The Mysterious and Beautiful Genius of Opal Whitely; Lessons from Her Childhood Diary Part 1 of 2

a reply to: zosimov

You can join us in the shed. We're a little nutty and fun and filled with love.

I have a feeling that I may see some of myself in the young lady.

Never lose your childlike wonder. Even at my age, I keep that alive.

a reply to: Night Star

Hey, thanks for the invite! I will come, and nutty and fun with lots of love sounds right up my alley.

And you are right about the childhood wonder. Here's one of my favorite quotes of Einstein:

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed. The insight into the mystery of life, coupled though it be with fear, has also given rise to religion. To know what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms—this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness.”

Love it.

a reply to: zosimov

My Nephew, his wife and children live in Colorado, but I have never been. Yes, I agree with Trollz as well. Some people can sense these things. I have been in places that seemed rather sacred and serene and alive with flora and fauna and other places that seemed so lifeless and lacking.

a reply to: zosimov

That is a great quote! Thanks for sharing that!


We are up to The Shed 14 and I shall leave a link for you here. We are up to page 46 I believe now.




www.abovetopsecret.com...

This is part of something I wrote to my parents after moving here to try to explain my feelings to them. I figured it kinda fits with this thread and you guys might enjoy reading it, so here goes:

Part 1/2

There are several reasons why one might be religious: a psychological desire to fit in with a group or to feel looked after; a feeling of social pressure, of being expected to hold a set of beliefs; or, perhaps, because that person has a legitimate faith... Because they can feel the spiritual influence, the presence, of their objects of worship in their lives. This feeling of presence, of oneness with something greater than themselves, can, when welcome, provide feelings of ecstasy and divine wonder. These powerful feelings that some derive from strong faith is what I feel from northern, seasonal forest. My body is matter, it is of the Earth; when I die and move on to whatever lives may come next, my body will be to the Earth returned. I am part of it, now just as much as I will be in death. The forest is my church. When I go to the woods, I feel the presence of something greater than myself, some wild, powerful yet indifferent spirit of pure life and pure death. I feel the essence of everything around me. Simultaneously I feel the calm of a running stream and the viciousness of a wolf tearing the throat of its prey. I feel one with this spirit of nature.

-Speaking of presences and spirits and whatnot, back in PA I would often feel as though there were powerful spirits watching me. I had had several interesting encounters with spiritual activity, even being physically interacted with, and one of those times experiencing what could be considered a physical "warning". This particular "warning" experience was absolutely terrifying. The sense of power I felt from what I encountered was overwhelming. Sometimes my perceiving of spiritual presences around me gave me a hair-raising feeling of terror, as though I could feel something dark and dangerous watching me. Other times it was a very calming, peaceful feeling. However, I did not get the feeling that these beings had any intention of harming me. Rather, it felt as though we had a mutual respect... Much like if you are hiking and encounter a wild Grizzly bear. The bear would prefer to observe you from a distance out of curiosity, but both you and the bear know that it could and would violently tear you to shreds if it felt provoked. In this way of both individuals knowing their boundaries, they showed mutual respect to one another. I welcomed most interaction and usually enjoyed the company. But nevertheless, I feel no presence here in Florida. This place feels spiritually empty.

One very different aspect of life in the above-mentioned environment is the seasonal change. Watching the seasons change is like watching the circular birth and death of the environment.
Summer - I feel the sunlight gently burning my skin, as if I'm being caressed by God. It feels as though the bright, long daylight is the gates of some heavenly kingdom opening all around me. The heat that envelops every inch of my body is like a trial that I must overcome. But for doing so, I am rewarded with the views of the trees and plants in all their glory.
Fall - By now I have become sick of the summer heat, and just in time. I look forward to the melancholy feeling of the leaves dying and the trees becoming barren. It is a happy sadness, to feel the end of the life cycle approaching. I await the hug of the perfect autumn air. I love the smell of everything around me. Now it feels different to be in the woods; I no longer see green leaves, but the browns and greys of the trees left behind, like I am looking upon the bones of the earth. I feel the changes the Earth is going through.
Winter - By now I am ready for the winter. It is like a peaceful slumber after a long, hard year. The cold winter air feels amazing flowing through my nose and into my lungs; it is refreshing and I feel alive. Staying outside for prolonged periods of time in the cold with only basic clothing, such as a tanktop and shorts, leads to me feeling a sort of physical high, like my body was made for precisely that. I loved shoveling the driveway in a tshirt and shorts. Few things I've experienced were as pleasant as the physical and mental effect of enduring the cold. I love it.
I revel in the harsh desolation of the freezing darkness. It is a reminder of my mortality, knowing that the environment itself, the unforgiving cold, can kill me by exposure alone. Winter feels vicious, and I with it. I want to be one with this brutal extreme of nature, I want to feel the freezing grasp of death. When it finally snows, I feel transported to some other land of fantasy and adventure. Winter is blissful and the darkness comforting.
Spring - I've lived through winter and am now content with the experience. I am ready for the rebirth of the woods and sun. I enjoy feeling the temperature, the fluidity of the air change as we transition into the new season. It is not too hot, but it is not cold either. I see beauty in the gradually growing leaves and plants and my sense of awe and amazement grows with them each day. The magic is returning.

Another thing I dislike about Florida is the terrain. It is flat. This is boring. When I used to run around in the woods back in Pennsylvania, the hills and mountains made even a simple hike or drive feel like an adventure. I loved the feeling of having the land tower over me like it could swallow me alive. I loved climbing on the numerous Pennsylvania rock formations. I loved the dark, shaded areas hidden from the sun. I loved feeling like I could get lost behind this hill or that turn. I felt like I was roaming some wild, unexplored fantasy world. Here, where it is flat... There is no sense of adventure.

