People interested in top end intuitive spirituality of an aesthetic kind have often been drawn to the exploratory and equivocal signifiers of poets like Rumi (1207-1273) and Rilke (1875-1926).
It is encouraging to note, therefore, that a paperback edition of Don Paterson's 2005 translation of Rilke's 55 sonnets to Orpheus has recently been published. (Sonnets to Orpheus by Don Paterson; Faber and Faber; ISBN 0571222692; £8.99 from Amazon).
Originally written rapidly in a few days and published in 1923, Rilke described his Orpheus sonnets as "perhaps the most mysterious - in the way they arrived and entrusted themselves to me - the most enigmatic dictation I have ever received. The whole first part was taken down in a single breathless act of obedience, between the 2nd and 5th of February 1922, without one word being in doubt or having to be changed."
Writing in The New Statesman (London, UK), Don Paterson explains the difficulty he encountered with his new translation of Rilke: "Translating a complex, visionary poem leaves you with two choices. Either you translate something you don't understand in German into something you understand even less in English, or you make a single reading of it, knowing that this denies many others. In translating Rilke's Sonnets, I took the latter course, which is to say I made a travesty of sorts - as any single interpretation must be. The one thing a poet must avoid, however, is pretending that both the meaning and the music of the original poem can be carried into the new language. Because a poem works on the heretical principle that sound and sense are the same thing, a poem is locked for ever in its original form. The poem's effect, which is all there is of it, can no more be 'translated' than can a piece of music. Yet we are compelled to seek some new incarnation for foreign poems in our own language."
Don Paterson's 2005 translation has been widely applauded. Writing in The Guardian newspaper (London, UK), Mark Doty says: "Paterson gives the sonnets, perhaps for the first time in English, a true sense of an inhabited skin, a pulsing body responding to the life of the senses." And Doty quotes a 1920 letter of Rilke where the poet observes: "Ultimately there is only one poet, that infinite one who makes himself felt, here and there through the ages, in a mind that can surrender to him."
Other useful reviews of Paterson's Orpheus in the British press can be found here, and here.
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The libraries do not fool us
Reasonable request
Living text entity
You can pretend
More Norfolk koans
Index of blog contents
Spirituality websites worth watching
Showing posts with label Spirituality rather than religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spirituality rather than religion. Show all posts
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Man-machine
She is becoming seriously ill.
She is suffering
From an overdose of religion
And an underdose of spirituality.
The symptoms are manifest,
But a cure is available.
The symptoms are palpitations,
Sweating and nausea,
Rashes on the soul,
Marrow-deep boredom,
Dogma,
Exclusive truth-claims,
Out-of-date scriptures,
Phoney salvation theories,
Guilt
And dreadful tea
In plastic cups
Whose plastic tastes stronger
Than the tea within.
The cure is available,
But difficult.
She must close her mouth to priests.
She must drink less plastic.
She must get out more.
She must stay in less.
She must face the fresh air.
She must begin to breathe.
Church is a man-machine
Which suffocates.
For the sake of her health
She must leave church behind
And face the fresh air
Of freedom
Without fear.
She goes into the garden
And turns a cartwheel.
The playful process
Of becoming well
Begins.
She is suffering
From an overdose of religion
And an underdose of spirituality.
The symptoms are manifest,
But a cure is available.
The symptoms are palpitations,
Sweating and nausea,
Rashes on the soul,
Marrow-deep boredom,
Dogma,
Exclusive truth-claims,
Out-of-date scriptures,
Phoney salvation theories,
Guilt
And dreadful tea
In plastic cups
Whose plastic tastes stronger
Than the tea within.
The cure is available,
But difficult.
She must close her mouth to priests.
She must drink less plastic.
She must get out more.
She must stay in less.
She must face the fresh air.
She must begin to breathe.
Church is a man-machine
Which suffocates.
For the sake of her health
She must leave church behind
And face the fresh air
Of freedom
Without fear.
She goes into the garden
And turns a cartwheel.
The playful process
Of becoming well
Begins.
.....................................................
A promotional flyer
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Religion is a terrorist behaviour
Slippery questions
Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand!
