This week, we will leave the tower behind us and venture in the Island.
Islands that are reached either by sailing or by the air are symbolically the harbor of a spiritual center, more precisely the primordial spiritual center.
The primitive Syria mentioned by Homer is for instance a central island in the world. The Greek counterpart of this island is Tula – the white island – where the good fortuned reside.
According to the Muslim tradition heaven on earth is also situated in an island whilst in Greek Mythology, Zeus comes from the sacred island of Minos, the motherland of mysteries.
We see then that the island in this tradition – as well as on Celtic tradition – is very close to the notion of the temple and sanctuary.
Yet, sometimes this refuge also turns out to become a prison – the island of the dead, which souls reach after crossing the eternal waters, is a place where none can escape. We can see then that this island may also symbolize alienation and seclusion. John Donne’s famous line comes to mind: “no man is an island”.
Now you take the floor, what do you associate with the island?
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I,m a product of my parents, my way is created by life, I’m garded by my Father, sorrowing for my beloved, praying for possoblities to be helpfull for a better world.
So dear Pandora, you were in Cyprus a few days ago…becuase I think, the Opera performance in Paphos was last week.?? And you did not even try to contacr me!
You live in London, I have noticed on your photo. My younger daughter teaches Law at Leicester University and she has studied at King’s College London. So our roads some day may cross…
Love,
Thelma
Hi Thelma,
There is overwhelming evidence which proves that Pandora (Anesidora) was the sender of gifts not evils.
“For thousands of years before the classical myths were recorded by Hesiod and Homer, the Goddess was the focus of religion and Culture”
Hesiod the poet wrote the poem Theogany, much much later, (he also had shockingly very low regard to women ).
Wikipedia has a very incisive article on this. I also can recommend the book Lost Goddesses of Early Greece by Charlene Spretnak whose quote is shown above, which traces the pre-hellenic Goddesses. Gaia, Pandora, Themis, Aphrodite, Artemis, Selene Hecate, Hera, Athena, Demeter and Persephone.
You are correct, Venus resides in my 2nd house right in the middle of Libra, her ruler.
(I also heard Madame Butterfly whilst dining on the harbour at Paphos recently, sounded wonderful).
I had a very strong past life connection with Crete, when I visited Knossos with my friends, I knew instinctually where everything was and what it was used for as I had, had a powerful dream a few months earlier! Each time I go to a new Greek Island I learn something knew about its mythology and the energy of the Gods and Goddesses, it isn’t enough for me just to read about them.
XXX
I first met Islands, reading Lord of the Flies, a story about how a group of nice young boys turned into savages when they were stranded on a deserted island.
A visit to the Island Rhode, in fantastic Greece, gave everything Paulo mentions, being a very spiritual place. I spent an entire day on a Vespa, following the one road that takes you all the way around Rhode. We climbed the ancient Acropolis, we met Orthodox priest dressed in long black robe, and old people sitting outside on benches, just being alive. We entered a butterfly valley and could rest on a beach all alone, with nobody else disturbing the peace. The atmosphere was like something you never want to leave ever.
My third experience with an Island, was living one year in Ireland. And yes, I met a deep spirituality in these ancestors of the Celtics. One day we did a pilgrimage to Knock, a small Irish town, which had an apparition in the beginning of our century. Around the place there were sign posts up stating; “Silence”. I always appreciated being present with others in silence. And the busy, jolly Irish people, always lift your spirit up!
Island records : Dyer’ maker
Jah RastafarI
an island in da sun
U2
The cedars of libanon
Peace & Love or Else
Damien
Essence,but the brain does`nt get it.
The end of a vivid and precious dream. The wind, the mountain, the sun and the sea.
Dear Pandora, Thank you. It seems that you are a Libra too,having Aphrodite in your chart!
Yes you have let out all the evils but you left…HOPE, for all of us!!
You said the other day that you have had ‘past life’ memories..maybe you have been Greek or…Cypriot.
LOVE,
THELMA
Dear Thelma
I actually did think to contact you before I went, but now I have an invitation next time I journey there (which hopefully won’t be too long) I most definitely will.
I missed the sanctuary of Aphrodite, and she is a Goddess close to my heart and strongly in my chart, although I did visit her Baths near Polis which was truely magical.
Greek myths are very important to me, being born with my name. Having been told that I let out all the evils of the world (if only I had a £1 for everytime), I have studied them carefully.
