Thursday, 20 February 2020

Rain's Thursday Art Date - wisdom of the ages

Hi Everybody!

I can hardly believe it, but today it didn't rain at all, and this afternoon even the wind died down, so that was really lovely. But they've promised us a new storm for Sunday....Still, we need to enjoy the good days whenever we get them!

Rain's theme this week is a very comprehensive one, and it would take weeks to list all of the wisdom of the ages, so here are just a few examples:

The ancient Egyptians were master builders and constructors, and the remaining examples of their constructions and art always amaze me. This illustrates an old proverb:


This is another ancient Egyptian proverb:


And springing forward a few thousand years we come to Sigmund Freud, whose theories were supposed to be full of wisdom.  Unfortunately he didn't know that cigars and cocaine were dangerous.... But he founded the science of psychoanalysis and enabled people to learn about themselves and their feelings. The quote here is part of a song from Peter Sarstedt:


Some of my fave Freud quotes:

One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.
Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.


The wisdom of owls is also legendary (quote from Rumi):


And one of my fave wise people was Albert Einstein, who was clever and funny.




(Photo from Pinterest)

The idea of being borne away by time has always fascinated me, here in the words of a hymn from Isaac Watts:


This piece is to honour a very wise lady, Dame Julian of Norwich.
She lived in the 14th century. Here an extract from Wikipedia:
Julian (or Juliana) of Norwich, also known as Dame Julian or Mother Julian (late 1342 – after 1416) was an English anchorite of the Middle Ages. She wrote the earliest surviving book in the English language to be written by a woman, Revelations of Divine Love. She lived in a little room built onto the Church, with a window to the world, where she spoke to people and gave them advice, and on the other side a window to God, where she could look into Church and take part in services.




One of her  'mantras' was:
 All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” “He said not 'Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be diseased'; but he said, 'Thou shalt not be overcome.”


And the Bible is also full of wonderful passages and texts - psalms, proverbs and stories, which tell of an age old wisdom. This is one of my faves:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 American Standard Version (ASV)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
And I love this quote, honouring women:

I could carry on with this topic for days, it takes me back to my studies of  religions and philosophy, but I'll stop now before you all fall asleep!

Some random pics from my walks:













Have a great day, take care,
and thanks a lot for coming by!

74 comments:

  1. Liebe Valerie,
    das stimmt da kann man so vieles dadrüber schreiben aber es war so spannend und interessant wieder bei dir deine schönen Bilder an zuschauen und zu lesen.
    Der Spaziergang hat sich auch gelohnt bei dem Wetter wie goldig der Hahn!
    Lieben Gruss Elke

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    1. Danke Elke! Der Hahn wohnt auf einem Hof am Ende der Strasse hier und ist immer schön!

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  2. This is a wise post, you have covered wisdom over the ages so well here Valerie. Rain's themes are so interesting and challenging.

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    1. Thanks Christine. It does us good to think about other things, which we have to do for Rain's challenge.

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  3. Striking post and fabulous words of wisdom. The photo of the guy in the hoist looks interesting, very photogenic indeed. Fabulous love this post...AGAIN...XX

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    1. Thanks Annie! I love pics of men working up high somewhere!

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  4. So many fabulous pages today Valerie. I remember some of these. But I have to say the highlight for me was first the Einstein photo and then the photo underneath. That photo about explains everything-maybe the only thing to improve it would be a framed little photo of Putin on the desk, and nothing else. Sad that his party puts up with his antics. Thanks for sharing all the gorgeous art and enjoy your next few days of walks. hugs-Erika

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    1. Thanks Erika. Sometimes a photo say more than a thousand words!

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  5. You certainly covered many ages with this post. I was so impressed by all the art you were able to pull out and share with us. Many of these are ones I remember and seeing them in a different context is even more special. Like Erika, I found humor in the empty desk/mind.

    LOVE the photos today. Is that another "rusty" sculpture? Be still my heart. And of course the black swans always steal my heart, too. You are SO lucky to have them near you. Here we had one in our zoo, but I think I read it died.

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    1. Well, my desk is always full. I smile when I see other people's desks which are empty. The rusty sculpture is in our Nord Park.

