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Reflections on a New Year
New Year 2026, paper collage Strange as it sounds, steady, patient growth in freedom is probably the most difficult task of all, requiring the greatest courage. Thus if the term “hero” is used in this discussion at all, it must refer not to the special acts of outstanding persons, but to the heroic element potentially…
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Birds of Winter: From the Feeder
Eastern Bluebird (male) The area around the Christmas tree feeder has become a very active gathering spot for my backyard birds; so, I decided to place another small tray feeder in the vicinity to accomodate everyone. Like I needed another bird feeder… At the moment, I am enjoying photographing birds in that part of my…
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Merry Christmas
Christmas 2025 Every Christmas for the past four years, I have made a holiday-themed collage. As I haven’t been attending to my collage practice lately, I had not planned to create one this year. But, this morning, I thought, why not? It’s Christmas, and this is a tradition I enjoy keeping. I love the glamor…
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Birds of Winter
House Finch (male) I am about to embark on a day of cookie-baking. But, before I do, I thought I would share some bird photos, including more shenanigans at the Christmas tree feeder. As the birds grow accustomed to that feeder (I only put it outside last Saturday afternoon), it is attracting a greater number…
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O Christmas Tree
Carolina Chickadee I decided to do some Christmas-themed activites with my bird feeders this year. First, I made a feeder out of a natural wood Christmas tree (I didn’t make the wood frame–I bought that. I did, however, convert it into a bird feeder). I also bought them a little Christmas bell made of nuts,…
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Mystery: The Fourth Principle
A ritual is a discipline for uniting your mind with what you are doing, and what you are doing is mysterious. – Joseph Campbell When you are completely absorbed or caught up in something, you become oblivious to things around you, or to the passage of time. It is this absorption in what you are…
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Creativity: The Third Principle
Now creating, actualizing one’s possibilities, always involves negative as well as positive aspects. It always involves destroying the status quo, destroying old patterns within oneself, progressively destroying what one has clung to from childhood on, and creating new and original forms and ways of living. If one does not do this, one is refusing to…
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Sensitivity: The Second Principle
In yesterday’s post, I introduced an idea called “The Four Principles,” or four principles for living. They are: alignment, sensitivity, creativity, and mystery. It occurs to me that, instead of four principles for living, it might be better to think of them as four principles for human-centered living (as opposed to, say, machine-centered). I like…
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Alignment: The First Principle
My meditation this morning was rather fruitful. Although, what I am calling a “meditation” was more like me sitting in my living room, sipping coffee, and watching the lights glitter on the Christmas tree before the sun came up. The first idea that came to mind was that of alignment. Alignment is a concept I…
The Used Life 