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Beth Patterson

Host, Virtual Tea House

chinking away at chaos

Like molecules in a heating beaker

Like stars moving centripetally

A glimpse of the patterns of their journeys

Might chink into the solidified fluid mystery of our own.

 

Nothing is random

Only poorly comprehended.

IMAGE_142        
Reflection at the Japanese Gardens, Portland, Oregon, June 2009. Taken with my T-Mobile cell phone!

Thanks to intense but usually elegant  The Dark Lord, who brings us the prompt chaos for this week.  Stumble your way over to One Single Impression for some great interpretations on the prompt.

Published Sunday, January 17, 2010 2:08 AM by Beth Patterson

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Comments

 

DancesWL said:

Beth, thanks for painting us another road map to truth, all is well.

January 17, 2010 2:37 AM
 

Nathalie (Spacedlaw) said:

Chaos has its own logic indeed.

January 17, 2010 3:08 AM
 

Anthony North said:

Those last two lines say it all. Excellent.

January 17, 2010 4:48 AM
 

zoya gautam said:

.. dauntingly philosophical ! ..

January 17, 2010 5:09 AM
 

The Dark Lord said:

Great words there, you delve deep into philosophical realms! And yes, the last two lines say a lot.. The accompanying photo is lovely!

January 17, 2010 8:00 AM
 

Andy Sewina said:

Wow! I love that word 'centripetally', I think you might have inspired a little rhyme...

January 17, 2010 8:27 AM
 

Sweetest in the Gale said:

I love your take on this prompt...what a beautiful choice of words, and they really made me stop and think. Gorgeous photo, too!

January 17, 2010 8:32 AM
 

sue said:

definitely like you interpretation of this prompt, the yet to be perceived pattern of things.

January 17, 2010 9:56 AM
 

Alice Borealis said:

I am unfamiliar with this verb, "chink."

January 17, 2010 10:23 AM
 

Beth Patterson said:

Hello all--

Thanks for visiting--will be by your blogs today--

Alice--'chink' is a verb that means to pick away at, to make a dent in, to whittle away at.  Those are not dictionary definitions, only my working one.  

January 17, 2010 12:24 PM
 

Christine said:

Oh dear I really can absorb this piece: Nothing is random

Only poorly comprehended. Yes! Oh yes.

January 17, 2010 12:36 PM
 

Alice Borealis said:

"own" words are the best words, i do think

January 17, 2010 2:55 PM
 

Pam said:

Love the ending lines - I find it so interesting to explore the intersecting points of energy and chaos.

January 17, 2010 7:03 PM
 

Jim said:

Three cheers for science!  Your poem could be a good mission statement for our NASA effort.  All the learning of our universe doesn't come cheap.

Your Japenese Gardens picture is beautiful  I am so glad we have them around.  I have never been disappointed in any I have visited.  :-)

..

January 17, 2010 10:10 PM
 

Tumblewords said:

Excellent!  Your words are so wise and the photograph so telling.

January 18, 2010 1:11 PM
 

SisterJulia said:

Centripetally is the prettiest new word! I think I shall pronounce it centri-petally though, it sounds like the pattern of petals on a flowerhead!

Love♥

January 18, 2010 5:47 PM
 

Loch Rob said:

Being and engineer and scientist, I can relate to bringing order to what appears as chaos.  Your piece spoke to me in a direct, analytical way.

January 19, 2010 6:34 AM
 

patti said:

"Nothing is random

Only poorly comprehended."...I love that line- what an interesting thought.  It sure makes better sennse out of chaos- thinking like that!

January 19, 2010 12:31 PM
 

one more believer said:

irises... yaa!!! i feel so much better.... the stars open the way to heaven and regardless of what early hour it is and the chaos around my heart is settled seeing the order of stars above...

January 19, 2010 3:56 PM
 

Melanie Bishop said:

Nicely done. Your words shout colors and images. Beautiful.

Melanie

January 20, 2010 10:43 AM
 

Melanie Bishop said:

Nicely done. Your words shout colors and images. Beautiful.

Melanie

January 20, 2010 10:43 AM
 

SandyCarlson said:

How is it we forget our limitations? Seems like being aware of (but not limited by) them should be a key survival skill.

January 20, 2010 9:17 PM
 

Shadowplay said:

Oh, Beth, now I see what you mean about our posts being bookends!  This was fabulous... I love the heating beaker metaphor.  I will definitely be back to explore...

January 21, 2010 12:20 AM
 

gabrielle said:

The field of purple flowers makes me think of bees. Bees see beyond the “visible spectrum.” Their vision expands to UV because many fruit, flowers and seeds contrast with their background much more strongly in UV light than in human visible wavelengths.

What is the visible spectrum?  A wondrous ponder, imagining patterns swirling, incomprehensible. Thank you, Beth!

January 21, 2010 10:25 PM

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About Beth Patterson

The Virtual Tea House website became 'word-ripe' when, over a cup of jasmine green, I realized that the web has an expanding part to play in the communal aspects of spiritual growth.

With a master's degree in religion, my career spans 20 years in end of life care and I currently work in the field of child abuse intervention and advocacy.

Here in beautiful Central Oregon, my spiritual homes of the high desert and the mountains are both in proximity. And for good measure, four hours away is Grandmother Ocean and the stunning Oregon Coast.

I'm making decent progress on the goal set by my mother early on: she taught us that the goal of humanity should be to become ever-more eccentric, i.e. more fully human.

Entering the 'forest-dweller' phase of life, I am honored to host the Virtual Tea House for all who wish to explore how our lives are enriched and made new a thousand times each day by the spirituality we embody. Exploring this engagement together is the purpose of the Virtual Tea House.

Welcome! Let's have a cup of virtual tea together and share what brings us joy, what we are being taught by life, how we are leaning into the Big Questions posed to us each day in sometimes 'distressing disguises'.

Follow me on Twitter, if you must
http://twitter.com/MyraB

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