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  6. Some memories on ... Ägypten. Es fällt mir immer schwer, Deutsch zu antworten! Warum?
    Es war 1988, glaube ich, da war ich dort. Als eine der Letzten hätten wir die Pyramiden besichtigen können, aber mein damaliger Freund musste auf einem Kamel reiten und wir hatten dann kein Geld mehr. Himmel-nein, wie doof!
    Dein zweites Werk versöhnt mich.

    Oh, Eulen. Wesley, richtig?

    Toll. Ich habe einen kleinen Einstein gleich hier. Sieht genauso aus (sein ganzes "Arbeits-"Zimmer) und er weiß wirklich wo was ist.
    Mir geht das auf den Keks!!

    Ja, alles wird gut. "Muss ja". Wird. Keine Angst vor der Zukunft, das muss schön sein und nein! Ich schlaf doch jetzt nicht ein! ;-)
    Ist der Wasserstand gesunken?
    Ach, die schwarzen Schwäne... du musst mal nach Perth reisen! (Naja, oder nicht, du hast sie ja da!)
    Einen schönen Tag und GlG, Iris

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  7. P.S.!!! Habe gerade auf deinen Kommentar "bei mir" geantwortet. Auf Deutsch. Ganz problemlos. Wieso???
    Gibt es Freud/Philosophisch was dazu? Ist doch verrückt! Was macht das Hirn da?
    Ich "übersetze" ja nicht, wenn ich blogge. Nur wenn ich antworte. Wie ist das bei dir? "Denkst" du Englisch oder Deutsch? Beides?

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    1. Ich weiss es nicht. Ich bin mit verschieden Sprachen aufgewachsen, und denk oft parallel in den verschiedenen Sprachen. Kann ich nicht erklären, ausser dass ich als Kind immer ALLES verstehen wollten. Manchmal verwechsele ich die Sprachen auch, besonders wenn ich müde bin! Es ist nicht schlimm!

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    2. Welche denn noch? Ich nur noch Französisch und das ist so gut wie weg... Spanisch hätte mir genützt (Vergangenheitsform).

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    3. Englisch (Queen's english and cockney), Deutsch, Russisch and Yiddish. Und dazu Nachbarn die viele anderen Sprachen gesprochen haben. In der Schule hab ich Französich, Latein und Spanisch gehabt.

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  8. Wonderful post, I especially like the one with the kitty cat. lol Have a great day. x

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  9. Hi Val, good morning! Hope you slept better. Love all your 'wise' pieces, there is really an enormous amount of wisdom in the world, and unfortunately, a lot of stupidity, too, as your Einstein picture and the empty desk show! And it's always lovely to see the black swans! All of the photos are lovely, wouldn't like to have to work in the tree tops, though! Have a nice day, hugs, Sarah

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  10. Your academic background really comes through in this post, Valerie. In the last picture it looks as though the swan is holding the Mallard by the head! The Einstein quote and the two accompanying pictures gave me a chuckle.

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    1. Thanks David. It does indeed look the swan has grabbed the mallard!

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  11. Thanks for the correction. I don't know what I read because I did check the post, but somehow I read it wrong. But I fixed my post and gave you the credit for the challenge at Tag Tuesday. It is a good one so thanks Valerie.

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  12. Valerie,

    Great examples of wisdom through the years. I love the Einstein quote! With all my clutter then I must be a genius. Who knew, right? lol The Bible is my favorite prompt for wisdom. You'll find a whole of that in the pages of the Good Book. ;) Your walks are always interesting and lovely. I'd like to take one with you but since I can't then I'll just stroll alongside you as I look at your pictures.

    My artwork this week: Pencil sketches: King Solomon and a sweet, elderly couple

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    1. Thanks! Yes, clutter is evidently a sign of genius!

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  13. Bardzo ciekawy post , przeczytałam z dużą uwagą. Piękne prace. Fajne fotografie , kogut zdobył moje serce. O kogutach jak i o sowach opowiada sie wiele legend. Miłego dnia:)

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  14. Delicious eye candy and great quotes. The Einstein quote and pictures that followed made me burst out laughing. I'm glad I hadn't taken a sip of my tea or I would have spewed it across the monitor! As always beautiful pictures from your walk. I can't get over how blue that sky is and the white swan is just gorgeous. Enjoy your day.

