Thanks, Brendan! :- Doug.
On Fri, 2009-05-08 at 00:04 +0800, Brendan McKeague wrote: > beyond knowing, beyond words...this poem speaks to me of such a > space...cheers Brendan > > Learning to pray without words > by Fredrick Zydek > > You must turn away from the speech center > until the desire for language slips beyond > the weary orbits of vocabulary and definition > into that place where wordless desires and urges > become the parents of deeds. In that moment, > > a sacred place will seem to open and envelop > you like a room, but you will know it has been > there all the time. You will know without words > that you are suddenly doing more than just passing > through and that you have not so much entered > > anything as regained an awareness of a place more > comfortable than your favorite pair of old shoes. > If you doubt this, try to remember that a kind of > chatting goes on all the time between trees, rocks, > clouds and the great I Am. The oceans know > > when the moon pulls at them and the fishes too. > There is an understanding that goes on between > everything that is and what’s happening around them. > Call it discussion if you like. I think of it as prayer > that stuff that looks for the slightest chance or hope > > for knowing it is alive. It’s what we want whether > we make poems or just burrow beneath the sand. > The moss growing on the north side of trees knows > this. It doesn’t take words to lean into the wind > and know that something living has come your way. > > Fredrick Zydek lives in Omaha, Neb. > From: “The Mennonite” a periodical of the Mennonite Church USA. > > > At 11:49 PM 7/05/2009, you wrote: > > Christy-- > > > > Wow! You have left me saying Wow! > > > > What an evocative notion--the space is alive. Is this true? Can we > > make > > it so? Can we at least meet it so? > > > > There are excerpts of Alexander's 4th book here: > > http://books.google.com/books?id=6CIHB3_1tLMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=christopher+alexander+nature+of+order#PPA1,M1 > > > > > > I have found his writing evocative as well. His books are huge, and > > sell > > by the pound. Now I have to mortgage my house to get these books.... > > > > What do you suppose might be the recursive structures built up in > > open > > space? > > > > Harrison said that it takes a lifetime to explore open space, and > > here > > for me is a new main artery. > > > > Catherine, I like your image of a porous embrace. How do you see > > time > > fitting into this living space of recursive structures? Could you > > say a > > little more, please? > > > > Still pondering.... > > > > :- Doug. > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, 2009-05-05 at 23:09 -0700, Christy Lee-Engel wrote: > > > Hi dear Doug, > > > > > > Well, your question reminds me of hearing friends talk about > > architect > > > Christopher Alexander's work, in which he emphasizes that "space > > must > > > be considered an almost living entity a kind of stuff which, > > > depending on the recursive structures that are built up in it, > > becomes > > > progressively more and more alive." > > > > > > So that space can be more alive or less alive. > > > > > > I haven't read Alexander's 4-Volume "The Nature of Order" yet, and > > so > > > I don't know what "these fifteen properties" are - but this quote > > from > > > a book review makes me want to read it and find out!: > > > > > > "Systems in space which have these fifteen properties to a strong > > > degree will be alive, and the more these properties are present, > > the > > > more the systems which contain them will tend to be alive." > > > > > > > > > http://natureoforder.com/overview.htm > > > > > > > > > love & blessings, > > > > > > Christy > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 5/5/09, douglas germann <76066....@compuserve.com> wrote: > > > Hi space dancers: > > > > > > Recently someone pointed us to a poem about how open > > spaces > > > are > > > necessary for a fire. It has had me pondering. > > > > > > At first I said, Sure, she is speaking of oxygen. Fires > > need > > > oxygen. Now > > > I am not so sure that is what she meant, or at least what > > is > > > true. So I > > > am asking you my friends, what you have observed. > > > > > > Just how important is the physical space for opening > > space? I > > > am not > > > talking about amenities like chairs and windows and air, > > nor > > > about the > > > exact number of square meters needed per person (this is > > > cultural: some > > > cultures want to be close enough to feel each other's > > breath; > > > some want > > > more distance). In Open Space Online we have a > > metaphorical > > > space for > > > our chats; in face to face, we have that physical space. > > Is > > > that space > > > in the center of the circle a separate, unnoticed but > > > essential, element > > > in conversation? > > > > > > The flames need to lick upwards, the heat needs someplace > > to > > > go, the > > > light needs to escape. The betweens are necessary to give > > > birth to the > > > what and who is emerging from our collective. What is the > > role > > > of space? > > > > > > :- Doug. > > > > > > * * ========================================================== > > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To > > > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > > > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > > > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > > > > * > > * > > ========================================================== > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > > ------------------------------ > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > > > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > * * ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To > subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about > OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist