Visual Journal Entry #6

 Wednesday night, 20230301

Persephone getting some letters/mails/messages from Hades

clue: don't forget to look for the pomegranates 💜

Postcard

Friday Letters: fiction letters from fiction characters

I have been reading the book Griffin and Sabine lately, and once again I am captivated by its timeless ingenuity in marrying the art of letter writing/postcard and art of keeping a diary/sketchbook, in a narrative fiction that centers on love and self-discovery. But what absorbs me more is the underlying concept of a single person being complete unto self, that there is no other to complement us, the dissolution of idea of the other and I, as two different bodies because we are all complete as it is, both energies reside in us, but we only learn of it by going through the difficult process of knowing ourselves. These are the bold ideas that Nick Bantock, the author, wants his readers to deeply understand.

If we survey the theories created out by fans around the world on how to make sense of the story, the most interesting one would be that Griffin and Sabine are existing in different time planes, because in the second book installment, Griffin and Sabine ultimately shared a common space, Griffin’s apartment, but we found out in a post card left by Sabine that she was waiting for Griffin, but he never arrived. Although in Griffin’s reality, Sabine must still be in the apartment when he opened the door, as indicated in the date on the postcard. It is not unlike the Korean movie Il Mare which was adopted by Hollywood, The Lake House.

Therefore, we have time here as the main driving force in the plot of the story. It’s like time has become another character in the narrative. And sometimes we have to suspend rationality when we enter these kinds of stories. Anyways, what’s really interesting is how Bantock explained his own take in his story, that Griffin has been writing all these postcards and letters by himself. Trying to express himself in two different pulses. The feminine and the masculine, maybe an exercise to voice the often times differing ideas of the two, making it tangible as we visually can differentiate the styles of feminine art strokes from the masculine ones. Visual creations can make it easier for someone to filter the two, to set aside the two opposing forces, even the font styles can give a clue which one is the feminine and which is the masculine. Maybe that’s it, Bantock wants to detail, to profile, to make a clear distinction between the two before molding them again into one. Marrying the two forces can be potent, as Bantock said, it can be eventually about higher spiritual awakening or an exercise on awareness where the artist as a creator must know both forces intimately.

I don’t know if I am making any sense.

The basic plot of three-installment book is that Griffin was desperately praying for a muse, and as with the unknown mysteries of life, his wish came true, in the personality of Sabine. But the astonished Griffin couldn’t really believe that a muse really exists and on top of it, she is writing him letters and postcards! So, in his great terror, he fled his house as Sabine resolved to visit him. He couldn’t face the reality that he is going to be face to face with the muse he’s been dreaming of, that’s why he immediately decided to make a pilgrimage to far flung countries, to find himself and to find the strength to finally meet her.

In one of his letters to Sabine, Griffin said:

I’m running from you, but I’m also searching for a way to accept my fate, which I know to be bound to yours.

This sentence sounds very romantic but also it can be a desperate plea to be free from the fate which can take over him completely. In a way, he will be bound, so his freedom will be limited.

Anyways, my mind is a bit muddled now, must be the full moon. Leaving you guys now, don’t forget to look at the majestic moon tonight.

Friday Letters: An intense unclassifiable relationship

As part of my ongoing Friday Love Letters of great minds, I would like to introduce the complex love story of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller. Both intellectuals sensed that magnetic pull they exert on each other even at the very beginning of their interaction. Being proponents of the sweeping movement of Trancendentalism in the US, Waldo (1803) was seven years senior of Margaret (1810), but in each other they found a kindred spirit when it came to looking at the world, its intricacies and complexities. The major theme of their love story resided in their difference in definition of intimacy. Both sensed that within each other, their souls could communicate, that their minds could reach highs and depths together where never before could they imagine that it was really possible. An astounding revelation to both of them, and knowing full well that they could never find the same intensity in another person, that kind of mystery could only happen to the both of them.

Eventually, this kind of intimate connection must be put in speech, therefore both had started to venture discussing who they were in each other’s lives. A bit of a background, Waldo at that time was married, although he was announcing to the world that his marriage was dragging him to emotional and intellectual death, labeling it as Mezentian marriage. He could never hold a conversation with his wife the way he conversed with Margaret. He could never find the spark of mental stimulation and perhaps romantic awakening in his domestic relations with his wife, which consequently fueled the fire of intense relationship with his intellectual soulmate, Margaret.

