CoSM / Bodies

Yesterday was a great day. A big thank you goes out to David Crofts Monroe (Drunk With Barley) who enlightened me about some very interesting art work by way of one of my earlier posts (Einstein Intuitiveness). David likened my essay to one of Alex Grey's paintings. What a huge and important compliment! I was so humbled, I had to check it out.

Alex Grey has created one of the most astounding art exhibits I've ever seen. I checked out his website (http://www.cosm.org/) and then took my husband to see it, live and in person in downtown Manhattan. It was a gorgeous day, breezy, bright and sunny.

The Chapel of the Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) is a meditative and thought provoking place. Alex's art is bigger than life itself in my opinion. It takes you stage by stage through the human life experience including but not limited to the physical, psychic and spiritual. His portrayal of the human anatomy, be it male or female, is quite striking in that you (we all) resemble each other so completely. Once you get through the physical, the metaphysical comes into view. You realize through Alex's interpretation, that there is a wave length (or grid) that exists from this side of the planet to the other that extends through humanity, the firmament and the galaxies. Messages travel at the speed of light (and faster probably) and in a flash, information, thoughts, feelings, and intentions ride that grid instantly reaching the other side or the intended listener.

The first time I viewed the images on the web, they brought a tear to my eye. They were so revealing. I was visualizing what I've always felt on the inside...that there is so much more to the human existence than meets the eye. We are so much more than our physical bodies stripped down to bare bones. The psychic and spiritual still exist long after the body dies. It really is just a vessel and a means to an end (transference) . What you do to it, how you treat it, how you treat others all goes back to the psychic and spiritual. They exist forever. That you cannot destroy.

Mark 14:58

'I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.'

Then we went to The Bodies Exhibit at the South Street Seaport. These real bodies are preserved through an innovative process (plasticized) and then "respectfully" presented. Uh, not so sure about the "respectfully" part. These were human beings, alive at one time displayed in an exhibit....one is holding a football, one is holding a baseball...hmmmm?

Very recently the news media have exposed the possibility that these people were prisoners from China and while they may have been overcome by some kind of accidental death, there is a suggestion that perhaps they are on display without ever giving anyone permission to do so. Opportunists have done this to them. Very interesting and very creepy.

It was strange to observe the human body in such three dimension. In most cases, there was only air between you and the 'person' your viewing. The air in the room was filtered and moving and thus, in some cases, the plasticized blood vessels moved and swayed slightly in the air. The vibrations from people moving within the room sent the 'exhibits' to shiver in some cases. BIZARRE I tell you, but from a biological standpoint truly fascinating.

They had every part of the human body exposed in various forms and layers. Fetal displays from one to nine month stages....who were they and where did they come from? That was troubling to see.

They went so far as to slice the human body in one inch increments through bone and skin displaying what one would look like had they been viewed from an MRI. You can see everything. They also had several disease filled organs on display, i.e., lungs, hearts, livers, colons. The smokers lungs were so black compared to the pinkness of the more healthy versions. The things we do to ourselves, and each other are astounding.

I would say that overall the day was extremely educational. I most enjoyed the Alex Grey exhibit and watching my husband view the exhibits with curiosity and awe. Last nights dreams were full of weird and freaky images. I'll be thinking about this for a long time to come. Thanks again to David Crofts Monroe for bringing this to our attention. It was terrific.

Love Is In The Air

We're not sure why there are streams of light and color fragments in this image

of Jim and me from Kauai...we'd like to think

it's because we were getting the universe's blessing

... see the heart shaped cloud?

This image was not manipulated in any way.

I remember the first time I heard that song "Love Is In The Air". I was at an Italian disco in Rome, dancing. My Mom, my sister and I took a Perillo tour to the North side of Italy when I was 16.

Today, Jim and I are getting ready for an early evening wedding. I love weddings and the celebrations that follow them. I really don't know any of the people at this one. One of Jim's hockey buddies is tying the knot and I've never met him or his fiance. So, I get to be the ultimate observer at someone else's biggest night of their lives. Yayy. I love love, so this is right up my alley.

I prayed for them last night. I prayed that God would bless their marriage and strengthen their hearts. Marriage is a very tough proposition today. Anyday. It takes a lot of dedication and forethought. Putting someone before yourself constantly. Everyday I ask myself what I can do to make my husband's life easier. It puts my marriage in it's proper place. Thirteen years later and I'm so happy to say that our marriage is blessed. It is blessed because we take our vows and commitment to each other very seriously.

That doesn't mean we don't argue and have valley's that are so thick and sticky. We do. But it's the way we deal with it that keeps us together. We're best friends. We enjoy a lot of the same things. Our interests overlap. We also have our own individual interests separate and distinct from one another. Maybe that's why it works.

Maybe it works because we pray. We pray together. We ask God to bless our marriage, our efforts, our intentions, our families, our friends. We know God has a plan for us. We know He brought us together, that's so obvious. We're so very grateful.

Hmmmm. Maybe ours is a good marriage because we eloped. Weddings are stressful, but a trip to Hawaii - that's fun. That's what we did. We went to Kauai with some friends and while we were there, we exchanged vows. It was Jimmy's idea by the way. We didn't plan to get married there. We were engaged. We already owned our first house so we were headed in the general direction of eternal commitment. But I didn't want a big wedding. It was too complicated for me with my parents not being together. So, one day, in the lobby of our hotel Jim said to the concierge "We'd like to get married".

I was shocked and ecstatic. Immediately, we put the wheels in motion and two days later we were married on sacred fishing ground between the ocean and the mountains of Kauai. I thank God everyday for that moment in my life. I thank God everyday for my best friend.