Where is everyone?! :)

[Gary Hodges]

This has to be one of the quietest groups/blog/forum that I've ever belonged to. Which isn't a complaint, really. I just wish it was a bit more lively. That being said, I just discovered that there is a Twitter following for Thomas Moore.. here>> http://twitter.com/Jessop . Is everyone following that now, does this Ning stand on its own. I would like to keep up here :)

As an aside, two books of Thomas's, "The Soul's Religion", and "Writing In The Sand", stirred my long ago studies in Esoteric Christianity. Such as, Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Saint Francis of Assisi and other writings. Which reminded me that at a very young age, I encountered my first experience of a test of faith. Now, I will not say that Christianity is the ONLY way. As I'm a lover of all the teachings, and believe they have there own certain ways of expressing the divine.  My encounter was with a book by John Allegro, called "The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross: A Study of the Nature and Origins of Christianity within the Fertility Cults of the Ancient Near East". Which has purported, from the Dead Sea Scrolls, that Jesus formed a fertility cult. Well, in utter disbelief, but also in reaction to it, it had me question all that I had come to know or felt about spirituality. Nonetheless, it was a very sad experience at that time. I do not agree with the author to this day, but it really brings home how some authors can have a major affect on how we approach our lives.

Although, I would counter this by saying, that of all my studies throughout my life, none come close to the huge positive affect/reaction, that Thomas Moore's works has. Always, always, it comes back to caring for the soul. So, thank you Thomas for being who you are and for sharing your insights.

Moreover, I would like to ask this group something. The inspiration to further delve into early Christian writings, such as The Gospels of Thomas, Phillip, Mary, to name a few, brings up various questions. Like, how can any particular translation of something as important as say the Nag Hammadi, Dead Sea Scrolls, etc., be considered accurate? If we take English, as an example, and the translation of these important documents, should it not be a serious consideration to utilize Etymology in such a body of work. Furthermore, what about semantics in that its not the word, per se, but how its used and meant by the person who said it?

Now, I'm not a scholar, and at times find works written by scholars as dry and hard to follow. But, the soul of these Gnostic writings, for me, lies deep in the heart and evokes love.  Which I get that love is the core of Jesus's teachings. Let alone most all religions.

I think I read somewhere that Thomas is going to espouse on the Gnostic writings further. I am deeply looking forward to this, as he always seems to have a way of gleaning through the mishmash and pulling out the soul of things.

Here is a quote from them that comes to mind:

"For whatever is from itself is an empty life; it is self-made. Providence is foolish. Fate is an undiscerning thing." from Eugnostos the Blessed.

Anyway, please don't mind my ramblings, is anyone out here? :)

Gary

[Barque]

Hi Gary,
I'm always here but there's not much point in me talking to myself. I can do that as easily off-line. Rob has contributed recent posts that I've responded to but I think it takes more of the community to keep the discussions going. Maybe everyone is here and just quiet. Perhaps if you want a livelier forum, you need to contribute more regularly. (See how this discussion created a response ;-) In Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels, I think Moore is sensitive to some of the concerns you raise about etymology, a study close to his heart. His views about metanoia and therapeia , in particular, look at meanings associated with the times and perhaps intended interpretations. My understanding is that Moore is working on his own translation of the Gospels. I enjoy your posts, Gary. Please keep rambling.

This forum started as community outreach for the blog Barque:Thomas Moore and its related blogs, Barque: Thomas Moore's Work and Barque: Thomas Moore as Catalyst. People emailed to say they wanted to discuss some of the issues posted on the blogs so we set up this Ning forum to allow for further discussions (members also may have their own blogs if desired). This was before Facebook and Twitter and Buzz and other social media developments. I do the Twitter updates @Jessop to draw people to this Ning forum and to share posts on the Barque blogs. Barque, the blog dedicated to Thomas Moore's work, celebrates its fifth anniversary on April Fool's Day 2010.

[Gary Hodges]

Thank you Barque, I had no idea about 2 of those other blogs...wow!! This is great, thank you again so much for clarifying.

