An aesthetics of one’s own

The small things in everyday life are no less sacred than the great issues of human existence. Fifth post on CARE OF THE SOUL: I am a maker. I have been a maker for as long as I can remember. Making (in the form of writing, drawing, painting, knitting, cooking, gardening, blogging …) still gives…

Going deeper

FOURTH POST ON THOMAS MOORE’S CARE OF THE SOUL: Jung equates the unconscious with the soul, and so when we try to live fully consciously in an intellectually predictable world, protected from all mysteries and comfortable with conformity, we lose our everyday opportunities for the soulful life. The intellect wants to know; the soul likes…

Narcissus at work

THIRD POST ON THOMAS MOORE’S CARE OF THE SOUL: The myth of Narcissus is usual evoked when philosophers study the individual’s relation to its own self. In the following Moore paints a bigger picture: SOUL This is one of the deeper implications of the Narcissus myth: the flowering of life depends upon finding a reflection…

True family

Second post on Thomas Moore’s  Care of the Soul: The sentimental image of family that we present publicly is a defense against the pain of proclaiming the family for what it is—a sometimes comforting, sometimes devastating house of life and memory. (Care of the Soul: 26) Just a few months ago my uncle, age 70,…

A family is a microcosm

For me, and I guess for many of you, Christmas is all about family. It might be the only time of year we all gather. Or the time of the year one becomes most aware of not having a family, or not wanting to be a part of one’s family.  It is a time of…