Moving and Dwelling

[susanstinson]

A fair number of folks have let me know that they're taking action in support of the fat bill. They're writing their legistlators, posting about it, getting touch with Rep. Rushing's office to offer to speak to media, sending out emails and otherwise spreading the word. It's a gorgeous thing, to actively move to resist fat hatred (and, by extension, any kind of hatred, says me), and in honor of that, here's this week Rob Brezny horoscope for Libra. (That's my sign, but I'm thinking it applies to all of us.):

When you see a shooting star, you're usually looking at a piece of cosmic debris that's 30 to 60 miles away and no bigger than a grain of rice. As it streaks through the atmosphere, the compression of air in front of it creates a shock wave, generating enough heat to send a bright light to your eyes. Sound like something you want to emulate, Libra? I believe that in the coming weeks, your smallest actions, like those of shooting stars, could produce dramatic, far-reaching effects.

Also, it's my beloved older brother's birthday. In his honor, here's a quote from "The Movable Dwelling and How It Came to America" from landscape historian JB Jackson:

The origin of a word often throws a new light on the way we use it. Take the word dwelling. If we are using it as a noun--if we are speaking of the dwelling as a house--we should really say, "dwelling place." The verb to dwell has a distinct meaning. At one time it meant to hesitate, to linger, to delay, as when we say, "He is dwelling too long on this insignificant matter." To dwell, like the verb to abide (from which we derive abode), simply means to pause, to stay put for a length of time; it implies that we will eventually move on. So the dwelling place should perhaps be seen as temporary. Our being in it is contingent on many external factors.

Comments

[maryjholliday.livejournal.com]

I didn't know you were a fellow Libra. :)

I like your JB Jackson quote. It made me think of Octavia Butler's cult in "Parable of the Talents." They believe that God is, quite literally, change--and that dwelling is an unfortunate state. It got me thinking about the repercussions of NOT thinking towards the future.

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

I love Libras, and being a Libra. It's not rational, but it's true.

The Octavia Butler insight I was thinking of the other day was that the human tendency to create hiercharchies might be an insurmountable flaw. It's all over her Xenogenesis series. (I had to go look at the book to remember the name of the series -- her books are wonderful, but the names just filter out of my brain like dust -- they're never evocative of the experience of the books for me.)

[maryjholliday.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I haven't read the Xenogenesis series. I think I agree about the names. When reading the Talents, I kept going over the portions that directly quoted the title, and never quite "got" how it worked with the rest of the novel. It definitely didn't have the strength of emotion that I felt with the main story line.

I'm partial to Libras, too.

two thoughts from hannah szenes

[slantedtruth.livejournal.com]

1) Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.
Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart.
Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor's sake.
Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.

2)
There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world even though they are not longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for human kind.

Re: two thoughts from hannah szenes

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Oh! Oh. You just brought tears to the inner edges of the flesh beneath my eyes. It didn't spill, but it welled up. Those are wonderful, and I needed them today. Thank you.