PaRDeS
LABAlights #3 - Adar/ February 2010 - Gardens of Thought
Editor: Elissa Strauss
Art Editor: Anat Litwin
Contributors: LABA Fellows, Around Town: Mark Rifkin
Theme: Gardens of Thought
In this month's LABAlights we look at the pardes
that is our mind. We contemplate memory, solitude, perceptions, personalized heavens and ways to enter the garden through Jewish prayer. We also welcome the month of Adar, a time of luck, joy and metamorphosis.
LABAlights is a monthly publication of the LABA fellows at the 14th Street Y. It is published at the beginning of the Jewish month, when the new moon is on the rise. Every month LABA fellows and guests present essays, commentary, art, and music around a theme connected to the pardes.
ESSAY: Remembering Everything by Elissa Strauss
As you are reading this, the information on the screen is entering your hippocampus, which works with the frontal cortex to process new information. Scientists believe this is the first step in memory formation, where spatial and declarative memories are formed. They work simultaneously with the amygdala, which is responsible for emotional memories.
If you are still reading, the information is likely being encoded by way of an electrical charge in a synapse, which are the spaces between nerve cells where they communicate with one another. The new information passes through various brain regions where the memory is reinforced, and eventually consolidated in the neocortex, where it becomes permanent. Perhaps you just became bored or were barely paying attention in the first place and stopped reading. This might become a short-term memory. If you are even the slightest bit intrigued, this will probably linger a bit longer and become a long-term memory, another bubble of information in the labyrinth-like pardes of your mind. The neurons sparked and my story, this story, and your story are now irrevocably bound. This is now your memory.
Two years ago, a woman named Jill Price wrote a memoir about her extremely rare condition -- she remembers everything about her life. Called hyperthymestic syndrome by her doctors, a named coined just for this case, Price can recall every day since 1980 in thorough detail, including who she saw, what she did, what she ate, world events, and even the day of the week. Doctors have explained her exceptional ability to recall as a result of her strong emotional involvement with her past. While Price is an extreme case, the same is true for all of us, memories that have a emotional charge tend to be retained better than neutral facts.
Read the rest here.
If you are still reading, the information is likely being encoded by way of an electrical charge in a synapse, which are the spaces between nerve cells where they communicate with one another. The new information passes through various brain regions where the memory is reinforced, and eventually consolidated in the neocortex, where it becomes permanent. Perhaps you just became bored or were barely paying attention in the first place and stopped reading. This might become a short-term memory. If you are even the slightest bit intrigued, this will probably linger a bit longer and become a long-term memory, another bubble of information in the labyrinth-like pardes of your mind. The neurons sparked and my story, this story, and your story are now irrevocably bound. This is now your memory.
Two years ago, a woman named Jill Price wrote a memoir about her extremely rare condition -- she remembers everything about her life. Called hyperthymestic syndrome by her doctors, a named coined just for this case, Price can recall every day since 1980 in thorough detail, including who she saw, what she did, what she ate, world events, and even the day of the week. Doctors have explained her exceptional ability to recall as a result of her strong emotional involvement with her past. While Price is an extreme case, the same is true for all of us, memories that have a emotional charge tend to be retained better than neutral facts.
Read the rest here.
ART: I'm a Real Artist by Anat Litwin
Image: Keith Arnatt, I am a real Artist, 1969. Image source
Keith Arnatt is a conceptual artist and photographer born in Whales in 1930. "I am a real artist" is a humorous yet blunt provocation, that captures the essence of conceptual art, an art movement that began in the sixties that claimed that art can exist solely as a concept and not in the physical realm. His early conceptual work challenges the power of ideas over form or material, and questions the basic notion of 'Artist'. Arnatt created "Self Burial" in 1969, which was shown on TV as a series of nine photographs depicting Arnatt gradually sinking into the ground, inserting the separate still images into the regular TV broadcast over a week in October 1969, without commentary. The radical juxtaposition of conceptual art into TV broadcasting, which is usually used for entertainment, created a surprising clash of cultures. This work can be seen as a pioneer work in the sense that it opened up the possibility of conceptual art to seep through the confined boundaries of the art world into the mainstream, even if just for a moment, and encounter the viewers on their couch, sitting in front of their TV screens in their own living room. With this piece, Arnatt brought conceptual art home.
