There are many interesting spaces to be found on the internet and one of them is The Marginalian, created by Maria Popova (an author, a blogger and a critic according to Wikipedia). I first found this space many years ago, when it was still called Brainpickings, and have shared many of the articles as links of interest through my newsletter.

Today I would like to share some quotes, some words that I find interesting:

1. Maria Popova in response to this question posed by Kathy Sweeney: “What's the common denominator for publishing something?”

“If something interests me and is both timeless and timely, I write about it. Much of what is published online is content designed to be dead within hours, so I find most of my material offline. I gravitate more and more towards historical things that are somewhat obscure and yet timely in their sensibility and message. We really need an antidote to this culture of "if it's not Google-able, it doesn't exist". There's a wealth of knowledge and inspiration offline, ideas still very relevant and interesting.”

2. Rilke on the Symbiosis Between the Body and the Soul (published on August 7th, 2014)

“I am not one of those who neglect the body in order to make of it a sacrificial offering for the soul, since my soul would thoroughly dislike being served in such a fashion. All the soarings of my mind begin in my blood, for which reason I precede my work, through a pure and simple way of life that is free from irritants and stimulants, as with an introductory prelude, so that I cannot be deceived over the true spiritual joy that consists in a concord, happy and as if transfigured, with the whole of Nature.” - Rainer Maria Rilke (1921)

3. The Science of How Our Minds and Our Bodies Converge in the Healing of Trauma (published on June 20th, 2016)

“The brain-disease model overlooks four fundamental truths: (1) our capacity to destroy one another is matched by our capacity to heal one another. Restoring relationships and community is central to restoring well-being; (2) language gives us the power to change ourselves and others by communicating our experiences, helping us to define what we know, and finding a common sense of meaning; (3) we have the ability to regulate our own physiology, including some of the so-called involuntary functions of the body and brain, through such basic activities as breathing, moving, and touching; and (4) we can change social conditions to create environments in which children and adults can feel safe and where they can thrive.

When we ignore these quintessential dimensions of humanity, we deprive people of ways to heal from trauma and restore their autonomy. Being a patient, rather than a participant in one’s healing process, separates suffering people from their community and alienates them from an inner sense of self.” - Bessel van der Kolk (2015)

4. The Afterlives of the Soul: Sister Nivedita on Love and Death (published on April 16th, 2023)

“To the soul, time does not exist. Only her own great purpose exists, shining clear and steady through the mists before her.

To her, death brings no change. Death changes the body alone. The soul loses not her own consciousness: she loses body-consciousness. And that is all.

The cares of the body are gone. The hopes and fears and memories of the body no longer exist. But that which was the life of the soul, the thought of God, or the yearning to bless, or the burning hope of truth, remains still, gathers ever to its perfect consummation in the eternal.” - Sister Nivedita (1908)

What have you found interesting on the internet lately? How does it nourish you?

peace,

Renee Arundhati