Speaking of adventure, I was extremely disappointed and saddened to walk along the wooden paths at Six Mile Cypress. I like to go into the forest to feel connected to nature, and yet this had quite the opposite effect. I could not leave the pre-made nature path. I could not walk through the woods and experience this sense of adventure and belonging. It did not even feel like nature... It was a wooden path, made for people to go sight-seeing and taking photographs. I couldn't even LEAVE the path. It felt like a total bastardization of the environment, and it was quite honestly a pathetic example of a nature walk. If a person has spent their entire life living in million-dollar mansions, they will not likely enjoy giving it all up to move into a little rundown shack. I can't be taken from the freedom of being able to get lost in seemingly endless forest and hills and put on a short little nature path in a small little nature preserve tucked away inbetween housing developments and be expected to be happy with such an environment.

Part 2/2

One thing I have noticed about various areas is a sort of "geographical psychology". In comparing two seperate areas, you will see many aspects of life in these areas that contribute to subtle psychological differences amongst the populations. An obvious example of this would be in comparing a group of people from Appalachia to a group of people from New York City. But these differences are everywhere, whether obvious or barely noticeable, and I like to think I "feel", or perceive, these subtle differences between groups of people and physical areas. In referring to this "geographical psychology" though, I want to also explain how it relates directly to myself. I am very much an "internal" sort of person; I spend much time thinking and perceiving. I notice small details, little things that most people pass their attention over or do not fully appreciate. When I listen to music, I really LISTEN, I don't simply HEAR it. I hear every single note of every instrument, I feel its relation to the other surrounding notes and instruments. The external world disappears and I become the music I am listening to. I FEEL it. I have even successfully utilized music to produce an out-of-body experience by focusing so intently on the music that I lost touch with physical sensation. I no longer felt my body or perceived any physical state of being... I reached a level that many strive for in meditation. My mind was freed, and with it, certain spiritual realizations came upon me, but this is going off-topic.
The point I am trying to make is my ability to perceive details. When I am in a particular area, I feel the area. I feel the geographical psychology. Southwest Florida is not a place where I fit, psychologically. I do not feel in the very least at home here. I have experienced this feeling, of being home, being somewhere I belong, of having full contentedness and the utmost peace and happiness. I've experienced the bliss, joy, ecstacy of belonging somewhere. I know what it is like. I know what it feels like. This is just one more way that I know I do not like southwest Florida, because that place is not here. And no, I'm not just referring to a physical place. There are more aspects to these feelings that I am describing than simply a physical location.
Another piece of this geographical psychology has to do with certain types of music I listen to. While I listen to all kinds of music, I do have a certain preference for what would be called "folk metal", "black metal", and traditional folk music of Scandinavian and otherwise European or northern cultures. Much of this music has themes of admiration for and reverence of northern wilderness or culture. Sitting in the woods in PA, while listening to these kinds of music, creates a certain kind of mental atmosphere. Down here, if I were to do the same thing, the music and the environment would feel completely separate. It would be like a psychological disconnect, if you understand what I mean.

Something that bothers me about this area is the fact that it is just mile after mile after mile of department stores, shops, gas stations, etc etc. I feel surrounded by a consumer culture, which disgusts me. I don't want to see shops and stores in every direction. I want nature, I want freedom from society, freedom from civilization, and yet here I am surrounded by everything I want to be AWAY from. I can't be connected to the Earth here, I can't feel that natural spiritual connection like I am used to. No, the little nature preserves that are surrounded by developments are not nature. It's like nature imprisoned by ever-encroaching human beings. There is no freedom to be found there, but just the opposite.

a reply to: Night Star

See you in there

I'm excited to learning more from you Night Star.. thanks for the link!

Now it's way past my bedtime so I must wish you a beautiful starry night!

a reply to: trollz

Hey I really enjoyed reading your posts and glad to see your attuned philosophy when it comes to the natural world.

Thank you for sharing.. I particularly enjoyed your take on music, feeling vs listening, and whether the song fits the scene, and the horrid consumer culture.. but now really I must get some rest. Will respond in more detail tomorrow night.

a reply to: trollz

Wow! You could write a book of your own!

a reply to: zosimov

Sweet Dreams! It is late for me here, but I'll be poking around the boards for a bit yet.

a reply to: Night Star

You should visit, there are an inordinate amount of places that an elf would enjoy immensely.

Thanks for the threads zos, I always find it interesting to read and learn about random, unique people from the past (and present).

My only comment would be that I'd enjoy reading some good chunk sized excerpts from Opal's book. Not entirely sure of the "rules" on that though.

ETA: I feel like "intelligence" is still something we don't quite understand. Most of my family has pretty decent IQ "scores" (150s on modern tests), but they guy in the 120s is, in my opinion, the most brilliant. His ability to make ingenious connections, solve problems in completely innovative ways, and ability to have and communicate novel thought is borderline supernatural.

I think once we begin to really understand these things, everything from education to communication might take a massive leap forward.

Ideally, at that point, we will also see less of this odd "discrimination" against intelligence. As well as less hubris on the other end (which likely stems from the mentioned discrimination), leading to more value being assigned to everyone across the board.

a reply to: zosimov

Thanks for bringing attention to her.

I've read Part two now as well.

a reply to: Serdgiam

Thank you for the interesting comment about intelligence. I completely agree with you that our current measurements of intellect do not constitute an accurate reading of the mind's capacity for knowledge/creativity.

If you check back to my part 2, I added excerpts from Opal's diary after publishing the thread, but I'd just highly recommend you seek the book in its entirety.
Through the Eyes of a Child: The Mystical Genius of Opal Whitely Part 2 of 2
Enjoy!
Also I believe it may be available to download here..(?)
Opal's Journal
May you find peace and beauty in Opal's world