Hi, Amy. Your writing reminded me of this quote I had found and written down some time ago:
“Perhaps my Indian nature is the moaning wind which stirs them [school teachers] now for their present record. But, however tempestuous this is within me, it comes out as the low voice of a curiously colored seashell, which is only for those ears that are bent with compassion to hear it.”
- from Zitkála Sá’s autobiography
Zitkála Sá was an early 20th-century Native American activist, author, and musician. Otherwise, I know little about her.
I also had the the thought that the flower/necklace placed at the throat called up images of the voice as with the little mermaid of Hans Christian Anderson, and the loss of that voice for her in her human form.
Apart from that, the world seems replete with stories of men falling in love with magical female beings and finding ways to trick them or keep them from being their true selves. No matter what love may exist between the two characters, such narratives strike me as troubling but perhaps reflective of our human nature.
Beautiful, mysterious imagery as always, Amy, and very thought provoking. Thank you!
Thank you so much! This is such a beautiful quote, "ears that are bent with compassion to hear it". That line really moves me. The flower necklace as a connection with the voice feels prominent, and the connection with The Little Mermaid, too. I wonder what stories she is being kept from telling. Or perhaps which stories she is protecting.
In fact, this image arrived in connection with an ancestor of mine whose photograph we have, but whose name and story remain a mystery.
Thank you for opening, as always, new and enriched ways of exploring the image and writing!
I think we've shared this idea of genetic memory (ancestral guidance!). To think of all the lives that preceded and led to our own is incredible, and the mystery of it all is ultimately not to be solved in this life ...
... but to have a piece of that--an image of an unidentified ancestor--is all the more mysterious for the little tangible evidence available. Maybe you or a relative will do a little digging and find some answers?
On a seperate note--I think you'll find this interesting--I dreamed of a snake recently, a large hooded cobra (head roughly the size of film poster). It was raising its head up amongst a group of people--I was terrified--but a child about 7-8 years old had somehow lassooed it and brought it under his control (the snake seemed to shrink in size as he did so). And I was still terrified ... but amazed too.
Interesting, isn't it? I hadn't dreamed of anything like that in years. Your work surely had a part in drawing it out of me. All the best, Amy!
Wow, yes indeed, what an interesting and charged dream! I am fascinated by the young child who seemingly had a strong and confident relationship with the snake!
> I am curious about longing and what it means to live in longing without, necessarily, finding a final form.
Seek, and you shall find? I don't know if that's the thing, but we are confused about life in general -- how to live it, what's the point, etc. Maybe what we long for is the answers. Not in the form of someone's opinion, but seeing it for ourselves. The final clarity -- is this what we are longing for?
Hi, Amy. Your writing reminded me of this quote I had found and written down some time ago:
“Perhaps my Indian nature is the moaning wind which stirs them [school teachers] now for their present record. But, however tempestuous this is within me, it comes out as the low voice of a curiously colored seashell, which is only for those ears that are bent with compassion to hear it.”
- from Zitkála Sá’s autobiography
Zitkála Sá was an early 20th-century Native American activist, author, and musician. Otherwise, I know little about her.
I also had the the thought that the flower/necklace placed at the throat called up images of the voice as with the little mermaid of Hans Christian Anderson, and the loss of that voice for her in her human form.
Apart from that, the world seems replete with stories of men falling in love with magical female beings and finding ways to trick them or keep them from being their true selves. No matter what love may exist between the two characters, such narratives strike me as troubling but perhaps reflective of our human nature.
Beautiful, mysterious imagery as always, Amy, and very thought provoking. Thank you!
Thank you so much! This is such a beautiful quote, "ears that are bent with compassion to hear it". That line really moves me. The flower necklace as a connection with the voice feels prominent, and the connection with The Little Mermaid, too. I wonder what stories she is being kept from telling. Or perhaps which stories she is protecting.
In fact, this image arrived in connection with an ancestor of mine whose photograph we have, but whose name and story remain a mystery.
Thank you for opening, as always, new and enriched ways of exploring the image and writing!
I think we've shared this idea of genetic memory (ancestral guidance!). To think of all the lives that preceded and led to our own is incredible, and the mystery of it all is ultimately not to be solved in this life ...
... but to have a piece of that--an image of an unidentified ancestor--is all the more mysterious for the little tangible evidence available. Maybe you or a relative will do a little digging and find some answers?
On a seperate note--I think you'll find this interesting--I dreamed of a snake recently, a large hooded cobra (head roughly the size of film poster). It was raising its head up amongst a group of people--I was terrified--but a child about 7-8 years old had somehow lassooed it and brought it under his control (the snake seemed to shrink in size as he did so). And I was still terrified ... but amazed too.
Interesting, isn't it? I hadn't dreamed of anything like that in years. Your work surely had a part in drawing it out of me. All the best, Amy!
Wow, yes indeed, what an interesting and charged dream! I am fascinated by the young child who seemingly had a strong and confident relationship with the snake!
The interpretations that I can find seem to be generally positive, so I'm going with that! :^D
No, no feeling is final.
> I am curious about longing and what it means to live in longing without, necessarily, finding a final form.
Seek, and you shall find? I don't know if that's the thing, but we are confused about life in general -- how to live it, what's the point, etc. Maybe what we long for is the answers. Not in the form of someone's opinion, but seeing it for ourselves. The final clarity -- is this what we are longing for?
Beautifully touching. Inner and outer world of longing.i feel my lost skin that of a leopard .
I love that image you and the leopard skin! It would make a beautiful painting!
So beautiful and tender . I love the gentle sweet smile of the selkie in your drawing. Thank you xxx