People say I look Greek or Spanish, which I am not, but maybe some blood somewhere, definitely in my soul.
Thank you
XXX
“Se as aguas do mar da vida
Quiserem te afogar…”
Uma ilha pode ser a mão de Deus?
Dear Pandora[you have a Greek name meanining: all the presents]. It seems that you have visited Cyprus. We may have met? Have you been in Limassol? My husband’s family used to own a hotel named ‘Elena’ on the beach.. It seems that you know well all greek islands and their mythology and history. If you ever come again to Cyprus I will be happy to meet you.
LOVE,
THELMA
I recalled the movie Lords of the flies when I first saw the topic. Already back then I dreamed about something like that would happened to me some day, stranded on an island with no insurance to ever be rescued. (to bad that fear takes over sanity for most humans)
Except the first thing that came to my head is my long term pension away from this materialistic world disorder. To build a free community based on love and understanding, the swedish “Allemansrätt / “every mans right”" among other basis. Far away from television, war and disasters(!?). The families have their duties, craftsmen, harvesters (green all year!! <3), medical skills etcetera. On an Island of course! (even tho maybe some parts in maybe Siberia or similar to avoid natural disasters)
But an Island it is!
This is my retired plan in short :)
Thanks for everything!
My life began in the British Isles, so I think of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland as home. But I’ve lived in America for so long, that when I go back, I feel like a stranger.
I spent many happy years SCUBA diving off Grand Cayman. The complete and utter serenity of being under-water in such beauty was phenomenal. The only other time that my brain is at such ease and peace is when I paint.
I have visions where I am on an island that I’ve never seen, yet it’s familiar and somehow “right”. It’s the best of all my visions, one that I long for. The others are, for the most part, terrifying. Small wonder I love my sunny island!
No Paul, not to be sad…
Come with me, this is my island:
http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=sNx5lVlZcqQ
islands are safe heavens, mystical beautiful secluded pieces of earth amidst the blue abyss,they provide protection from the stormy seas around them,
yet islands seem to belong to the lonely and the romantic such as Hemingway who choose to escape memories and the stress of life beyond, an island can comfort and heal the broken and disappointed but it can also seduce and imprison into living an unchallenged path. humans have been driven always by the question what lies beyond the horizon…
Island is the shelter, scary as it is with all the unknown, but i guess God and mother nature are far more tender,and merciful than most people nowadays
The island makes me sad because we are in forced separation from those who are different than we are. All the while we are on the island, our minds can still remain free by reaching across great barriers to embrace all and to enter the peace of oneness in efforts to meet those who love us through differences.
I believe the island is a place refuge and safety, where we go for isolation from outside influences so that we get back to the essence of who we are. It only becomes a prison when we refuse to see the world beyond the shores of the island and fail to acknowledge that we are part of humanity and therefore connected to All.
All islands I have visited have given me Sunshine, sea and love, except England which is rain, pollution and CCTV cameras!
Aphrodite: Cyprus.
Artemis & Apollo : Delos
Minos and Moon/Sun Worship : Crete
Mysticism : Rhodes
Dancing and Love : Balearics
Maybe its time to move :-)
The ship were i am working is like a island.
She is a beauty because she the reflection of
myself,she offers me a lot challenges and therefore
i am so greatfull to serve her in dignity
I got a lot of freedom .And freedom is for me very important.I am enjoying the blue sea and the beautifull
rivers like the Rio Parana,the borders of the Panama
canal and so on.
For me there is no place in this world as beautiful as we called my beloved country…The Pearl of the Orient Seas..no other than the country with 7,107 islands..The Philippines.
You take the floor and describe the islands in the Philippines,what are they to you?
Eu acho que o pensamento do homem é uma ilha, mesmo que ele divida.
Quando nós pensamos ou imaginamos qualquer coisa, fazemos isso sózinhos ou com Deus.
O homem…nós.. não somos uma ilha, porque não vivemos só, porque precisamos do outro para viver, para dividir Amor .E até se fosse numa ilha, o homem além de Deus, não estaria sozinho porque os animais e a natureza estariam dividindo espaço e vida com o homem.
Beijos,
Mari Raphael.
