Cyberia - The City of Ladies

I have been out and about with my sketch book and visited the big bollards near the jetty and White Owl Farm. It was the most lovely day out. I had my bag, with some sandwiches and a drink tucked inside and slept to the sound of the ocean pounding near the bedroom window when I finally got back to my hideaway retreat.

(White Owl Island Archive, March 2006.)

(copyright Heather Blakey 2008.)

Last days at Owl Island before packing and going to the Land of Standing Stones with le Enchanteur and adventurous travellers. Owl Island has been such a lovely place to retreat to that I feel sure I will return soon to rest and regenerate.

(copyright Heather Blakey 2008.)

 

( White Owl Island Archive - Enchanteur Journey, April 3rd, 2006.)

 

Everyone loves White Owl Island - a space of rest and retreat in Nature with Fran’s (the Resident Crone.) wise owls for company, whispering sea grasses, and big, wide skies.  The rush of the sea is the only sound to be heard.  Time to rest, read, explore, or paint, as Heather does there.   If you want to go to Owl Island for a dose of creative R&R, contact Heather.  Lemuria is full of amazing places to explore, even if just for a day trip, not far from the City of Ladies, or other parts of this magical land.

Prometey rejects Pandora’s gift — Pandora’s box with diseases, vices and disasters.
(Engraving on bronze, 2-3 B.C. Musee de Louvre, Paris)

Pandora’s Gift

Bearing Pandora’s gift prominently on her heart
Seared by Vulcan’s reddened, blazing, branding iron
She wore the scars of self-doubt
Her battle coat stained, shredded
By the beak of the very falcon
Who relentlessly clawed, pecked at Prometheus
Vulnerable, chained,
She stood defiant
Until the raven came
Bearing the self-sowing seeds of self-confidence

(copyright Heather Blakey 2008.)

(From Lemurian Abbey Archive, July 2005.)

The timing is right
born to be an artist
listening
touching
seeing
smelling
sensing
knowing
foretelling.

(copyright Heather Blakey 2008.)

The Apotheosis of Homer is a marble carving which since 1805 has been kept at the British Museum in London. The carving was discovered in the 17th Century on the outskirts of Rome in the historic precinct where goddess groves and grottos were once the scene of processions and seasonal rituals. The work is by a sculptor, Archelaos, who was born in Priene in the Ionia in Asia Minor, who worked in the second and first centuries BC. It was commissioned by a poet who wished to thank the goddess and her priestesses for his success in a poetry competition. This means to us that we have a glimpse of the relationship between Roman poets and the goddess beliefs, and also a record of the way the Romans pictured the workings and theology of a goddess temple.

Laws:

1. Follow Nature

2. First know, then act. Real knowledge exists in the triangle composed of seeing, feeling and understanding.

3. Use only one vessel, one fire, one instrument. The person who takes the chosen path may succeed, while the person who attempts to walk on many paths will be delayed.

4. Keep the fires burning constantly.

(copyright Heather Blakey 2006.)

(From Soul Food Alphabet Project, Letter “A”.)

On stumbling across some good information online regarding Lord Byron’s daughter, Ada Byron Lovelace, from his short marriage to her mother, I read about her connection with Charles Babbage, the Victorian era father of the modern day computer. It’s worth reading the transcript shown on the link to Charles Babbage, because it shows an interesting shapshot of life in the mid 19th Century, when an explosion of ideas came forth. (It’s very long, and most of the parts can be skipped over according to interest.) The way these ideas were spread, prior to the days of television, radio, podcasts, and other modern communication methods, was the soiree.

Are soirees considered out of date? Ada Lovelace met Charles Babbage at one of his soirees, held to spread awareness of his scientific ideas. I suppose these days there are expos and field days and the like, but nothing as glamorous as swirling silks, elegant style, men in full evening dress, the romance of gaslight and chandeliers, and sumptuous furnishings and art.

I tried to imagine the excitement of conversations at these soirees, with so many great minds mingling with each other. It was interesting, then, to think about other soiree settings: J.S. Bach attended many soirees to showcase his music, Rossini must have discussed every opera and libretto with the minds that attended his famous musical soirees, and the celebrated painter, Lord Leighton, was well known for holding his lavish soirees. A soiree is literally “an evening party”, which could be specialised under a theme, such as a “musical soiree” which has the sole purpose of listening to music. These evening parties were usually held at a private residence.

Is the original soiree gone for good? The best we can have is a glimpse back in time, and imagine what it was like back there, when all was new, and people were excited by ideas. Though, there was some later backlash, where Babbage wasn’t always entirely happy with what happened to his inventions, but I can’t help imagining that nothing could have happened if rampant idealism hadn’t dominated those times.

The soiree is seems a dignified way of showcasing ideas, and sharing them in a relaxed setting. I wish the soiree wasn’t “dead”, but in a world of circles, perhaps the concept is only just sleeping…

(copyright Imogen Crest 2007.)

The Villa of Dreams is sometimes visited by Dream Seed Enchanteur from the Mouseion…

(copyright Heather Blakey 2007.)

Orlando Non Furioso was pleased to see his old friend, the distinguished Viscount Armstrong Dumaurier call in to the studio, on his way to the docks at Southampton.  “Got another assignment, my friend?” he asked the man, who was dressed in a rich dark cloak, new boots, ruffled neck shirt and fine silk cravat.  His own hands were covered in earthy clay, working as he was at digging underground and making pots at his ancient wheel.  “Certainly, tutoring a young woman on a Grand Tour to Rome and thereabouts,” he answered, the jewels on his ringed fingers glinting in the shadows of the pale afternoon sun.

“Take these with you, as a guide,” said Orlando, giving the Viscount two fragments he had found that morning under the earth.  A piece of marble and a sliver of oriental china.  The Viscount looked intrigued as he turned them over in his fine hands, even a little puzzled.

“You will know what they mean.  Think of them as clues, you know, like a treasure map in a way, to an ancient history,” said Orlando, and then busying himself at the wheel again, splashing water over the drying clay.

The Viscount tipped his fine hat at him and smiled as he left for the docks.

…The story continues at “Imogen’s Grand Tour” as part of the Soul Food Cafe Grand Tour Project…

(copyright Imogen Crest 2006.)