Arnatt: “It was originally made as a comment upon the notion of ‘the disappearance of the art object’. It seemed a logical corollary that the artist should also disappear.”
Arnatt: “It was originally made as a comment upon the notion of ‘the disappearance of the art object’. It seemed a logical corollary that the artist should also disappear.”
Garden I / Anat Litwin
will i be trapped in the dense jungle of fear
sunk in swamps of sorrow
chased by dark vulture doubts hovering above
or will i make myself a path
plant fruitful trees
nurture my imagination to blossom like a fantastic flower.
will weeds take me over,
racing mice, chatter, nibble on my brain
or shall i stick a scarecrow in the center
chase parasites off my land
siege the serpent by the thickness of its tail, look him curiously in the eye.
i want green stains on my knees
birds bathing in my heart
the fresh smell of toiled soil rising from my thoughts
i am the gardner of my mind. wherever i go, eden.
will i be trapped in the dense jungle of fear
sunk in swamps of sorrow
chased by dark vulture doubts hovering above
or will i make myself a path
plant fruitful trees
nurture my imagination to blossom like a fantastic flower.
will weeds take me over,
racing mice, chatter, nibble on my brain
or shall i stick a scarecrow in the center
chase parasites off my land
siege the serpent by the thickness of its tail, look him curiously in the eye.
i want green stains on my knees
birds bathing in my heart
the fresh smell of toiled soil rising from my thoughts
i am the gardner of my mind. wherever i go, eden.
COMMENTARY: Secret Gardens and Ecclesiastes 2:1 - 2:12 by Ruby Namdar
Years ago, when I was still new in New York and religiously read the hidden messages of fortune cookies, I stumbled across a bit of pseudo-oriental wisdom that stuck hard with me. “Learn” said the secret sage of fortune cookies “to cultivate you solitude as if it was a secret garden”. The word garden itself is enough to fill me with yearning and the thought of a secret garden hiding in the solitude of my mind has immediately ignited my imagination, sending it back across time into the pleasure domes and hidden gardens built and planted by the wisest of all men, king Solomon, or Koheleth son of David as he is referred to in the book of Ecclesiastes.
Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Few texts, few words, have stirred me as did the immortal, bitter-sweet words of the sobered old king. I have identified with them, internalized them as if they were my own – way before I had a chance to indulge in every pleasure, master every wisdom, grow old or celebrated my coronation. Koheleth, while on the path leading to the inevitable grand disillusionment, made a point of maximizing:
Read the rest here
Vanity of vanities, saith Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Few texts, few words, have stirred me as did the immortal, bitter-sweet words of the sobered old king. I have identified with them, internalized them as if they were my own – way before I had a chance to indulge in every pleasure, master every wisdom, grow old or celebrated my coronation. Koheleth, while on the path leading to the inevitable grand disillusionment, made a point of maximizing:
Read the rest here
MUSIC: Zevon's Vast Indifference of Heaven by Stephen Hazan Arnoff
We might imagine that merging with God's head would be a tranquil state, or that God's head on our shoulders would release a Son of man from the many burdens of seeking the divine. But Ezekiel takes in these sweet words – these dirges and lamentations – and soon after must heed God's direction for violent, disfiguring rituals in preparation for carrying woe to the House of Israel. He is told to construct a replica of Jerusalem in the mud and lie frozen on one side before it for more than a year, to mutter curses at the imagined city and eat his own shit, to shear his body of hair and burn it in precise portions, all in preparation to mourn and warn the House of Israel in its iniquity.
These images cast me into thinking about the vast gap between the soaked, steaming, shocking images of Ezekiel – who like nearly every one of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible is unaware of holding his destiny as a messenger until God forces him to it – and the vacuous arrogance of so much religious teaching I find in the bookshops at airports or embedded in the glimpses of news on the web that I can still tolerate reading: God rewards the winners in today's narratives – the suicide bombers and the settlers and the preachers in mega-churches, smooth-skinned and smarmy, promising wealth and joy to true believers.