To me, island is a place concentrated with a spiritual power, power that seems to give a special vibe to the people that live there and the beuty that island has. I live in Puerto Rico, the smallest of the big islands in the caribbean. This island seems to be full of people that shine through their gifts to the world (Ricky Martin, Raul Julia, Daddy Yankee, Benicio Del Toro, etc). It may sound like I’m bragging, but this is not the case. Around five years ago, it was reported that puertorricans LIVING in Puerto Rico where the happiest people on earth (they’re currently #2 now), which surprised me because of the regular problems which I know our populations deals with everyday.
Regular people in this island have the gift of being welcoming, warm and naturally help others in need, putting their problems on the side, even if they just met them. I feel there has to be a spiritual reason connected to that island itself as to why this is the case, as I have never witness this anywhere I have traveled before.
It wouldn’t surprise me if other people living in an island report that same experience. I feel blessed to have lived in this beautiful island, Mi(My in Spanish) Puerto Rico, and yours too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKCJN1sS3x4
CYPRUS,KIPROS, of LOVE and DREAM..
Χρυσοπράσινο φύλλο ριγμένο στο πέλαγο,
Κύπρο του ονείρου και της αγάπης..
The music of Mikis Theodorakis about my Island, my Country.
Everyone is an insland..In order to reach others we need aeroplanes, ships or our…INTUITION, the Water.
LOVE,
THELMA from Cyprus.
p.s. the quality of the film is not good, being old. But Cyprus is here you can come and visit us.
t.
:) Don’t you preoccupe Paul from Austria, the power of God is infinite…
I ASSOCIATE PEACE AND BEAUTY WITH ISLAND. I IMAGINE IT AS MOST ROMANTIC PLACE.
For me a small island on the Northumbrian coast was a place of illumination and a transformation in belief and thought. Known for its spiritual connections the island and people I met there certainly had an impact on my spiritual journey. I had an experience which opended my eyes to other possibilities and realities and gave a new twist to my path. It also reminded me to have faith in myself, be myself and to have faith and trust that when the time is right all will be revealed.
Dear Paulo,
I’d like to get in touch with Andrea Mccain. She’s waiting for me…
Could you help me please? My name is Anna, I was born on 26.08.78
All the best
Anna
A peacefull place to come to rest meanwhile
looking to the sunset or sunrise with a blue or
green colored sea with the sound of the waves
and wind .Looking to a blue sky with white clouds and seagulls how are yelling freedom.
Enjoying the feeling of white sand between my
toes and looking to the grey rocks in the sea.
Ilha me lembra férias e tambem a tela de abertura do meu computador!
Island is…a magic place where you can sharpen your senses, expecially when this island is little!
You can listen the sounds of nature, the power of God that fills with strong energy your soul!
Island give you peace and joy, new experiences and new discoveries.
Love
I used to view the concepts of an island as a place of isolation…in a negative way. Now I see it also as isolation but in a positive way as in a sanctuary to quiet the mind and talk with God.
the island for me represents a remaining, last place of oasis, peace, undisturbed nature on this planet – where man has not interrupted nor changed nor conquered. The island is thus a place where true self can be discovered since it does not define oneself by the norms of mainland/mainstream.
It is the last place where man can interact and unite with life on earth without being defined by the other,rather it can define itself in relation to nature.
even the island, however, is soon lost or to be replaced for man-made islands for the rich alone to frequent.
1. Galapagos
2. Easter Islands
3. Groeland
Island to me means seclusion………….a opportunity to hold dialogue with the self.Opportunity to plunge deep into the soul and find a hidden treasure.Opportunity to decipher the signs and secrets untold.A pause before the journey again begins and new tales of the sea are heard and told. Very much like death in Hindu culture, where death is just a resting phase in the cycle of birth and rebirth.
Dorothi
I think of a few of the lyrics to an old song, by Simon and Garfunkel, I believe: “I am a rock. I am an island.”
No man is an island.
Islands – Seclusion and Romance.
James Michener had written in one of his books – “How good it is not to do anything the whole day, and after having done so, to rest”.
The island represents for me a place of refuge. Seclusion, privacy comes to mind surrounded by peace and calm (water). The island also represents being ostracized. Cast away from society not by choice but by circumstance and having to make the best of your situation.
a place where treasure is hidden.
Islands…hmm..
When I first read the association I thought first of Alcatraz Island, and of the brutality that was once there. I feel the pain of those thousands of men who watched ships go by or watched free men come and go. I know what it’s like to suffer and burn with a passion. I knew that the Island was not just a jail or fortress but it was also a beacon of light, or a paradise.
