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Quote by Rainer Maria Rilke

“Beauty is as close to terror as we can well endure. Angels would not condescend to damn our meagre souls. That is why they awe and why they terrify us so. Every angel is terrible!”

Quote by Rainer Maria Rilke

Book:The Duino elegies
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The Duino elegies

The Duino Elegies is a series of 11 poems written by the German-Swiss poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Composed in 1912, these elegies are considered one of his most significant works. The collection explores themes of loss, longing, and the human search for meaning and connection in a vast and indifferent universe. Rilke's lyrical and introspective style is evident throughout, with the poems offering a rich tapestry of imagery and philosophical inquiry. more

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Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke

German poet known for his profound poetry and epistolary works. Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry style is unique, often exploring themes such as loneliness, love, and religious faith. more

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“The gentle waves caress the shore, each ebb and flow echoing the rhythm of her heartbeat. As the sun climbs higher, casting golden rays upon the water, she feels the warmth envelop her like a lover's embrace. It’s a sanctuary, this beach, where the weight of the world melts away and the whispers of the ocean harmonize with the stories she carries within. In this serene moment, she reflects on the journey that has brought her here ~ a tapestry woven with threads of joy, sorrow, love, and loss. Each experience a lesson, each heartbreak a stepping stone. She understands now that the divine feminine within her is a wellspring of strength, intuition, and creativity, guiding her through the labyrinth of life. As she walks along the shoreline, the sand soft beneath her feet, she feels a connection to the earth, to the ancestors who walked this path before her. They, too, whispered tales of resilience and transformation, of standing tall in the face of adversity. With every step, she honors their legacy, embracing her own story as part of a greater narrative. The ocean glistens like a thousand diamonds, reflecting the brilliance of her spirit. She closes her eyes, breathing in the salty air, allowing the sound of the waves to wash over her. In this moment of stillness, she hears the call of the wild ~ the laughter of the gulls, the rustle of palm fronds in the breeze, and the distant echo of her own heart. She knows that the divine feminine within her is a force of nature, unbound and free. She dances with the wind, swaying to a rhythm only she can hear, celebrating the beauty of her existence. In this sacred space, she is both the storyteller and the story, weaving her own magic into the tapestry of life. And as the sun begins to set, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange, she feels a profound sense of peace. She is whole, she is glowing, and she is ready to embrace whatever comes next. The tales she whispers are not just echoes of the past ~ they are the seeds of possibility, waiting to bloom in the light of the future...”

LoveFeelingsRomanceNatureHealingBeautyOceanSerenitySanctuary
Author:Kaia Emerald
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“We have a collection of 800 jars of soil in our museum. We collect these soils from lynching sites. People who are involved in erecting markers collect the soil, put it in a jar that has the name of the victim, the date of the victim, and then they bring it back to the museum. An older Black woman was digging soil at a site in west Alabama. She was afraid because it was on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. As she was about to dig, a big white man in a pickup truck drove by and stared at her. It made her anxious. Then he drove by again and stared some more. Then he parked his truck, got out, and walked toward her. She was terrified. Then the man asked, "What are you doing?" She was going to tell him that she was just getting dirt for her garden. Then she said, "Mr. Stevenson, something got ahold of me. I told that man, I'm digging soil here because this is where a Black man was lynched in 1937." She just looked down and started digging. The man surprised her by asking, "Does that memo you have talk about the lynching?" She said, "It does." Then he asked, "Can I read it?" He started reading while she started digging. After he finished reading the memo, he said, "Would it be all right if I helped you?" She said, "Yes." The man got down on his knees, and she offered him the implement to dig the soil. He said, "No, no, no, no, no, you keep that. I'll just use my hands." She said he started picking up the soil and putting it in the jar, and throwing his hand into the soil. She said there was something about the conviction with which he was putting his whole body into this that moved her. She went from fear to relief to joy so quickly she couldn't help it. Tears were running down her face. The man turned to her and he said, "Oh, ma'am, I'm so sorry I'm upsetting you." She said, "No, no, no. You're blessing me." They kept digging, and they were getting near to filling the jar. She looked over at the man, and she noticed that he had slowed down. His face had turned red. Then she saw that there was a tear running down his face. She reached over and put her hand on his shoulder. She said, "Are you all right?" That's when the man turned her, and he said, "No, ma'am." He said, "I'm just so worried that it might have been my grandfather who helped lynch this man." She said they both sat on that roadside and wept. She said, I'm going to go back and put this jar of soil in the museum in Montgomery. Then the man said, "Ma'am, would it be all right if I just followed you back?" She said, "Sure." She called me on the way back. She said, "Mr. Stevenson, I want you to come to the museum and meet my new friend." I was there when these two people who met on a roadside in a place of pain and agony and violence and bigotry came in and together did something beautiful by putting that jar of soil in that exhibit. I'm not naive. I don't believe that beautiful things like that always happen when we tell the truth. I do believe that we deny ourselves the beauty of justice when we refuse to tell the truth. I've seen too much beauty come out of truth-telling, too much restoration, too much redemption, to believe that truth-telling doesn't have a power that is greater than the fear and anger that is prompting these orders, prompting some of this retreat. I worry about people who are already surrendering and waving white flags, and running for cover. I just don't think that's the way we're going to get to the other side.”

TruthHopeRaceBeautyConnectionRace RelationsAlabamaLynchingMemorials
Author:Bryan Stevenson
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