“He and Margaret found themselves on one side of an invisible wall, the rest of the world on the other. But neither knew what to make of this uncommon bond that didn’t conform to any existing template. The richest relationships are often those that don’t fit neatly into the preconceived slots we have made for the archetypes we imagine would populate our lives — the friend, the lover, the parent, the sibling, the mentor, the muse. We meet people who belong to no single slot, who figure into multiple categories at different times and in different magnitudes. We then must either stretch ourselves to create new slots shaped after these singular relationships, enduring the growing pains of self-expansion, or petrify,” Maria Popova, Brainpickings

For Margaret, being a free-thinking, open-minded creature, she also had a parade of lovers while having her friendship with Waldo. Being fluid in her gender, she shared intimacies with both men and women, however she mentioned in many impassioned letters sent to Waldo that she felt, “so at home” with him alone. As mentioned earlier, the labeling of their unclassified relationship balled into a larger issue between them: she wanted to define the relationship, he didn’t want to. Mainly, he was afraid of jumping from a dead-weight marriage to another one if they indeed wanted to formalize their coupledom, he thought that it would be too much to be caged the second time. Although in his most demonstrative letter, Waldo told Margaret, “O divine mermaid or fisher of men, to whom all gods have given the witch-hazel-wand… I am yours & yours shall be.”

It is interesting to note how Maria Popova, an essayist, highlighted the definition of intimacy:

This false notion of the body as the testing ground for intimacy has long warped our understanding of what constitutes a romantic relationship. The measure of intimacy is not the quotient of friction between skin and skin, but something else entirely — something of the love and trust, the joy and ease that flow between two people as they inhabit that private world walled off from everything and everyone else.

If we will use this definition intimacy as our measuring scale to label the relationship between Waldo and Margaret, then we can say that they were definitely and unquestionably a couple already. Judging from their letters alone we know that both of them deeply knew the undeniable intimate relationship that they had. But refusing to be boxed in classification, the couple quietly agreed that they need not go through the rituals of marriage or living together. They just allowed the relationship to naturally grow and take flight.

Let us once again look at one of the letters Waldo sent to Margaret and marvel at his romantic words:

Let us live as we have always done, only ever better, I hope, & richer. Speak to me of every thing but myself & I will endeavor to make an intelligible reply. Allow me to serve you & you will do me a kindness; come & see me… let me visit you and I shall be cheered as ever by the spectacle of so much genius & character as you have always the gift to draw around you.

~

Something to ponder on:

If you were Margaret, would you let this relationship go on without both parties defining it? Don’t we need grounding, and definitely to achieve grounding, we must define something, only then can we achieve a clear look of its limits, its scope and its parameters?

Source
https://www.brainpickings.org/2019/06/05/ralph-waldo-emerson-margaret-fuller-letters-figuring/

Beloved Postcards sent to me by Friends

Today, I am writing about my favorite postcards sent to me via snail mail.

Have I mentioned before that I love writing letters and receiving letters, but in old-school way? Yes, I love sending and receiving snail mails. For those very young to know, before the age of email, there was such a thing as sending mails through post office, all you have to do is prepare your letter, bring it with you to the post office and buy some stamps. Ask the post office staff how much it costs to send your letter domestically or internationally, and then paste the stamps equal to the amount it takes to send it to the recipient, on the envelope and just drop it on the box clearly labelled: domestic/local mail or international mail. There congratulations, you have posted a snail mail. Of course, unlike the hyper-speed function of email, your snail mail will take a while for your friend to receive it. In my experience, usually my letters to Japan arrive within 2 weeks and to China almost a month. But domestically, my letters usually take 2 to 3 weeks to arrive. I was surprised really that my friend in Japan received the letter I sent earlier than the letter I sent to QC. Interesting isn't it?

Through the years, my letter boxes have been filling up with a lot of letters. Usually from friends here and overseas, then acquaintances and of course most of them now are from students.

This is a picture of some of the letters I have collected through the years.

Not all of them were sent through snail mail, some of them were personally given to me. I take good care of each of these letters because I know the senders really put a lot of effort and thoughts in making/writing these compositions.

Now, I am going to show some of the best post cards I have received from my friends.

The first one below is a picture of two pandas eating bamboo contently. I used to dream of becoming a panda nurse, I think it must be a great job to interact and take care of pandas all day, to play with them, hug and carry them. You can see in the postcard that these two pandas look like they are communicating while eating, facing each other and even maybe sharing some bamboo, they must be best friends or maybe lovers. They just look so happy.