More Norfolk koans
Index of blog contents
Spirituality websites worth watching
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Spirituality websites worth watching
Alcuin Bramerton profile ..... Index of blog contents ..... Home
Page update: 23.08.08
Benjamin Creme's main website. Benjamin is, perhaps, the most influential of the UK-based New Age spiritual teachers currently teaching openly in the West. His site contains up-to-date information about the Second Coming of Maitreya, the World Teacher (called "Christ" in church mythology), and about the spiritual connections between Maitreya and another important teacher, Sananda (known as "Jesus of Nazareth" in church stories). Alcuin's introduction to the Share International revelations can be found elsewhere on the blog here.
Here can be found some recent discourses by Sathya Sai Baba, the Cosmic Christ (not to be confused with Maitreya – the Planetary Christ, with whom he works closely). Sai Baba is based in India. Maitreya is based in London (UK). And Sananda (Jesus) is based just outside Rome (Italy).
One of the more recent books which Sananda ("Jesus of Nazareth" in an earlier incarnation) and his team have written is "A Course in Miracles" (1975). This is quite a demanding New Age Christian text. It is introduced here. And some of the most commonly asked questions about "A Course in Miracles" can be found here.
This is the organisation that publishes the books of Alice Bailey. Alice's writings on esoteric spirituality were an important conduit of new revelation in the first half of the twentieth century, during the Armageddon period (1914-1945). Extracts of various of her books can be found here. There is a very full section dealing with meditation, including a piece on the spiritual significance of meditating during the full moon, and a Moon Chart. And there is an informed consideration of a New Age symbol, and an explanation of the spiritual background of The Great Invocation.
This is a New Age Christian scripture and is, perhaps, fuller, less tampered with and, at certain important points, more accurate than the official biblical synoptic gospels. The full text can be read here.
The Christ - Supreme Head of the Spiritual Hierarchy
Some ideas by Aart Jurriaanse
The Christ - Supreme Head of the Spiritual Hierarchy
Some ideas by Aart Jurriaanse
An essay by Bette Stockbauer. Jesus of Nazareth reincarnated as Apollonius of Tyana in 16CE.
The full text of Bishop Charles Leadbeater's ground-breaking book written in 1915. For many Western readers, this was the first time that they had learned of the possibility of doing active spiritual work in a parallel universe/adjacent dimension called by Leadbeater "the astral plane."
An esoteric text from Atlantis. The writer is said to have built the Great Pyramid in Egypt.
Who’s Who in the History of Western Mysticism
Professor Bruce Janz's compilation
Professor Bruce Janz's compilation
Meditation techniques
Richard Ebbs' roundup of the different traditions
Vipassanã Fellowship
An online Buddhist meditation course from California with useful links.
Traditional Yoga Studies
Dr Georg Feuerstein's website. There is an online Quiz of Sanskrit words used in Yoga, useful essays on Tantra and Kundalini, and a discussion about Yoga, ecumenism and interfaith relations.
Mike Quinsey
Mike is a clear and accurate channel for many of the senior figures currently supporting spiritual evolution on Earth. These include St Germain and several of the Galactic Federation people from Sirius, Venus and Arcturus. There are unusual texts here.
FourWinds10.com
This is an encyclopaedic website organised by Anne and Patrick Bellringer. It contains a substantial and regularly updated database of alternative spiritual news, including material to do with the NESARA prosperity programs, holistic health, extraterrestrial teaching, and some important perspectives on the inner workings of the Dark Side.
ThothWeb
Informed and detailed consideration of UFOs, ETs, ghosts and spirits, sacred geometry, unexplained mysteries, positive magic, ancient civilisations, dreams, spirituality, conspiracies and the paranormal. Several useful discussion forums.
NEXUS magazine
NEXUS is an international bi-monthly alternative news magazine, covering the fields of Alternative health, Ancient mysteries, Environment and spirituality, Conspiracy, Religious revisionism and mysteries, Suppressed and future science, and UFOs and the unexplained. There are substantial free pdf downloads of informed texts on each of these topic areas. NEXUS magazine is not affiliated to any political, religious or spiritual organisations, and has been published since 1986.
The Quantum Future Group
Here may be found much well-informed comment on topics such as Jesus, the man and the myth, Ascension theory, DNA and the matrix, Dreams and disinformation, The American Problem, The fundamentalist polity of George Bush, Tony Blair's attitude on Iraq, The fluoridation of drinking water, Mass mind control, The True Identity of Fulcanelli and The Da Vinci Code, Quantum future metaphysics, Quantum fractals, Physics and the mysterious, The Bogdanov Affair, Critical Notes on Tom Bearden and Richard Hoagland, and a searchable Esoteric Glossary. There is much on this website which the spiritually docile would prefer not to know.