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    1. Thanks CJ, glad you saw the funny side of it! Good that your mouth was not full of tea!

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  15. I laughed out loud about Einstein and Trump. You nailed that one. AND I especially loved the everything you need meme:) So many wondrous photos and memes.
    Hgs

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  16. We didn't get rain during the day yesterday, but it started back up last night and is still raining. So much rain!

    I laughed out loud at Trump's empty desk lol! The Isaac Watts hymn lyric brought back some memories :) The wisdom of the ages certainly is a topic that provides unending inspiration. That rooster looks ready for anything.

    Enjoy!

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    1. Glad it made you laugh! The Isaac Watts' hymn was always one of my faves.

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  17. What a great theme, and I love your artworks. That picture of DT's desk did make me laugh - it says it all doesn't it! Take care and enjoy the dry days, Sue x

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  18. Beautiful art and photos Valerie! xx

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  19. And a time to take wonderful pictures on your time to walk. So powerful and I love the words on the wonder and strength of women. We have hopefully come to a time when woman can play a greater role in the healing of our damaged earth and our damaged ways. So I say, it is time for the women of the world to do what only they can do ... find peace and reason amidst the rubble. Great post, Cathy and I agree, it is a topic that could go on and on, but never get boring. The truth is, none of us have the time to go on and on :) oh well ....

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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  20. So sorry ... Valerie. I know you aren't Cathy and your post is indeed great. My mistake
    :(

    Andrea

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    1. Thanks Andrea! The world needs more women to show the way, that's true! And never mind about the name!

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  21. There's soooo much to like here, but I've gotta say, the pic of Pres. Trump sitting at his empty desk made me laugh out loud. Thanks! I needed that!

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    1. You're welcome, it's good to have a laugh now and then!

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  22. Very nice sharing!!!
    http://sepatuholig.blogspot.com
    IG @wonky.pots

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  23. Thanks Laurie, but don't bother sending us snow!

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  24. Valerie, I love all these creations, quotes, history lessons, scriptures, thoughts, and pictures. Your creations have such substance. I so love to visit you. My favorites are your fun owls, Albert, and Dame Julian. Wonderfully said and done.

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    1. Thank you Nancy, your words mean a lot to me!

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  25. I'm not asleep! I loved this post and found it so fascinating! One of the things I often say or think when times are tough -- All Shall Be Well. I never really knew where that evolved. Julian of Norwich's life sounds fascinating.

    I'm so glad your weather is turning. It looks like we might have a few days of sun and warmth, although a temp drop next week. Still, I'll take it as I get it. Maybe the ice will be gone at least!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. Dame Julian was a wise woman. Hope your weather gets better!

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  26. Wow,wisdom of the ages,such a great subject to create, you did so well!

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  27. What a cheery collection of drawings, miscellaneous “wisdom,” photos, and more!

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  28. Lovely art and wisdom Valerie

    much ♥ ️love

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  29. SUch lovely and inspirational pieces.

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    1. Thanks Jean, have fun with your grandchildren!

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  30. So much wisdom here! Love the empty desk one :) Beautiful swans and lovely art!
    Happy PPF Valerie!

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  31. A very wise and lovely post. Wonderful art, great quotes and a view of your world. Have a great weekend.

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  32. Wonderful post as always!! I love your people swirling around the painting - feels like real life sometimes!!

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  33. Hi Valerie! :)) Great wisdom of the ages!!! I love your Egyptian pieces the most especially "Everything you need will come to you at the perfect time." I truly believe this as well. I love Einstein's quote and I will happily say my desk is very cluttered! ;) I love the story about Dame Julian as well! How wonderful of you to share that! The photos are great, especially that very handsome and proud rooster!!! Thanks so much for joining in this week!!! :)

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  34. What a fabulous post … you certainly did yourself proud :)
    Hope you've had a good weekend, enjoy the new week ahead.

    All the best Jan

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  35. The black swans are beautiful, but the eye catcher is the rooster!
    LOVE your photo's!
    I'm going to fallow you.

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