Brave New World

"Parzival's Quest is not one of perfection but rather to forming a right relationship to our imperfections." - Linda Sussman, from Speech of the Grail

Beginnings are out of our hands, poet John O'Donohue writes. They decide themselves, like our heartbeat and our breathing. It precedes us, creates us, and constantly takes us to new levels and places and people. There can be no growth unless we remain open and vulnerable to what is new and different. Martha Beck says, "everything is changing and that's ok" quite simply.

And the universe opens up to us concepts that seem to be coming from everywhere sometimes all at once. This is one I keep bumping into. In my books, in my 12 step meetings, online. Having the right relationship to my imperfections. All of my painting for years was about relationship. Carl Jung believed that spiritual growth was essentially tied to relationship. Joseph Campbell taught that where we stumble there will be our treasure.

The tale of the search for the Grail in Parzival and the amazing book by Sussman that I have studied over the winter, is a blueprint for the ages, particularly for we Westerners, whose task now in our age, is to discern what real truth is within ourselves. We cannot really rely on the church or the President for our truth. Our task, like the one we humans have been assigned from the beginning, is to grasp wisdom.

Here is to brave new beginnings.