Vincent” is a song byDon McLean writtenas a tribute toVincentvan Gogh. It is also known by its opening line, “Starry Starry Night“, a reference to Van Gogh’s 1889 painting
TheStarry Night.
McLean wrotethe lyrics in 1971 after reading a book about the life of van Gogh.
Strikingly poignant.
It touches me every time I hear this song.
Brilliantly picturised on Vincent’s artworks.
The song by Don McLean is poignant yet peaceful in itself.
The mood mellow and sombre.
The truth is stark of reality.
Listen to this evening song
Literally speaks to the depth of our souls
Million thoughts runneth over
Amid the arresting hues of blues.
Until sleep beckons curtains are drawn.
Life poses the questions.
And life seeks the answers.
Poignant is the wisdom that arises in the challenges.
“A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”
Can you waltz on ice?
When winters turn grim and cold
Can you create joy and cheer?
Even in moments of melancholy.
Can you see a silver lining of hope?
In the dark dreary night to help you cope
Can you see beauty in every dusk and dawn?
Letting go of fear & doubts in the twilight hours.
Can you instill trust in another & move in faith?
Inspite of not knowing the way as yet.
Can you believe you can lead the way?
Inspite of being in a maze in the now.
Verily you are stable in balance
And you have taken your stance.
Clearly then you are dancing in this moment.
Clearly you are waltzing on ice.
There is much wisdom in integration, in finding meaning in the divergences.
What a poet relates to the truth in humanity.
What a scientist relates with theories of relativity
Are all drawn from the same well,
Of cosmic vibrations,
Of conscious awareness,
Of the eternal truths of life.
Where wisdom flows
There is Universal consciousness
Savvy
Here is a beautiful conversation I came across between the great minds, of Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore…..when the two met and spoke at length.
Do take time to read this interesting dialogue between them in this article link below.
“Our First Dance– Thank you Savvy…This holds a special place in my heart 🙂 Sharon
This message and photo popped up on my Fb wall. Although it’s back in time. The memory of sharing my dancing skills with these two wonderful people is still very fresh.
Teaching dance is a beautiful profession and the rewards and blessings go way beyond…
I heartfully cherish all these dancing moments!
Thank you Sharon & Fennex for sharing this beautiful moment!
Our cellular awareness is trained to transmit messages through feelings that convey where words fail. It is embedded within our conscious awareness to guide us from inside out. Many of our beliefs in trust, faith and hope are powered in and from this core of our consciousness.
In this understanding is the reason for the purpose of why we do what we do, why we feel the way we feel, have an instinctual sensation of the direction of where a path leads to. In the confluence of creativity in connection & compassion, there is confidence emanating through our deeds.
When we lead from here, many of our so-called equations held through by analysis often fail to make much sense.
When we follow in faith we move in synchrony with ourselves as we are not just in a flow, we are the flow.
It is amazing how creativity is enhanced by leaps and bounds in the age of the internet . Especially with an app ready for every possibility.
Before the internet, drawing was a skill that was an innate gift or had to be honed by years of practical training. Back then artistry was challenging and time-consuming and most of all needed patience and dedication.
Having developed a bit of interest in artistic pursuits I remember enrolling in courses to learn the art of embossing and decorating pots, learning the intricate art of henna on the hand as well as joining a fabric designing course at a very famous and leading fashion institute of those times which I truly enjoyed and excelled in. And I remember using the understanding to create and sell my artworks and being rewarded not only monetarily but also emotionally through the contentment of creativity becoming tangible. The course of learning and experiencing it all was truly very fascinating indeed.
Today I draw a parallel on how one has to know how at the touch of a phone, the apps take you through the course at the speed you want, you can erase the art you create and redo at will, as often as you fancy. And most of all your drawings get texture, special effects and animation and you can even create a live 3d model for you to touch and sense!
Technology can charm the living daylights of you indeed!
Yet there are certain senses that are not touched upon…
The feel of holding a brush of colour, it flowing on the paper, and at times may be in error and you working around it creatively.
The sense of proportion in actually mixing medium and paints and getting the right shade.
The touch of canvas or other mediums and the way it feels after the painting.
The simple satisfaction of being able to feel connected to your artwork right through it all. It creates an intimate relationship between the art and the artist.
To be fair Art today has evolved along the way, there is computer precision and ease of use through applications that take artmaking to infinite possibilities.
The potential of an artist can increase leaps and bounds and endless pieces and options of colour choices can be churned out at the touch of a few keys. Everything is customisable giving the advantage to both the artist as much as the customer.
The scope and reach of creativity through Art is definitely increasing and that is a development worth noting. Everyone can create amazing art now unlike before. And that is quite an interesting phenomenon. Knowledge is openly accessible for the user.
In spite of the amazing advantages of technology, human emotional and creative connect is yet a challenge.
But nevertheless, I have chanced upon apps that give a great sense & feel of creating art.
Have written and dedicated a couple of posts earlier on the topic of Giving.
But here is my dear mother’s philosophical perspectives where she focuses on the the spiritual mindset in giving.
Dhaanam
There is a saying in Tamil.” What ur right hand gives, the left hand should not know”. True. While giving, unknowingly a little superiority, seeps in. To counter our ego secrecy n humility is needed. Giving is called Dhaanam .
There are various types of giving. It can be of anything. Money used unwanted items like clothes or other durables, food items, even sharing your knowledge is a form of giving.
Rules of Dhaanam
Giving new unused things of good quality is the best Dhaanam. This is followed in ritualistic or religious dhaanam.
Always give with humility. Never show attitude.
Give to worthy persons. Donate to needy ones. Giving shoes to a legless person is useless . It will hurt the person reminding his disability. There is a saying ‘pathiram arindhu pichai idu. ‘
While donating unwanted used items see that it can be useful for at least six months or further. Never give throw away things.
Give happily, with a full heart. Anything given with a prayer in mind and lots of goodwill at heart will bring prosperity and happiness to both the giver and receiver.
Another important aspect of giving is never to boast or keep on reminding them. Once given it ceases to be yours… The recipient has all the freedom to use it the way they want. Do not expect a life long gratitude.
Taittriya Upanishad says
Give with faith
Give with sensitivity
Give with abundance
Give with understanding
In Bhagavat Gita, Shri Krishna talks about 3 types of Dhaanam
namely Satvic, Rajasic and Tamasic.
Satvic is the one which is given to worthy persons with full humility and without expecting returns in any form.
Rajasic is the one which is given to show supremacy or expecting some favour in return.
Tamasic is the one where one gives with attitude, without respect to place n time to undeserving persons.
Vedas describes dhaanam of 4 categories.
1. Nitya dhaanam which is given daily as part of our routine without expectation.
2 Nymithika dhaanam is giving with the intention to wash away our sins.
3 Kamya dhaanam is giving with a desire to achieve some special favours.
4. Vimala dhaanam is giving with humility, devotion and without expectation of any returns.
The best dhanams are
Anna dhaanam -. Feeding the poor( It satisfies)
Vidya dhaanam Sharing ur knowledge and skill. (It increases)
Kanya dhaanam – giving a daughter in marriage. (I think it’s about letting go of a child be it a son or daughter into their next phase of life)
Raktha dhaanam and organ dhanam-. Saving one’ s life.
Keep giving.
Give wholeheartedly.
Give with a smile.
Anjana
I would simply also like to add that
True giving is when you don’t feel the weight of parting in the giving.
You never know how many lives you are unknowingly touching.
Beyond words… are the realms of the heart!
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