Listened to this YouTube recording of a talk by poet & philosopher John O’Donohue last night and my brain kind of melted like a gorgeous gooey Galaxy chocolate bar of loveliness…Mmmmmm…and I woke up this morning still feeling the loveliness of his words…
There are a couple of talks featuring John on there. This one is Imagination as the Path of the Spirit uploaded by Slí na Fírinne, from 2012.
I admit it – I might actually be in love with this man now. He has such a charm in the way that he speaks so naturally with the flow of a person who is genuinely delighting in what he is talking about. Like a child speaking about something, and just letting them talk. And kind of rambling a bit from topic to topic, but a lovely, soothing journey on every path. Although he meanders a times, what he says on every “mini journey” of words is like a surprise discovery of a reflection of an aspect of life, but now rich and lit up with new meaning.
Disclaimer
He does however sound quite a lot like a character from Fr Ted! He sounds very, very “Irish parish priest”. He did used to be a priest for many years, but eventually left the priesthood. I have to admit, I couldn’t stop thinking about the priest from Fr Ted which I first started listening, but it became very charming and soothing as I continued.
Presence, “being” & intimacy
In the talk he speaks about so many things, but one of those I was surprised about was the emphasis he put on presence. I see this throughout the limited pieces of his work I have come across and I am excited to take in more of his legacy. I have been writing and reflecting on my own journey understanding these concepts recently which I will eventually share.
Where does imagination fit with the practice of presence & awareness?
For me, the newness in what John speaks about is the aspect of imagination as a godliness. In my recent learnings about the monkey mind, being present and not getting caught up in the movies in my head about life, I kind of felt a loss of my imagination in a way. I love that my mind can take me to wondrous places as I prepare my breakfast, or take my morning shower. I love that it just takes flight over the day I haven’t yet visited and creates potential joy in weaving together ideas and connections. It is from my imagination that my creativity comes. And much of my joy in life really. And it makes me happy to hear John’s talk knitting together both presence and imagination.
In essence the question can be summed up in the following quote:
“No one else has access to the world you carry around within yourself;
you are its custodian and entrance.
No one else can see the world the way you see it.
No one else can feel your life the way you feel it.”
― John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
So here it is: Imagination as the Path of the Spirit.
(loving the youtube user comment below the video: “I am a humanoid and a former baby, I’m off to write my diary of most dangerous thoughts :)”)