I contemplate Warren Zevon's vast indifference of heaven:
All life folds back
Into the sea
We contemplate eternity
Beneath the vast indifference of heaven
Read the rest here.
These images cast me into thinking about the vast gap between the soaked, steaming, shocking images of Ezekiel – who like nearly every one of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible is unaware of holding his destiny as a messenger until God forces him to it – and the vacuous arrogance of so much religious teaching I find in the bookshops at airports or embedded in the glimpses of news on the web that I can still tolerate reading: God rewards the winners in today's narratives – the suicide bombers and the settlers and the preachers in mega-churches, smooth-skinned and smarmy, promising wealth and joy to true believers.
I contemplate Warren Zevon's vast indifference of heaven:
All life folds back
Into the sea
We contemplate eternity
Beneath the vast indifference of heaven
Read the rest here.
TED TALKS: Internal Sunshine / The Miracle of the Human Brain
Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story from TED.org.
HOW TO ELEVATE with the Modeh Ani
The Modeh Ani is a prayer said by some in the morning in order to remember the awesome fact that they are alive.
מודה אני לפניך מלך חי וקים שהחזרת בי נשמתי בחמלה, רבה אמונתך
Modeh ani lifanecha melech chai v'kayam shehechezarta bi nishmahti b'chemlah, rabah emunatecha.
I offer thanks before you, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great. Read more about the Modeh Ani here
מודה אני לפניך מלך חי וקים שהחזרת בי נשמתי בחמלה, רבה אמונתך
Modeh ani lifanecha melech chai v'kayam shehechezarta bi nishmahti b'chemlah, rabah emunatecha.
I offer thanks before you, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great. Read more about the Modeh Ani here
INTERVIEWS
Q&A: The Interdependence Project Talks about Mindfulness in the City
Windows of ABC Carpet in NYC, Mark Rifkin
Based in New York City's East Village with more groups in Portland, Oregon and Austin, TX. The Interdependence Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that focuses on building community through meditation, activism, and the arts. The I.D. Project offers various weekly and monthly Buddhism and meditation classes in NYC's East Village, as well as workshops and retreats on a variety of topics from the world of contemplative education, activism, and the arts.
A short Q & A with Lani Rowe, Coordinator of IDP:
What is your main mission?
To encourage people to explore their minds through meditation, while actively supporting their ability to apply any insights to the cultivation of themselves and the greater community. Mindfulness and the urban experience - the frenetic pace of city life - especially in NYC- often tricks people into thinking that to enjoy any space of solitude, you need to escape . Mindfulness opens you to find moments of clarity and calm even in the most mundane or frustrating of situations - at a traffic light for example.
How does mindfulness affect reality?
I think mindfulness makes reality that much brighter and that much more manageable. So much of suffering has to do with incorrect perceptions of what actually is. Mindfulness reminds the self to be present and awake to the moment, giving the self the space to pause, breath and accurately access the meaning of a situation/interaction/event.
A short Q & A with Lani Rowe, Coordinator of IDP:
What is your main mission?
To encourage people to explore their minds through meditation, while actively supporting their ability to apply any insights to the cultivation of themselves and the greater community. Mindfulness and the urban experience - the frenetic pace of city life - especially in NYC- often tricks people into thinking that to enjoy any space of solitude, you need to escape . Mindfulness opens you to find moments of clarity and calm even in the most mundane or frustrating of situations - at a traffic light for example.
How does mindfulness affect reality?
I think mindfulness makes reality that much brighter and that much more manageable. So much of suffering has to do with incorrect perceptions of what actually is. Mindfulness reminds the self to be present and awake to the moment, giving the self the space to pause, breath and accurately access the meaning of a situation/interaction/event.
NEWS by Becky Skoff
This month brings many more exciting events to LABA and the 14th Street Y. Don’t miss our current exhibition in the LABA Gallery, A Piece of Pratt, a guest exhibition featuring MFA students of the Pratt Institute, opening on February 4, and closing February 28.