This next one is cherry blossoms tree in winter, with a number of Santa Claus under it. It evokes the feeling of childish awe. It is such a big tree and it seems like it is a pseudo-Christmas tree but its foliage is pink, and it just gives off that bright, light vibe. There are a lot of movements in the photo provided by a number of Santa Claus in their full costume, it seems like they are preparing to bring their gifts to give away and they are huddling together to reach a consensus. It feels so nice because they seem so busy, just like my family whenever we gather together for a reunion to celebrate the Noche Buena.

Ah this one is of course Oblation of UP Diliman, sent as a postcard by Romina. I love the color and how it was framed. We can see the edges of the Administration building. We can see some of the pillars of the building, proudly rising to the high-ceiling. There was this urban legend in the campus that we should not take our picture with Oble while studying, because it will mean that we will graduate late. So I spent my whole college life avoiding going near Oble, I learned to admire him from afar. Tip: the best view of him are from (1) the vast patch of green near College of Mass Communication and (2) from the sunflower garden along the acad oval. But now, no more avoiding, I can have my picture taken with him anytime, I have my Sablay already.

This one below is a nice cut-out post card sent by Steph. She chose well. I love it. But I didn't have the heart to cut it because I just love looking at it. The best part of it is its material, it is an artificial suede fabric on the other side and a laminated smooth cardboard on the other. From time to time, I just like touching it.

Lastly, this one below is a nicely shaped postcard from Tokyo. I love the angular feel of this structure. And the color combination. It feels like it is strictly symmetrical. Balanced, however it also feels too rigid and suffocating. Also, the hard and angular lines that we can see all over this structure makes it feel so solid and sturdy.

Hopefully, I can make another post about favorite cards given to me by my friends and students. Maybe next time I will make time for it, but anyways, thanks for reading and see you again.

Friday Letters: Amelia Earhart's love for freedom

Today, I decided that Friday would be my day for sharing some letters whom famous people wrote that inspired and transformed the world. These letters are very relatable and relevant, although some were written decades ago. I remember watching SATC movie part 1, where Mr. Big, to get her back, sent Carrie some love letters written by famous and beloved musicians, thinkers, philosophers and authors. I cannot help but be curious and intrigued by how these great minds feel about love and sacrifice, faith and failures, challenges and triumph.

There is something about letter writing that makes us all very human. Maybe because we tend to pour our hearts out onto these pages trusting that the eyes reading them are in league with our minds and emotions. Maybe because writing private, much more intimate, letters is an art of marrying our heart and mind ~ a very powerful and compelling combination. Perhaps, letters also give us a context of the society that the author and reader belong to ~ the age, moral standards, milieu. Through these written letters, we will also see how they defied traditional customs, how they struggled to fit two or more inconsistent truths, how they tried hard to establish their convictions amid the great transition of their times.

We are lucky to be part of this generation where we have access to these intimate self-portraits of great thinkers drawn through words ~ their sensibilities, idiosyncrasies, pleasures, guilt and perhaps universal view.

~

Amelia Earhart's radical view of marriage is as liberating as her historical air expedition across Atlantic ocean. I never knew Earhart that much before, except when I heard that line from New Radicals' song Someday We'll Know ~ ok, 90s kids lemme hear you sing it ~ whatever happened to Amelia Earhart!

Anyways, being a curious kid back then I searched the books and found out that she, aside from being an author, is the first woman pilot (aviatrix) who fly solo across the Atlantic. She also attempted to circumnavigate (fly around) the world but she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. From the looks of it, she sees flying as a very liberating experience, which unsurprisingly becomes the backbone of her life conviction - freedom. More than a very independent spirit, Earhart also has this radical conviction about marriage. Written February 7, 1931, our letter today is written in the morning of her wedding to George Putnam, her publicist. Seeing marriage as a threat to her freedom, she started the letter directly emphasizing their deliberate discussion of sharing life together and managed to finish it with firmness and careful stress of her love for freedom. She drew a very brave set-up of marriage for her and her soon to be husband. 

There is by the way a film entitled Amelia (Mira Nair, 2009) starring Hilary Swank. You can check here

Also, Amelia refused to have her last name changed, so she continued using her name until the very end. 

Sources:

1. Amelia Earhart official website http://www.ameliaearhart.com/

2. Brainpickings: Amelia Earhart on Marriage http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/12/11/amelia-earhart-on-marriage/?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=bufferd6940&utm_medium=twitter