🖼️ Socrates' Defense, Starry Nights, and Shakespeare's Poetic Wisdom
The Wisdom of Art (Vol. 10)
Greetings Readers!
Here is the next volume of our series — The Wisdom of Art. This series invites us to pause from our busy lives to explore the wisdom of art and poetry.
***There’s still time to register for Happiness & the Meaning of Life, which started this week. The course is free for Perennial Meditations members and includes email meditations (every Tuesday and Saturday) along with an end-of-course meetup on Saturday (14 Oct at Noon EST).
Here is a painting, a poem, and a bit of prose…
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1. The Starry Night (Painting)
Starry Night is one of the most recognized art pieces in the world. Van Gogh's night sky is a field of roiling energy. Below the exploding stars, the village is a place of quiet order. The flamelike cypress connects earth and sky, traditionally associated with graveyards and mourning.
“If you hear a voice within you, say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means, paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
— Vincent van Gogh
Contemplation Exercise:
Consider taking some uninterrupted time to observe the painting.
Notice what arises…
What makes this painting a timeless piece…
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