The Page of Pentacles is one of my very favourite cards because it's about being connected to the earth and having a thirst for knowledge.
Yesterday I had the wonderful experience of meeting two of my relatives ( cousins) I had never met before. One was in his 60s, a music teacher, and the other was just 20 years old, working as a barrista, and is attending University, studying political science.
They had come all the way from the West coast of Canada. We had some great conversation, lots of laughter, and of course it got me thinking about my family and why I am so grateful for them. My family's values reflect a connection with the earth, loving nature, and all that it has to offer, the thirst for knowledge and learning about the arts and the world.
When I went to art college back in the 70s, I had the wonderful painting teacher, Dana Loomis, who imparted to me, a great foundation for learning, about art and the world, when he gave our class a required reading, Zen and The Art of Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. It was a book about values, classical and romantic thought, rational and irrational thought and how it is essential to have a balance between the two. It is also about how we can't have one without the other for comprehending our values. This book influenced me greatly throughout my life, and continues to do so.
“We have artists with no scientific knowledge and scientists with no
artistic knowledge and both with no spiritual sense of gravity at all,
and the result is not just bad, it is ghastly.”
― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
 |
| Artist: Dana Loomis Title: Attributes of Art Year: 1984 Medium: Oil on Canvas, Size: 40 in. x 46 in. (101.6 cm x 116.84 cm) |
 |
| Oil on canvas, "Summer Chance" 1977., 32" x 24" |
3 comments:
I think it is wonderful you've had the experience of being taught by such an inspirational teacher. The most influential teacher I had, was a my teacher Dutch. He awakened my love for reading,art and poetry and I will never forget it.
Yes Ellen, I am so very grateful for a number of teachers that have taught me about life and learning.
Teaching is such a vital, and wonderful vocation. I just wish the public educational system would catch up, and shift the paradigm to creativity, instead of serving the status qou and serving the economy in a monetary way only as this focus is not what learning should be about.
Imparting a love of the creative arts is truly life changing, especially for children.
Believe it or not I actually had a "teacher" in grade nine that announced to the class on the first day !of school, she was suppose to teach grammar and English literature. She emphatically stated, "Well I hate literature!" Needless to say, we didn't have any direction, other than we read books, and did book reports. Some people should never be allowed to be teachers.
I thank goodness I knew what she said was very wrong, and I had a close friend that was steeped in reading and loving literature and she imparted that to me. I had problems concentrating but I pushed through regardless, and am so grateful I did, in spite of the dud "teachers"!
I wish we could separate the wheat from the chaff before people where allowed to teach.
I've been a teacher too and I had some horrific collegues
Post a Comment