Might there be an opinion, from this group, as to which translations of the Nag Hammadi or Dead Sea Scrolls reflect an approach with these important considerations in mind? In looking back at "Writing In The Sand", your correct in that Moore does make the most sincere attempt at sharing these important ancient writings in this light. This is one of the many reasons why I love his works.

Also, I could be more cognizant of posting more often in an effort to liven things up, from here on out I will do so. :)

[Barque]

Well, Gary, perhaps you're right, everyone has left the forum.
I can't recommend translations of Nag Hammadi or the Dead Sea Scrolls but for the Gospel of Philip, I suggest a translation from the Coptic by Jean-Yves Leloup, English translation of this by Joseph Rowe, called The Gospel of Philip. Jacob Needleman wrote the foreword. The ISBN for the paperback edition is 1-59477-022-0. It was published by Inner Traditions.
I hope this is helpful.

[Rita Abreu Costa]

I’ve joined the forum recently and I’ve noticed the same – it’s very quiet. Well, as Barque said, I’m one of those who are here and just quiet, maybe waiting for a discussion related to my worries and concerns.

Well, I’ve been reading “A Life at Work”. I find it very inspiring. In my opinion, the reader can find reflections that help him in other areas of his life. And, also, he can deepen the idea that our work, and the way we face it, it’s related to the other aspects of our life (family, friends, personal history, culture, creativity and so on…). It’s curious how reading this book made me immerse in my childhood memories and dreams! I also paint, as a hobby, so, now, I’m doing something with some old photos and music that brings me back to that time.

Sometimes, I also read a chapter from “A Blue Fire – Selected Writings by James Hillman”. Recently, I read a very interesting passage in this book. It’s in the Chapter “Mythology as Family”. It’s an excerpt from the article “Extending the Family: From Entrapment to Embrace.” Does anyone know were can I find the complete article? I visited the Spring Publications webpage - this article will be published in 2011 in the Uniform Edition Vol. 7. Does anyone know if the article is available in other book? Or will I have to wait for 2011?

[Gary Hodges]

Hi Rita, thanks for the reply. I find that interesting about you being stimulated by "A Life at Work" around your childhood memories and dreams!! I've always been fascinated with dreams, since they are what got me started on my spiritual quest from the very beginning. I happen to be a 3D content creator, and now I suppose artist. Before, my main artistic endeavors have been poetry. Yet with creating virtual art, I was able to re-create a dream that I had in my late teens, that never left me. That was so ironic, in that, you hear often something like "make your dreams come true", etc..yet, in this case, I literally did make the dream become a reality, albeit a virtual one. The experience in doing that was nothing less that awe inspiring. I've also ventured into attempting to create art that conveys poems I've written. Anyway...art is great no matter what venue is used. :)

As far as your question on that article of Hillman's, I found these 2 things...hope it helps :)

Not sure if you've seen this? Its from a book called Carl Gustav Jung: Psychopathology and psychotherapy By Renos K. Papadopoulos. Found it in Google books.It talks about this article



Also, for what its worth..this might help you dig it up before 2011:
D85a “Extending the Family: From Entrapment to Embrace.” The Texas Humanist 7/4. Talk at Symposium on Myth and Imagination, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, Feb. 22, 1984. Abbr. in Utne Reader 27, Minneapolis, MN: LENS, 1988.

Good luck

Gary

[Barque]

Hi Rita,
I emailed the Texas Committee for the Humanities asking if it had a copy of the article referenced by Gary since it published The Texas Humanist (before it became The Texas Journal of Ideas, History and Culture). If I get a response, I'll let you know. You may be able to arrange to have a photocopy sent to Portugal via inter-library loan if it isn't available electronically.

Thanks for letting us know there are at least three of us still interested in the Barque forum.

[Barque]

Hi Rita,
It looks as if Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas has The Texas Humanist in the periodical collection of its Fondren Library. You may need to email the university library to see if you can get a copy. It would be helpful if you have a local institution that could request an inter-library "loan".