Our next exhibition is entitled Stagecraft, and is featuring the work of LABA artist in residence Manju Shandler. Stagecraft is opening on March 11, 2010, with a free reception from 6pm to 9pm, and runs until April 11.
Don’t miss the premier of A Wonderfully Flat Thing on April 11 at 11am and 2pm. A Wonderfully Flat Thing is a one-act play based on the short story, A FABLE, by Mark Twain. The play is about a group of animals who look into a mirror for the first time and are each surprised that they see something different than the one who went before them. It will be performed by actor/dancer/puppeteers and musicians in a play suited to all ages. For more information, click here.
Save the date for the 2010 LABA Festival. Performances and other events will take place from April 11 to April 18.
Read the rest here.
Our next exhibition is entitled Stagecraft, and is featuring the work of LABA artist in residence Manju Shandler. Stagecraft is opening on March 11, 2010, with a free reception from 6pm to 9pm, and runs until April 11.
Don’t miss the premier of A Wonderfully Flat Thing on April 11 at 11am and 2pm. A Wonderfully Flat Thing is a one-act play based on the short story, A FABLE, by Mark Twain. The play is about a group of animals who look into a mirror for the first time and are each surprised that they see something different than the one who went before them. It will be performed by actor/dancer/puppeteers and musicians in a play suited to all ages. For more information, click here.
Save the date for the 2010 LABA Festival. Performances and other events will take place from April 11 to April 18.
Read the rest here.
AROUND TOWN: Solaces by Mark Rifkin
Amid all the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, whether we work seventy-hour weeks at a desk, are retired, are still in school, or are stay-at-home parents, we all seek a little peace, a little solace, our own personal Garden of Eden. I work in Midtown, so for me, my own Garden of Eden is visiting any of the myriad free galleries that are all within just a few blocks of my office.
It was on one of these jaunts that I came upon the new exhibition at the Austrian Cultural Forum. Coincidentally enough, it’s entitled “Solace,” consisting of works by sixteen international artists who have their own idea of solace, of peace, of creating unique Gardens of Eden. For Peter Coffin, it’s an unending display of colorful balloons. For Koudlam, it’s a short video of women running into the ocean (and removing their tops). For Mahony, it’s a beautiful image of the moon inside a bedroom dresser. Read the rest here
It was on one of these jaunts that I came upon the new exhibition at the Austrian Cultural Forum. Coincidentally enough, it’s entitled “Solace,” consisting of works by sixteen international artists who have their own idea of solace, of peace, of creating unique Gardens of Eden. For Peter Coffin, it’s an unending display of colorful balloons. For Koudlam, it’s a short video of women running into the ocean (and removing their tops). For Mahony, it’s a beautiful image of the moon inside a bedroom dresser. Read the rest here
ADAR: When Mazal is Strong
Adar is the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar.
The word Adar is a cognate to the Hebrew "strength" (אדיר). Adar is the month of good fortune for the Jewish people. The sages say of Adar: "Its mazal [fortune] is strong."
Purim, the holiday of Adar, commemorates the "metamorphosis" of the Jews' apparent bad fortune (as it appeared to Haman) to good. "When Adar enters we augment with joy." The festival of Purim marks the high point in the joy of the entire year. The Jewish year begins with the joy of the redemption of Pesach and concludes with the joy of the redemption of Purim. "Joy breaks through all barriers." According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai," though opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is... Read the rest here.
The word Adar is a cognate to the Hebrew "strength" (אדיר). Adar is the month of good fortune for the Jewish people. The sages say of Adar: "Its mazal [fortune] is strong."
Purim, the holiday of Adar, commemorates the "metamorphosis" of the Jews' apparent bad fortune (as it appeared to Haman) to good. "When Adar enters we augment with joy." The festival of Purim marks the high point in the joy of the entire year. The Jewish year begins with the joy of the redemption of Pesach and concludes with the joy of the redemption of Purim. "Joy breaks through all barriers." According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai," though opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is... Read the rest here.
ESTHER'S CORNER
Bath of Wine
Kinky Hamentashen
Clowns at a Conference
Handmade Gragger
