arabi, who for that reason can only guide each man individually to what he alone is capable of seeing, and not bring him to any collective pre-established dogma: Talem eum vidi qualem capere potui. The truth of the individual’s vision is proportional to his fidelity to himself, his fidelity to the one man who is able to bear witness to his individual vision and do homage to the guide who leads him to it.

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A wonderful story from Alone with the Alone.

It was actually in Tunis that one evening, withdrawn in a prayer niche of the Great Mosque, [Ibn ‘Arabī] composed a poem which he communicated to no one. He did not even commit it to writing, but registered the day and the hour of his inspiration in his memory. A few months later, in Seville, a young man unknown to him, approached him and recited the verses. Overwhelmed, Ibn ‘Arabī asked him: “Who is their author?” And the other replied: “Muhammad Ibn ‘Arabī” The young man had never seen Ibn ‘Arabī and did not know who was standing before him. Then how did he know the verses? A few months before (the very day and hour when the inspiration had come to Ibn ‘Arabi in Tunis) a stranger, an unknown pilgrim, had mingled, here in Seville, with a group of young men, and had recited a poem which they, delighted, had begged him to repeat in order that they might learn it by heart. Having done so the stranger had disappeared without making himself known or leaving any trace.

Dolly and family singing “In the Pines.” Fantastic!

Her vast artistry was rooted in family, and place, and time, and time vimeopro.com/dollypart…

Allegory and symbol

Henry Corbin, Alone with the Alone: At this point we must recapitulate the distinction, fundamental for us, between allegory and symbol; allegory is a rational operation, implying no transition either to a new plane of being or to a new depth of consciousness; it is a figuration, at an identical level of consciousness, of what might very well be known in a different way. The symbol announces a plane of consciousness distinct from that of rational evidence; it is the “cipher” of a mystery, the only means of saying something that cannot be apprehended in any other way; a symbol is never “explained” once and for all, but must be deciphered over and over again, just as a musical score is never deciphered once and for all, but calls for ever new execution.

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Chocolate gravy was a success! My uncle mentioned it recently. When he was an older teen he was not required to go to Saturday night church (like he was on Sundays) so he would sneakily make himself chocolate gravy while the family was away, all for himself. A luxury in a family of nine children.

Finished reading Ann the Word by Richard Francis. The writer was a bit snarky in places but it was an engaging biography. I’m a bit sad it’s over. I’m done with Shaker reading for the moment but I wouldn’t be surprised if I come back to it. There’s plenty more.

It’s been a really good year for goldfinches here. Multiple daily appearances as they chow down on coneflowers. Beautiful little critters.

I think that about sums it up.

Sometimes I follow a link over to Mastodon and see the insane way people talk on social media, or I read an article about cash drops and other trends, and I thank all the powers that I am blessedly out of touch. I may be online a lot, but I spend that time very differently.

I still really like this post from three years ago, in which I did some investigating/speculating into the impact “new” highway 37 had on our town.