Angela's entry into Petr's book cover theme

Hello Friends!

I've recently discovered the Chinese word/concept of "li". Although, it was explained to me as a universal, uniting principle, rather than as a fundamentally Tao, or Neo-Confucianism philosophy. . .  If it is new to you too, here is a snippet from Wikipedia:


 In the Chinese language ... the character for li means the markings in jade. It also means the grain in wood and the fiber in muscle. We could say, too, that clouds have li, marble has li, the human body has li. We all recognize it, and the artist copies it whether he is a landscape painter, a portrait painter, an abstract painter, or a non-objective painter. They all are trying to express the essence of li. The interesting thing is, that although we all know what it is, there is no way of defining it. Because tao is the course, we can also call li the watercourse, and the patterns of li are also the patterns of flowing water. We see those patterns of flow memorialized, as it were, as sculpture in the grain in wood, which is the flow of sap, in marble, in bones, in muscles. All these things are patterned according to the basic principles of flow. In the patterns of flowing water you will all kind of motifs from Chinese art, immediately recognizable, including the S-curve in the circle of yang-yin. So li means then the order of flow, the wonderful dancing pattern of liquid, because Lao-tzu likens tao to water: The great tao flows everywhere, to the left and to the right, It loves and nourishes all things, but does not lord it over them.

— Alan Watts, Taoism

I felt pretty darn lucky this morning. Glorious sunshine and a cool breeze while I walked the 3 minutes from my new home, to what felt like my own private beach. While finishing my entry, from 9-11, only one other person walked by...   The atmosphere suited the theme of the entry perfectly and I can't think of a better way to start off my year away from teaching. Thanks for sharing my new beginning with me, Esketchers!