When Women Were Birds

Photograph: Viola Loretti

By David Price

“Once upon a time, when women were birds,

there was the simple understanding that

to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk

was to heal the world through joy.

The birds still remember

what we have forgotten,

that the world is meant to be

celebrated.”

~Terry Tempest Williams

There comes a time when we must allow something timeless to touch us in order to truly change and move beyond our fixed attitudes and limited understanding of the mysteries of life. When it seems like all might end in disaster, it becomes a question of finding the deeper imagination of life, the enduring patterns and essential stories that reunite us to the pulse of nature and the heart of culture.” — Michael Meade

“In exile, we must do as the goddess Innana did, surrendering layer after layer of armour and adornment, until we are bare. We must then undergo a symbolic death of the old life in order to be reborn with greater resilience and a holy assignment to carry forward.

Excerpt from Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home by Toko-pa Turner (belongingbook.com)

Mass has been canceled here because of the threat of plague but the sonorous bells have been ringing all morning. It’s a comforting sound in its feeling of community and it’s calling to worship the mystery.

The world is a mystery to be celebrated, not used as a tool to make us rich, or even to just survive. It is to be seen in its beauty, recognized as a mystery and consciously celebrated. The mystic vision that goes into art and poetry is needed now. We need to develop a deeper imagination of life. Our imagination of things now is poor. It’s poverty stricken. We are commanded now by circumstances to look again, more deeply, more lovingly, with closer attention. Continue reading “When Women Were Birds” →

Birds On a Wire concert

La chanteuse du groupe Moriarty, Rosemary Standley, et la chanteuse et violoncelliste Dom La Nena ont allié leurs deux voix en 2014 sur l’album de reprises Birds on a Wire.

Leur prestation sera l’occasion de découvrir, si ce n’est pas encore le cas, les chansons de Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, John Lennon, Henry Purcell ou encore Violeta Parra, qui composent ce disque.

A n’en pas douter, le cloître du musée Jean Lurçat saura accueillir la finesse et les nuances de ces interprétations.

Why Oh Why Do I Love Paris?

When the pandemic lifts, all good Americans will want to go back to Paris.

As Cole Porter’s song says, “I love Paris in the springtime. I love Paris in the fall. I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles. I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles.” I suspect most people do. And with the prospect next year of being able to visit again this glorious city, which Ernest Hemingway famously called, “a moveable feast,” I am already thinking about all I want to see and all I want eat.

I’ve been visiting Paris since I was in college, though I never lived there for an extended period of time, so that I have been able to pull back from its charms and discover them anew whenever I go back. The obvious appeal of the best-known tourists sites—the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Versailles, Notre Dame—can be seen in mere days, but the city’s beauty, breadth and depth are what Thomas Jefferson said about the city: “A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life.” Continue reading “Why Oh Why Do I Love Paris?” →

Use these Françoise Hardy – lyrics to express your love

Comme une Française with Geraldine

Do you still struggle to pronounce the “R” sound in French? It can be tricky! Learn the correct pronunciation… and whether it even matters.

💾 Read, save and/or print the full written lesson here (free): https://www.commeunefrancaise.com/blo… 🎓 Join my Everyday French crash course (free): https://www.commeunefrancaise.com/wel…

If you still struggle with the pronunciation of the “R” sound in French, you’re not alone! A lot of my students struggle with this, and you could be speaking French for ten, even twenty years and still not quite get it. It’s so frustrating! But the real question is… does it even matter?

We’ll explore that in today’s lesson, and then I’ll share my tips to help you improve your pronunciation of the French R? Let’s dive in!

France to probe Paris migrant camp dismantling after ‘shocking’ scuffle images

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Tuesday said he was launching a probe into clashes that broke out late Monday after police cleared out a new migrant camp at Place de la République in the heart of Paris, adding that images of the scuffles were “shocking”.

People posted photos and videos on social media of police hitting demonstrators as they moved in to clear the square of migrants‘ tents, which the police said had been set up without official permission.

“Some of the images of the dispersion of the illegal migrant camp at Place de la République are shocking,” Darmanin wrote on Twitter in the early hours of Tuesday, adding that he was seeking a full report into the incident. [ . . . ]

Source: France to probe Paris migrant camp dismantling after ‘shocking’ scuffle images