This poem is inspired by the Rasa of Karuna (pathos, poignancy, melancholy, quietude). Yama, the Deity of Death, is the archetype of Karuna. The connection between death (Body) and compassion becomes clear in experiencing the dance invocation of this Rasa.

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This poem is inspired by many images from Vedic hymns as well as the particular sensibility with which philosophical principles such as Moksha are invoked in earlier times. Moksha in its simplest meaning is release, like the release of an arrow from the bow. This physical source of the word is very much retained in these ancient hymns. Moksha’s meaning of spiritual liberation is tethered here to its Body-led expression

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“Art for art’s sake” is a deeply contentious proposition. This is because we consider art recreational. We have also degraded poetic intelligence by making it metaphorical—we claim we can be “creative” businesspeople or politicians or bankers. We divorce creative intelligence from its expression or activity in the world.

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This poem is inspired the Vedic “Vena” which is translated as longing, remembrance, homesickness, and love. This sensation is the archetypal birthplace of poetic intelligence. It is the foundation of a perception of Reality as a poetic composition. The imagery in the poem is from the ancient hymns of Vena.

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An archetypal poem about the connection between making and creating.

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Being whole is the proposed purpose of a contemplative life. By the time you reach my age of the late fifties, one has been broken-hearted many times. Even the Japanese art of Kintsugi (where broken pottery is put back together with gold lacquer that reveals the breakages) may find it difficult to glue together the multiple broken-heartedness of a mature life.

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This reflection is inspired by a dream I had recently.

In the dream, I witnessed a sudden apocalyptic peeling back of a valley from the surrounding mountains. Everybody, including rescue personnel and community, ran towards the theatre of dystopia. I found myself turning around, against the surge.

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