Title: The Texas humanist.
Publisher: Austin, Tex. :Texas Committee for the Humanities,-[c 1985]
Format: Periodical
Holdings Information
Location: Fondren Library
Call Number: FondrenPERIODICAL
Shelved As:
Status: No information available
Library Has: v.1(1978/1979)-v.7(1984/1985)
I hope this is helpful, Barque

[Gary Hodges]

Barque, thanks so much for the suggestion. I will look into it :)

[Barque]

Hi Gary,
Thanks for sharing the story about turning your dream into virtual reality. I just finished reading Hilllman's The Myth of Analysis in which he talks about the artistry of visual images and poetry.

[Gary Hodges]

I could post some pictures of my creation...if you like? and explain it? Also, thats awesome you sent an enquiry to the Texas Committee for the Humanities :)

[Barque]

This would be great, Gary. I'd like to see the pictures and your commentary. I'm on a dial-up connection and have some limitations with bandwidth. As long as images load fairly quickly, I'm interested in anything you'd like to share. I read Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit a few years ago and really appreciated her willingness to describe processes she finds helpful. Please share your virtualized dream.

[Gary Hodges]

To introduce these images, its pertinent to give you some background on the entire inspiration for this creation.

I had read this article about the scientific theory of Everything. This theory prompted/inspired me to express a counter view on "Everything". So, I replicated their theory, and tied it in with a mine. I called this creation "The Theory of Nothing". I do have a lot of pics of it on Flickr, but since your on dial up...I did my best to optimize these pics in the first link with that in mind.

Dial-up Friendly Link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27868775@N04/sets/72157623331281733/

All Sets:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27868775@N04/sets/


Moreover, while I was in the process of creating the above, I had recalled my dream from when I was in high school. In this dream I was sitting on some grass in a school yard, I glanced up towards one side of a wall of the school...and on the roof was a flag pole, continuing my gaze upwards, at the top was the typical sphere on top of flag poles. This is when the dream took a really fascinating turn. Connected to the sphere was a rope that started looping, half loops, that is...at the end of each half loop was another sphere, then another, and another, this continued on up into the sky till I could no longer see it, like into infinity, or whatever.

My dreams have often been prophetic. This is what got me started on my spiritual quest, and continue to this day as being a major factor with this side of me, soulful and spiritual.

While creating this piece this ONE dream popped back into memory, as it has often done on since I first had it; I've often wondered its meaning, but never really tried to interpret it. This dream seemed like it was meant to just feel it, in a manner of speaking; this feeling is a positive one.

Its important to convey that the school in these pictures, originally was a creation of an old abandoned church, one you might see in the Midwest or something. In fact, upon its completion, before my creating the Theory of Nothing, I had named it "Abandoned". Now, that could take off into a whole other interpretive direction, but that might be a topic for some other post. Anyway, the 3D virtual creation of the Theory of Nothing, turned into four distinct parts. The Theory of Everything, The Theory of Nothing, The Beginning & End and The Future.

It’s the Future portion that this dream was created inside of, (see the above FLIKR link for pics of all of this, it might be a bit slow on dial up.)

So, interestingly enough, is that I built this entire work inside of 72 hours, straight, barely any sleep and not much to eat. The inspirations were coming in so fast and intense, it was like I could not stop until it was completed. So, I changed the abandoned church into an abandoned school, and placed it inside a large bubble, like it was transported into the future. So, one could say, that not only did I re-create this dream from my past, hence and old no longer used school bldg., but I projected it into a part of the piece that had to do with the Future; making it come true, rather than it JUST coming true. I suppose I could go on and on about it. :)

Oh, in one of the pics is the Moon, which is being eclipsed by the planet Venus, that being symbolically thought of as Love, it was shortly before this creation that a very dear friend of mine, whom I was in a relationship with passed away from cancer. So, poetically, I attempted to insert an aspect that said, love can seem to go away, but it never really does.

Anyway, enough on all this. Oh, some of the pics on Flikr include a part or add-on to the creation that I called "The Castle Of The Soul". That would also entail another post to elaborate on.

Thanks for your interest.

Gary