Where is paradise for you?
“It is through the eyes of the soul that paradise is visioned. If there are flaws in your paradise, open more windows! Everything is begging to be discovered, not accidentally but intuitively. One’s destination is never a place but a new way of looking at things. There is no limit to vision, just as there are no limits to paradise.” ~ Henry Miller, Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymous Bosch
Much of my work and practice over the past ten years has been about expanding my views as to what is beautiful and seeing beauty (or paradise) right where I am.
According to Merriam-Webster, paradise is: 1. a very beautiful, pleasant, or peaceful place that seems to be perfect, 2. a place that is perfect for a particular activity or for a person who enjoys that activity, or 3. a state of complete happiness.
One aspect of seeing clearly is realizing that paradise is not somewhere else, it can be right here, a place or state where you experience pure bliss. But, it’s also important to see where we’ve “paved over paradise,” in the immortal words of Joni Mitchell (Big Yellow Taxi). As she says, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
According to Miller, there are no limits to vision or to paradise. Wherever you are and whatever you have to do, paradise is there waiting, no begging, to be discovered by you. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find a piece of paradise today.
Practice
When do you feel as if you’re in a state of paradise?
Where is paradise to you, in your home, your community, far away or in the great beyond?
Is there a paradise for you that is in danger of being gone?
An Announcement
At the beginning of this year, I committed to writing weekly about seeing clearly for the year 2021. And, I’ve so enjoyed doing so. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be winding down this project with some reflection on what I’ve learned. And, I hope you’ll take the time to reflect too.
Those of you who have supported this work financially as annual or monthly subscribers may receive renewal notices soon. So, I thought I’d better tell you about my plans moving forward.
Back in February, one of the Seeing Clearly posts was about seeing the place where you live in terms of a bioregion made up of ecosystems. There are so many ways we can see our places in new ways. Seeing your place clearly means listening to the voices of all of its inhabitants, not just the human ones - the water and rocks, the flora and fauna, and all manner of tiny living things. It’s also about seeing the interdependent and dynamic relationships within your place.
This will be the focus of my writing next year - Seeing your Place 2022.
I invite you to stay with me to listen to and see your place more clearly, to become more rooted in the place you call home. The newsletter will continue to come out weekly and will include a practice for you to do in your place.
For those of you who have supported my work financially this year, I am eternally grateful. If you’re an annual subscriber, you’ll get a notice to renew. Of course, you always have the option to switch to the free version or unsubscribe.
If you’re already subscribed for free or monthly and want to continue or try it out for a while, you don’t need to do anything. The free version gets everything except the ability to comment on posts. If you are a free subscriber and want to switch to paid you can do that as well. This is always appreciated.
If you feel this project would be useful to someone you know, feel free to share it with them. I always appreciate your reading and support.