He and Elton played three songs, the last of which the last was ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ – a number, John said, ‘of an old, estranged fiancé of mine, called Paul.

Like so many other phrases, this one doesn’t make literal sense – estranged is past tense, about something broken; fiancé is all about expectation, the promise of eternal union. Yet, like so many of John’s phrases, it works as poetry – it told the truth

Powers of Two: How Relationships Drive Creativity, by Joshua Wolf Shenk (2014)
Source: bewaremylove

kimmyparfait:

So close, but it feels so far!

Confrontation and Transformation

Many of us have been hard at work for days, weeks or months with hectic schedules, project deadlines, and general busy-bodying to progress towards our goals. With the holidays coming up, semesters are about to end, breaks are about to begin and we’re starting to feel as though we’re ready to wind down but the year isn’t quite over yet. It may be starting to get harder and harder to push ourselves, to find the motivation and energy we had earlier to keep ourselves feeling and being productive: burn-out. This can be particularly frustrating, especially if we know we’re so incredibly close to seeing our hard work pay off.

When we’re feeling this way, it becomes easier to take that frustration out on ourselves and those around us. This can look like negative self-talk, irritability, guilty procrastination, or neglecting our most basic and important needs. If we find ourselves getting to the point where we’re doing more harm than good in the name of productivity, it may be time to confront this, be honest with ourselves and step away to nurture ourselves and see what we need in order to transform these feelings and behaviors. It can be as simple as taking a cozy shower, eating a whole meal, taking a good nap, whatever feels personal and allows us a moment of quiet, of peace.

These simple moments, which are often dismissed as an undeserved luxury or waste of time (I’m guilty of this), play an integral role in our productive lives. They allow us to give ourselves the space we need from our challenges to breathe, to re-assess our priorities and to come back with fresh perspectives and a clearer head. After days, weeks or months of doing, of problem solving and building, it can be surprising how a small withdraw from it all can steady us, get us back on our feet and get us across our finish lines.

“Jailbreaking the Goddess”

nicstoirm:

I decided to stop at Half Priced Books today and saw they had a copy of “Jailbreaking the Goddess: A Radical Revisioning of Feminist Spirituality” by Lasara Firefox Allen. I was tempted to get it, because I know it’s good, but I figured I’d refrain so that someone who actually is interested in Goddess Spirituality could pick it up.

Now, what makes it so good? Firefox Allen argues for a new model of feminine worship that isn’t Maiden-Mother-Crone… but instead bases her goddess model on a five-face view. I need to get the book to know more, though, but I’m a huge fan of removing the Maiden-Mother-Crone archetypes for something else

But in other words, Firefox Allen makes Goddess Spirituality about something other than reproductive capability for women. It’s a fabulous, radical book for Goddess Spirituality that is desperately needed.

I mention this so that if you or someone you knows is interested in Goddess Spirituality, this would be a great book to get!