Making good Mondays is like making coffee -


The week is before us - like the coffee pot - waiting to brew. Making it good is a matter of choice, luck, creativity, patience and acceptance of the outcome.

Currently at Making Good Mondays

Active elements on this page: Occasionally I will publish a new blog post, but I write mostly at other sites.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Sail away-sail away


Myth is the public dream, and dream is the private myth.

- Joseph Campbell





Do you remember the title song, Sail away, sail away? It is in my head now. It sends me down an interesting virtual "rabbit trail" of surfing the web. We have all done it. It began with posting the above photo from my collection.
This photo has a haunting quality about it, even though it is obviously not a stormy day. We stand on the deck of the sailboat, wondering what is ahead.The dark image draws us in and lures us around the bend.
I was reminded of the classic poem about the song of the sirens that lured sailors to their deaths on the shoals. A Dogpile search using the terms (myth siren song sailor) revealed some interesting items, among them, a contemporary poem with comments. I quote the first three stanzas. Readers' comments follow:
"Siren Song" - by Margaret Atwood
This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:

the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see the beached skulls

the song nobody knows
because anyone who has heard it
is dead, and the others can't remember.

Readers' comments on the Atwood poem make another interesting "rabbit trail."

Decades ago a friend and I took Red Cross sailing lessons. It was great fun. That is where I learned to duck my head as the single sail came around. And I learned to absolutely loved sailing the little "Beetle" class boat. The class was my last experience at the helm. I never got very good at it, but I didn't mind. I never owned a sailboat, though my son has a small one.
My search turned up this quote that captures some of my sailor feelings:

"I already know as much about my fate as I need to know. The only matter of consequence before me is what I will do with my allotted time. I can remain on shore, or I can raise my sails and dip and soar in the breeze."

Richard Bode
My surfing rabbit trail also revealed that, if you live in Chicago, this is where you can learn to sail. I quote the opening paragraph from the Chicago Learning Guide. Mr. Bringe described my feelings in the breeze so many years ago:
Learn how to sail, by Keith Bringe
"It's easy to see why sailing seduces so many enthusiastic participants. At once, a sport, a mode of transportation, and a source of mythology, sailing is all about skill, athleticism and ultimately, power. Sails harness the awesome energy of the wind, water, and the sun. The first thing that strikes you when gliding across the water is the sound - there is no motor, no mechanical rhythm. All that is heard is the rush of the sails and the slice of the prow."
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My "topical post" today at South by Southwest is about EU and US women.

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References on Spirituality -- Favorites from my old collection

  • "A Return To Love: Reflections On the Principles Of a Course In Miracles" by Marianne Williamson. Harper Collins, 1992
  • "A World Waiting To Be Born: Civility Rediscovered" by M. Scott Peck. Simon and Schuster, 1993
  • "Chicken Soup For the Unsinkable Soul" by Canfield, Hansen and McNamara. Health Communications, 1999
  • "Compassion in Action: Setting Out On the Path of Service" by Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush. Bell Tower Pub., 1992
  • "Creative Visualization" by Shakti Gawain. MIF Books, 1978
  • "Finding Values That Work: The Search For Fulfillment" by Brian O'Connell. Walker & Co., 1978
  • "Fire in the Soul" by Joan Borysenko. Warner Books, 1993
  • "Further Along the Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck. Simon and Schuster, 1993
  • "Guilt Is the Teacher, Love Is the Lesson" by Joan Borysenko. Warner Books, 1990
  • "Inner Simplicity: 100 Ways To Regain Peace and Nourish the Soul" by Elaine St. James. Hyperion, 1995
  • "Insearch:Psychology and Religion" by James Hillman. Spring Pub. 1994
  • "Man's Search For Himself" by Rollo May. Signet Books, 1953
  • "Mythologies" by William Butler Yeats. Macmillan, 1959
  • "Myths, Dreams and Religion" by Joseph Campbell. Spring Pub. 1988
  • "Passion for Life: Psychology and the Human Spirit" by John and Muriel James. Penguin Books, 1991
  • "Peace Is Every Step" by Thich Nhat Hahn. Bantam Books , 1991
  • "The Heroine's Journey" by Mureen Murdock. Random House, 1990
  • "The Hope For Healing Human Evil" by M. Scott Peck. Simon and Schuster, 1983
  • "The House of Belonging" poems by David Whyte. Many Rivers Press, 2004
  • "The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth" by M.Scott Peck. Simon and Schuster, 1978
  • "The Soul's Code: In Search Of Character and Calling" by James Hillman. Random House, 1996
  • "The World Treasury of Modern Religious Thought" by Jaroslav Pelikan. Little, Brown & Co., 1990
  • "Unconditional Life" by Deepak Chopra. Bantam Books, 1992
  • "Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation" by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Hyperion, 1994
  • "Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice" by Thich Nhat Hahn. Doubleday Dell Pub. Group, 1974

About Me

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A retired counselor, I am equal parts Techie and Artist. I am a Democrat who came to the Southwest to attend college. I married, had kids and have lived here all my adult life.