I then thought of the many times I had day dreamed and ended up somewhere in the Caribbean sitting in a nice hammock wasting away the day while beautiful ladies brought me exotic drinks and fruits. I could feel the sun beating down upon my head, and I didn’t have a care in the world except not getting a sunburn. What a life to live! Getting to do whatever you want and being so free and careless; but is that the life for me?
Where do I find the balance in these two polars opposites? of extreme passion and strength and of complete nonchalance and relaxation? I think it’s up to each one of us to decide.
I don’t suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.
E.M Flick
Islands always make me think of that song – Islands in the stream by Kenny Rodgers ,but Islands are paradise to me ,rest ,relaxation ,sun,beach,snorkeling and one of favorite places is Bali -Island of the Gods -I loved that movie Blue lagoon ,also castaway movie with Tom Hanks ..
I grew up having all my holidays on Great Keppel Island in Ql.L>D Australia …I love the feel of tropical Islands .
Blessings Tania
Avalon. A place of healing. A time, a place, a space in which to heal, to lick old wounds, to mend old sins. A place to be reborn. Yes, that too. Forever to be reborn, here, now, on this patch of soil that rises from the sea like an oasis from the desert horizon–shimmering, tempting, yet for some, for most, forever remaining just out of reach, drifting as it does, in and out of the mists of dawn and dusk. Some say it is the place where dreams go when they are replaced, old loves when they are abandoned or discarded. Others say it is a place where the leaves never turn, where all things remain fresh and crisp and ever-green. For me, it is a place of waiting, a place of bated breath and half-sighs, a place of expecting seasons that never arrive. Above all, it is my home–a place I might escape from, but only to have my ashes returned. The soil here, the very dust, and my flesh are one. Some say that I own this island. Perhaps that is true, if we can ever claim to be “owners” of the land. I rather think that it is the other way around–the land owns us, this very island upon which I was born–this place they call Avalon–is both womb and tomb, and all of that which spans the distance between is but a lovely, lurid dream.
Savita Vega
I tend to think of the island paradise with palm trees swaying by the beach. I also see islands as an escape from the pressures of the world so this idea of seclusion and alienation could be both a good or a bad thing. I never thought of islands as primordial spiritual centers but I guess that makes sense as it would be logical to be more spiritual if you were secluded from the hustle and bustle of “normal” life.
loneliness but also happiness
the island where I spent all my happy childhood summers
the mythological island of Atlantis
the island in the caribbean or pacific see – a place to rest
or to fight for survival (Robinson Crusoe)
the closed resting-room in the office,
the hidden green park around the corner with it’s own
fresh-water spring
– an island of silence in a noisy world..
but you said once you didn’t like to visit islands?
The Island,
1. Hamingway – Cuba
2. Mike Olfild – We are islands but never too far….
3. Robinson Crusoe
Luce
We realize our spiritual union, our tower in the floor, tired by the happiness and exhausted by the steps we look.
Sometimes in floor we feel small shipwrecked persons, until we see the Island, the bar of the bar … illuminated, it gives us refreshment, between thousand Ron’s palms.
The difficult thing is not to come to the bar of the bar, if not to go out of (it). XD At any one time, we realize that we themselves are the island, agree to be tired of dancing and sit down in our ” John’s island “.To speaking with the friends, as after every adventure.
Because my experience,and form latest readings,I easily link the idea of island with the paradise.An edenic place out of time,far from the civilizations.In romanian literature,our greatest poet,Mihai Eminescu,wrote also a short story,”Cezara”,in a very romantic style.The young couple,boy and girl,escape from the problems,and live in happiness in on hidden island.They lose shy and in the end stay nacked ,or almost.Their love was pure,inocent,and that island was just the perfect place for living it.
I have to mention that one place I felt like paradise,during a period spent on Elba island.
What about a perfect island about to be defiled by development?
A cloud of smoke nears to town
Its breath turns the meadow brown
The precious ground upon which I stand
Will yield to the developer’s hand
This old town once knew no name
But times have passed and things have changed
These crystal clear shores were untouched
And its people friendly and familiar
Now the builders build and the buyers buy
And the vacationer’s smog fills the sky
somewhere at the end of the world…an enchanted place..a dream..
turquoise..salty sea…golden sand..infinite blue sky..sunny days..silver moon..hot nights..joy..love…happiness..
love
Agnieszka
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