Each Dazzling Moment

A Whiff of the Zeitgeist

Baby Hedgehog by Riude.
Image found on Flickr and used under a Creative Commons licence.

Is there anything cuter than a baby hedgehog???  I didn't think so! 

I'm suddenly in love with hedgehogs.  And sheep.  Is there something in the water?  I wonder because I'm not the only one.  I've seen this happen before.  A spooky little wind sweeps through our collective unconscious....suddenly we all can't get enough bird imagery in our art work....or maybe before that it was frogs...or owls....even fairies or angels or elves.   Suddenly they are everywhere we look.  Do you wonder what's going on?  Do you notice this phenomenon?

I always think of this word:

Zeitgeist [(tseyt-geyst, zeyt-geyst)]  The general moral, intellectual, and cultural climate of an era; Zeitgeist is German for “time-spirit.” For example, the Zeitgeist of England in the Victorian period included a belief in industrial progress, and the Zeitgeist of the 1980s in the United States was a belief in the power of money and the many ways in which to spend it.    The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition

Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company

Zeitgeist  1848, from Ger. Zeitgeist, lit. "spirit of the age," from Zeit "time" (see tide) + Geist "spirit" (see ghost).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

...Time and tides...spirits and ghosts... is there a collective unconscious?

From Wikipedia:  Collective Unconscious, sometimes known as Collective Subconscious, is a term of analytical psychology, coined by Carl Jung. ...Jung distinguished the collective unconscious from the personal subconscious particular to each human being. The collective unconscious is also known as "a reservoir of the experiences of our species."

I'm fascinated by this idea. I seem to see evidence of it time and time again.  I'm using the examples of little animals or other creatures that capture our imagination and charm their way into our arts and crafts, but I think there are also great examples at work in our social and political thought as well.   

What has the wind of the zeitgeist been blowing in your direction lately?  Anyone else completely besotted by hedgehogs??  :) 

Drop me a line and let me know!

You Are Worth the Time

A fellow student in my online art workshop posted a video called "You Are Worth the Time" on her page. I watched it twice....it was that captivating and full of gorgeous images and thought-provoking prose.

This beautiful video has been produced by Jan Phillips and can be viewed on YouTube here.  You can also order it on www.janphillips.com. 

Jan Phillips is a Visionary Thought Leader and the author of many award-winning books, including The Art of Original Thinking, which sounds fascinating and has just been added to my wish-list. 

I wanted to share just a short passage from the inspiring and poetic narration of her video (linked above).

"There are a lot of things we don't have in life, but time is not one of them.
Time is all we have...one lifetime, under this name, to produce a body of work that says, 'This is how I saw the world.' Your work is worthy of whatever time it takes." 

Please take a few moments to watch the video.  It is beautifully done and worthy of your time.  :) 

Why not also take a few minutes today to spoil your artistic muse rotten?  You're worth it!

I hope you're having a great week!  Thanks for stopping by. 

4 am wisdom

"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be." —Pantanjali

I'm starting to have big dreams. I waiver between believing in them and believing that I'm delusional. ;)

I believe we all should have BIG dreams.  It sounds like such a worn-out cliche, but everything begins with a dream....so - if big things are to be accomplished...are to be part of the fulfillment of your purpose in life...are to be your gift to the world....then big things must be dreamt. 

What is your "extraordinary project"?

Sharing your big dreams makes them stronger...so try to push beyond any fear that keeps you silent.  Sometimes it 'takes a village', so to speak, to nurture a dream along.  Feel free to share your big dreams here.