e-volved living

I’m doing some research on the Joseph Campbell Foundation and grants offered by the Opus Archives and Research Center.  I’m reading Cambell’s bio and notice that in 1953 he was “appointed President of the Creative Film Foundation.”  I do a google search on “Creative Film Foundation” and haven’t found it yet, but came across the American Film Foundation where I quickly see that they produced Maya Lin – A Strong Clear Vision, a film I completely stumbled upon at the library last week and which is sitting in Hayley’s livingroom waiting to be watched.  They also produced Bird by Bird with Annie, a film about the writer/teacher Anne Lamott who’s book of the same name is on my Amazon wish list.  This is part of the synopsis:

Annie likes to pass on the “secret of life” that she found written on a computer terminal bearing a picture of Koko the gorilla: “The law of the American jungle: Remain calm and share your bananas.”

I see a lot of wisdom in that and add it to a collection of inspirational/wise quotes I keep.  The next quote down happens to be from one of my favorite philosophers/writers, Alan Watts*:

From the moment of your birth, you’re in freefall.

Beyond my appreciation for the quote and it’s reminder that this craziness is what it’s all about (so I should stop freaking out when falling), this makes me smile because I had also just read in Joseph Campbell’s bio that he was “named the general editor of the series Myth and Man, which includes Alan Watt’s Myth and Ritual in Christianity.”  That reminded me about how much I’ve learned from Alan Watts and that I need to seek out more of his wisdom.  So I had a google search up for “Alan Watts” when I read that quote.  Funny!  These multiple synchronicities are like trail markers helping me find my way through new terrain.  And, I’m only receiving the benefits because I bothered to move my gaze from the ground (where I’ve been fixating out of fear of stumbling) to what lies ahead. At moments like these, the steep climb feels like a walk in the park.

*The wikipedia entry says Watts wrote about “subjects such as personal identity, the true nature of reality, higher consciousness, meaning of life, concepts and images of God and the non-material pursuit of happiness” – I guess one of the reasons I like him so much is because those are the subjects I keep coming back to as most meaningful/worthy in my life.