Matador, Myth, Moon

The late great teacher of mythology Joseph Campbell had a gift for storytelling and presenting exotic concepts in concise terms.

Campbell observed that modern Western mythology, which is a dead end with a closed canon, has been transformed into a matter of ethics instead of mysticism.

Art and myth are allies in understanding ourselves. Where does your art come from? Do you hear it, feel it, or is it contrived and intellectualized? This is not a comparison. It’s an exercise in awareness.

Campbell also said that “myths are public dreams, and that dreams are private myths.”

As Campbell might have put it: Do you have ideas or visions?

Know your private myth, which is the source of original work.

Aldo Liberated

Here’s something I had to see to believe.

I’ve written about Sweetie Boy’s passing in the previous post. I knew I’d miss him, but didn’t realize how much.

Those reading my blog posts may be aware that I also have a rescued parakeet, Aldo. You can read more about this remarkable bird by typing ‘Aldo’ in the search field on the right and down below.

Sweetie Boy and Aldo have been next to each for the past year in their separate cages. They would often chirp back and forth, and it seemed that they might be speaking with one another.

I had some success in hand training Aldo who would perch on my finger for his treat inside his cage. But, he wouldn’t come out of his cage, despite any enticements. He felt quite content and safe inside his aviary-like birdcage.

The next day in the evening after Sweetie Boy had died, Aldo came to one of the cage doors and began chirping. I opened the door, and to my amazement, he hopped out, went over to Sweetie Boy’s cage, looked here and there, and began making mournful peeps, as if trying to call him out.

It was clear that Aldo was aware that Sweetie Boy was no longer present. I was humbled by Aldo’s compassionate behavior.

I sat on the floor with Aldo’s millet treat. He looked down and flew onto my hand for a nibble. So, there we were—Aldo no longer cage bound and both of us missing Sweetie Boy.

P.S. The doggie in the picture is Larry, my beloved Yorkie who is missed each day.

Sweetie Boy (1997-2011)

When faced with mortality, ours or our beloved friends, or pets, our philosophy of living is put to the test. Anyone can have a cavalier attitude when it comes to being non-attached when death happens to those we don’t know or love.

Up until a month ago, he appeared happy, and healthy, Then, he suffered some sort of seizure where his right foot went limp, meaning he couldn’t stand on his perch. I held him on my lap and soothed him with gentle tones for about twenty minutes until his breathing returned to normal and his claw could again firmly grip my finger. All seemed well for several weeks after this episode. Last week, he had two more seizures. I did the same with him, and he seemed to come out of it.

Today, I brought him to a highly recommended avian vet in Santa Fe to see what’s going on. The vet cradled Sweetie Boy in a towel; and then the brave yet scared birdie begin wheezing, unable to breath. The vet rushed out with Sweetie Boy to get him oxygen. After some time, the vet returned with the news; Sweetie Boy had died. He apologized, but it wasn’t his fault, and he couldn’t completely determine what had caused Sweetie Boy to die. It might have been a vitamin deficiency, an infection of some sort—although I tried to give him a balanced diet. An all seed diet is bad for birds. The vet said that Sweetie Boy was very ill, although he didn’t look sick at first glance. And birds are very good at concealing any health issues until it’s too late.

I left the animal hospital with Sweetie Boy’s limp body. There were tears for Sweetie Boy who was a smart loving creature. I, too, felt limp.

A few minutes ago, I laid Sweetie Boy to rest in a small patch of earth behind my cabin. As I covered his small feathered body with dirt, I thought of what the Buddha had observed thousands of years ago: “All things must pass away. Strive for your own salvation with diligence.”

There is a price for attachment that one must pay, one way or another.

Tan Girl (detail)

Some years ago when my dear mother, Adele, would visit me in Los Angeles, we would often trek down from my house in the Hollywood Hills to the Starbucks opposite the Beverly Center on La Cienega Boulevard.

This Starbucks was one of their flagship stores with lots of open space, huge windows, and live music in the early afternoon. We would spend quality time there, as she had her tea or decaf, and I a cappuccino. I always brought my color pencils and museum quality art papers.

On this occasion, we were sitting at a table near one of the windows that overlooked a small plaza with outside tables. I began drawing, and my mother took in her favorite sport: people watching. A young couple sat down at the outside table directly across from the window. They were talking in earnest and we could see their profiles.

The girl’s deep tan was offset by her wavy blond hair.

By this time, I had been working for about a half hour on my drawing; and it already contained a fully developed profile of a young woman. “Take a good look at the girl’s profile in the window,” I said, and my mother did.

I then showed her my color pencil drawing. Adele brought her hand to her mouth in a wildly excited gasp. The girl in my drawing was the precise look-alike of the girl beyond the window.

“How can this be?” Adele said. “It can’t be a coincidence.”

I shrugged. “Ma, it’s art magic in the afternoon.”

My mother smiled and kissed me on the cheek, as a string quartet played in the background.

Feeling Gratitude

Gratitude is a state of grace.

Whenever I feel gratitude, which is many times a day, it’s a moment for prayer, for thanksgiving. The feeling is the prayer, no need for words.

Here’s a beautiful and apt quote from Melodie Beattie:

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity … It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”