There are likely few persons who will have an inkling as to who the woman in the above photo is... do you? She is Tasha Tudor, the wonderful children's book illustrator, who, besides being an artist, also chose to live the tradition of an 1830's life... Eccentric, bizarre, crazed, and grandmother to the hippies? Why would anyone want to live an 1800's way of life?
A cabin in the woods, a wood stove, a large garden, a working barn, many animals, daily chores: and artistic, intellectual, and spiritual praxis besides... sort of a lay contemplative lifestyle... Are we getting somewhere now? Unraveling tradition leads to the understanding that it was in the Paleolithic, that humans began to be aware of themselves as separate from natural from natural process (David Hinton, Tao Te Ching)... Perhaps, as much as anything else, tradition is the conscious effort to recover the "lost" natural mind... For many, tradition equates with religion, politics, and economics (and so culture). Few look for the contemplative or the unitive, preferring to settle for the convenience of opinion... and a "tradition" that extends not much further than the ends of one's nose, or the lifespans of one's parents and grandparents... Conveniently, I suppose, this is considered conservative... when what we need is radical... But, from the perspective of the contemplative and the unitive, tradition is both revolutionary and evolutionary... Revolutionary in the sense of a fundamental rejection of the assumptions of contemporary society: greed as the basis for world economics: power as the justification for violence and oppression: sexism and racism as the key ingredients for social division: and religion as the sword of social control and domination... Evolutionary in the sense of a fundamental shift in perspective and consciousness: continuing along the current path is a social suicide. Tradition is the hidden wholeness that we intuitively seek. Tradition is the elemental realization that there can be no going forward without an integration of the values, the mystique, of a contemplative and unitive way of life... if you will, it is the everyday sacred that we are sorely missing... Go ahead and "Google" photos of Tasha Tudor: you might be both amazed and intrigued! Perhaps happiness (the most fundamental human desire) just might be possible -- by a not-so-subtle-shift in values... In other words, there is a spiritual ecology to a truly human culture and means of social organization... Organic doesn't just mean "without chemical additions", but rather the happiness of living well, sharing, and genuine community... If you are interested in exploring these ideas further, one place to start could be reading The Wisdom Jesus by Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault... Others sources would be The Hope by Andrew Harvey, The Rebirthing of God by John Philip Newell, and The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel... Of course, Fr. Richard Rohr OFM, Rev. Matthew Fox, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Arundhati Roy, Vandana Shiva, Alan Watts, Helen and Scott Nearing, Riane Eisler, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and adrienne maree brown are essential... A little treasure of a book is, Prayers of the Cosmos, by Neil Douglas-Klotz (meditations on the Aramaic words of Jesus)... Finally, read poetry! Mary Oliver, Diane di Prima, Gary Snyder, Robert Bly, Allen Ginsberg, Pablo Neruda, Rumi and Hafiz... Oh, and, of course, Ram Dass: Be Here Now and Be Love Now...
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AuthorRobert Daniel Smith was privileged to serve the homeless and marginalized for 30 years in California. He is living now almost within shouting distance of the Twin Cities. He is a poet, artist, writer, and long-time Companion of the Way still dreaming... Archives
May 2022
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