In this season of giving, I received a gift from poet, Molly Frederick. A Rich Life She loves the things she loves, and nothing and no one can stop her. Sometimes it’s a single pear ripening on a pale green plate. Or two smooth sticks, long and knobby, reminding her of the legs on…
Category: Creativity
Sound and …. Quiet
There has been a lot of noise in the last couple of weeks here in America. Some voices have been shouting with anger and violence while some have been shouting with joy and caring. When Molly Frederick sent me a poem she had written, I welcomed the peaceful sounds of quiet. Here is that poem:…
A Poem for Today
Meditation by Molly Frederick With open hands, I wait. For no enlightenment. Prolonged each moment, then the next. And the next. No one told me it would take so long. Until it comes to me, That this is just a kind of reaching — Like a daffodil tilting toward a slow silent sweep of sunlight…
Dorothy Walters, Mystic and Poet
by Celia Coates Dorothy Walters, Mystic and Poet Word came this week of the death of Dorothy Walters. She was born on March 17, 1928 and became a professor of English literature who also helped to found one of the earliest women’s studies programs while at Wichita State University in Kansas. In 1981 her life,…
A Life of Creativity, Curiosity, and Love
by Celia Coates Marilyn Hughey Phillis (1927 – 2022) had a long and wonderful life filled with creativity, curiosity, and love. She studied bacteriology and chemistry at Ohio State University and after graduating in 1949, worked as an analytic chemist on national defense projects. But her great work was as an artist. She won national…
About Wonder
By Celia Coates What a very busy season this has been – I haven’t had enough time to write a full-length post. Instead, I am going to present an idea that set me thinking, one that might interest you too. It’s from a fine commentary by Michael Chabon on a story by Jorge Luis Borges,…
What Do You Treasure?
By Celia Coates Katherine Rundell has written a short article about real treasure. I can only include a few quotes here, but her essay is so lyrical and to-the-point that it would be good to read all of it – if you can – in the magazine NEW SCIENTIST. (“Another Sort of Gold”, 22 October…
The Art of Seeing
by Celia Coates LOOKING BACK LIFE WAS BEAUTIFUL is a book by a pair of Korean grandparents who painted charming pictures (Grandpa Chan) and wrote accompanying descriptions (Grandma Marina) to stay in touch with their grandchildren when they lived far away. What they created together began as a simple posting on Instagram and then was…
Wisdom From Fractals
by Celia Coates Last week Brenda Molloy sent an email that I wanted to open immediately. Brenda is an artist who works with fractals to create stunningly beautiful images. (You can find her two earlier posts by clicking on “By Author” at the top of the Home Page.) In the email she wrote, “This week…
Dreams and Messages
By Ellen Carroll I have learned that everything is connected and I am at peace with not knowing how everything will tie together because life has taught me that at the right time, it will be revealed. Many years ago, my good friend Elaine died from cancer. The night of her passing, she came to…
Suiseki, Or Japanese Viewing Stones
By BJ Ledyard I fell in love with Suiseki at the Huntington Library, Gardens, and Museum. After Christmas every year the local Viewing Stone Group, Aiseki Kai, had a show in the Entrance Pavilion. The Huntington is our local venue for family visiting Los Angeles, but I visited even in the years we had no…
Reflections on Beauty and Creativity
By Brian Luke Seaward The best time of year to see the northern lights above the arctic circle is during the weeks around the Spring and Fall equinoxes. I was once told that the phenomenon has something to do with the position of the Earth’s axis and the geomagnetic storms of electrons coming from the…