The Earth Rainbow Network
"One Planet, One People, One Peace" - Jean Hudon's website. Offers an active meditation focus for healing the planet, and presents regular compilations of alternative spiritual news items.
Wistancia's Light Pages
Because of her privileged extraterrestrial connection, Wistancia Stone has some useful explanatory pointers to understanding exospirituality (the spirituality of advanced off-planet extraterrestrials). Wistancia opens her site with an introductory, slow-moving, intuitive graphic sequence lasting three minutes. It involves colour-coordinated ET symbolism. This is best seen in full-screen view. For Alcuin's introduction to Wistancia Stone's work, see Extraterrestrial symbols of spiritual protection elsewhere in this blog.
Master Beinsa Douno
Teachings from the Bulgarian Spiritual Master Beinsa Douno (Peter Deunov) 1864-1944.
Transpersonal psychology - an introduction
Dr Michael Daniels' site. This is a new branch of psychology which is concerned with the study of those states and processes in which people experience a deeper or wider sense of who they are, or a sense of greater connectedness with others, nature, or the spiritual dimension.
The Association for Transpersonal Psychology
"Transpersonal Psychology combines insights from modern psychology with those drawn from traditional spiritual practices, both Eastern and Western." Another useful introduction to the field.
The Lucidity Institute
Information about lucid dreams, dream management, out-of-body experiences and spiritual work in other dimensions during sleep.
Near-death experiences and the afterlife
A well-researched site with many case histories, described in detail.
Frequently asked questions about Parapsychology
A compilation of introductory material on the website of the Parapsychological Association. This international professional body is an organisation of scientists and scholars engaged in the study of psychic experiences such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, psychic healing, and precognition.
The Woodfish Institute
Education for an ancient future. Dr Leslie Gray's shamanism website about the integration of ancient healing wisdom and modern medicine. Includes an instructive essay entitled Shamanism and ecopsychology. Alcuin's introduction to Dr Gray's work can be found elsewhere on this blog here.
TASTE
The archive of scientists' transcendental experiences. Charles Tart's website. TASTE is an online journal devoted to transcendent experiences which scientists have reported. It lets scientists express these experiences in a psychologically and professionally safe space. Submissions are granted anonymity unless their authors choose otherwise. It is possible for readers of the website submissions to contact the authors through a secure email link at the bottom of each submission page.
Esoteric Philosophy links
A useful compilation by Todd Lorentz
Unmuseum
The Museum of Unnatural Mystery. A well-written and researched encyclopaedia of esoterica. Only for the curious and the open-minded.
Lectures by Laurence Gardner on the Holy Grail
And related legends, including Bloodline of the Holy Grail - The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed, Genesis of the Grail Kings - The Explosive Story of the Ancient Bloodline, Realm of the Ring Lords - The Ancient Legacy of the Ring and the Grail and Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark - Amazing Revelations of the Phenomenal Power of Gold.
Reincarnation in Christian history
A useful hyperlinked essay.
Sea of Faith Network UK
Sea of Faith's mission is to explore and promote religious faith as a human creation. No truths in the world arrive untouched by human hand. Truths are made within human culture and language. Ideas, beliefs, faiths: we made them all up - not, of course, as isolated individuals or lone craftsmen, but as communities, groups, collectives, cultures. There are some capable essays on this site by people such as Don Cupitt, Anne Ashworth, Priscilla Morton, Jude Bullock and Nicholas Smith.
Metareligion
Cassiel Sophia's website, promoting a multidisciplinary view of religious, spiritual and esoteric phenomena. Over three thousand pages of research. Encyclopaedic, eclectic, free-thinking.
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
A website promoting an even-handed, warts-and-all approach to toleration from a human rights perspective. Enormous range of faiths considered. An effective anti-fundamentalist resource.
Nick Pope's UFO links page
Now a freelance, Nick Pope used to run the British Government's UFO project at the UK Ministry of Defence in London.
A-Z of alien species active in
Earth's evolution
An introduction to the local positive and negative extraterrestrial population. Includes, among others, Arcturians, Aghartians, Ashtar command, Cetians, Greys, Lyrans, Martians, MIBs, Mothmen, Orions, Pleiadeans, Procyonians, Sirians, Telosians, Vegans, Venusians and Zeta Reticuli.
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