Inge Schuster
Art
Came across these digitally manipulated compositions by artist/photographer Inge Schuster on instagram (@inge.schuster), full of luscious color and stark architectural structures, combining them in an innovative and beautiful way. The creative and innovative photo compositions, sometimes coined as "urban minimalism" immediately called out to me for their zen-like, simple, poetic quality. "With a keen eye for detail, a lot of time and care is put into editing the images to achieve a unique end result. She often combines elements from different photographs."
For more of her stunning and varied works, follow her on instagram: @inge.schuster
Jenny Cockell's Past Life
The story of Jenny Cockell/Mary Sutton is perhaps the most remarkable story I have read on the subject of reincarnation, shared with me by a good friend in Maine.
Cockell claims to have remembered many of her past lives--the story in this video from the Phil Donahue Show details one of those lives which preoccupied her deeply throughout her current life. In that past life which she had definitive memories of, she died at a young age, leaving her eight children to fend for themselves. She worried about them incessantly in her current life and set out to see if she could figure out what happened to them. She managed to succeed and twenty years later, ended up finding her (now adult) children who were still alive and who were able to corroborate her story.
Sounds too crazy to believe...as fantastic as it seems, you will have a hard time disproving it. It will all make (more) sense after watching this incredible video.
If you have further interest, you might want to take a look at her books Yesterday's Children and Across Time and Death by Jenny Cockell and read another one that started me on my journey: Many Lives, Many Masters, written by psychiatrist Dr. Barry Weiss of Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, Florida, which opened the possibility of reincarnation for me. I have been down that rabbit hole, and many other related ones, ever since.
Jalaluddin Rumi Poem
THE GUEST HOUSE
by Jalaluddin Rumi
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
Translated by Coleman Barks
Photo of the Week
Charity of the Week:
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.