hearts ablaze

[chelidon]

My bibliomancy for my partner is again, today from my friend Angela Magara's Earth Psalms, and I opened it to Psalm 127:

Psalm 127

Except Goddess lay the hearth, no heat will fill the fire.
Except we bank the coals, no fire will last.
It is foolishness to struggle, work, and deny joy
'less your heart is ablaze.
Our children, to the tiniest baby, are sparks to the future.
Now rejoice at the abundance of heat
We hold amongst us.
We will flame through generations and across time.

Yes, we will. Yes, they do.

Last night, the household sat and watched Pleasantville, a movie I remembered greatly enjoying back when it came out in 1998. What I caught the second time around was the well-crafted and creative cinematography, the fine attention to detail, the delightful use of visual metaphor, avoiding coming across with relentless heavy-handed visual cliches, despite a device (a black and white world where color begins to appear) which could have come off as merely a gimmick, instead of the aid to good storytelling that it ultimately becomes. No, not the most subtle at times, and with its share of flaws (one glaring example, the Don Knotts character is totally unfleshed-out, not so much a character at all, rather a convenient, and crude, plot device) but ultimately, a very effective firm, I thought.

And watching it again, and the subtext of the inherent tension between "pleasant" and "passionate," of the critical importance of finding and pursuing those things for which you have true, deep passion, and of both the light and shadow-sides of inspiring passion in people, re-dedicated me to something I really, deeply believe in.

I will be a warrior for love, for passion, for full, deep engagement with the universe and all those in it. I will not be merely a visitor in the world, or a tourist passing through my own life. I wish to expand, to find my potential, to know my self and my strengths, and to face and grapple with my challenges with courage and unflinching self-honesty. I wish to be continually inspired to grow, and I wish to do whatever I can to help inspire others to grow into their own truths and their own selves, and to find and explore their own passions in life.

I will do my best to face that challenge, to be a warrior for love. With will, intent and desire, with presence, awareness and openness, with beauty balance and delight, I choose to love beyond all reason.

How 'bout you?

Comments

[anthologie.livejournal.com]

You're the only person I know who has said "warrior for love" out loud. I say it to myself in my head all the time, but don't reveal it because I worry other people will make light or make fun. I still follow it as best I can, though.