This is beautiful and a reminder that aliveness isn’t something we earn through effort; it’s something we allow. The “vibrating wire” makes me think about how easily we confuse numbness for safety. Maybe resonance begins when we stop armoring against wonder; when we let the world touch back.
"when we love these things, there emerges something like a vibrating wire between us and the world." This is a beautiful essay on connection, noticing, and participating in this wonderful world. I live the imagery of a vibrating wire between us and the world. It speaks of connection and of being alive. Thank you Brigette for this gorgeous work.
I use to think of myself as a bit of Pollyanna and yet i just realized, because of this article that all along i was in touch in the world and all of God’s creation. Thank you.
"What’s catching my eye at this very moment? What are the signals, even the subtlest, when I pay attention?" This quote describes exactly why writing feels so very important and magical to me, because it makes that noticing process more visible and legible, and then writing deepens the noticing for daily life, and the daily attention enriches the writing and so on. It's a sublime flywheel, all of which turns on the basis of the premise of our entire essay. Resonance. I loved considering this topic directly through your writing.
I love how you apply this process of noticing (it‘s all process…in a way 'we' are process) to writing, Rick. It‘s also where I feel so much resonance at work, acting as, in your words, "sublime flywheel." 💛
Brigitte, your essay serves as a wonderful reminder that, in a material world supposedly made of "solid" matter, we're actually vibrations. (The physics behind that is WAY over my head, but I trust the folks behind this seeming impossibility.) I used to think that the manner in which we vibrate is out of our control. However, you explain in a very accessible manner that we can *choose* how we vibrate, how we resonate in the world with ourselves and others. And this resonance isn't merely important; it's absolutely critical. Thank you for opening my eyes to this compelling phenomenon.
By the way, I really love how you end the piece by placing us, your readers, with you as you sit at your keyboard. The vivid imagery is really well engaging. I guess you could say I really resonate with it ... and I'm certain I'm not the only one. Well done!
Thank you for these reflections and all your support, Larry. I also like how we both synchronously came to/referred to the book "Signs" recently. Another trace of resonance;)
This was spectacular. I needed this reminder today as I’ve been feeling a bit disconnected with things lately.
I read “Letters to a Young Poet” by Rilke this week & I feel like resonance is what he what was urging his poet friend to feel: to be alive to mystery, open to experiencing the breadth of emotion & being unafraid to embrace the more spiritual/divine in life.
I also liked this Rilke book so much, and I looked up the quotes I wrote down after I read it a few years ago, and I think you’re right! This one I loved, and it’s speaking directly to/about resonance:
"I believe in aging, dear friend, working and growing old, that is what life expects of us. And then one day to be old and still not understand everything, no, but to begin, to love, to sense, to be connected with the distant and the unspeakable, all the way to the stars.” — R. M. Rilke
Brigette... thank you for writing this entry and posting it.
I've read it for the third time just now -- trying each time to soak in its essence in a way that might make embodying it more full . . . more natural.
There is something about the journey you take us through with this piece that feels so deeply true -- like we're being rebaptized in perennial wisdom.
This section is beyond delicious, "Life is good not (or at least not necessarily) when we are rich in resources and opportunities, but rather, however banal and even tautological this may at first sound, when we love it. When we have almost a visceral and emotional connection to it – it here meaning the people, places, tasks, ideas, objects (...) that we encounter and with which we interact."
But it becomces even more meaningful when I read, "We all catch glimpses of this inner life of things. Resonance is everywhere and elemental . . . Moment by moment, we can actively participate in the world and its potential. We are touching the world, and the world touches us."
I reflected on this as I stood on our deck tonight, looking out toward the horizon in a magical moment just after the sun had gone down, leaving its subtle glow above the mountains, mere minutes before they were enveloped by the night sky.
I took in a breath and held it . . . "I am part of this beauty and it is part of me."
This realization of Resonance -- of Connection felt Holy -- like Oneness -- like the horizon, the night sky, and I were all remembering that we are each and all part of God.
Thank you for creating the invitaiton to that experience.
Oh Christopher, I feel moved by your comments and reflection. Just to think that you "took" a few of the words from the essay out onto your deck and felt more resonance in that special moment is such a beautiful thought. Thank you so much. So, just like that, you were touched, and now your words are touching me.
Just a few minutes earlier, I was reminded of this Rilke quote (from his Letters to a Young Poet) — isn’t he describing "his own deck moment"!?
"I believe in aging, dear friend, working and growing old, that is what life expects of us. And then one day to be old and still not understand everything, no, but to begin, to love, to sense, to be connected with the distant and the unspeakable, all the way to the stars.”
This makes me smile and then laugh in wonderment at the beautiful sychronicity of life.
It is this very quote of Rilke that a wonderful friend once shared with me as she introduced me to Rilke. She said Rilke's writings could touch a place in us that words alone cannot.
"It's what's between his words . . . " she said, pausing to find a way to explain that which cannot be explained. "It's from that space . . . " And she looked away for just a moment to wipe away a tear. "It's from that space that Life will lead you to the place your heart has always been longing for."
This is so good Brigitte: "We’ve lost the once sharp sense for life’s inner vibration, are denying ourselves the belief that life speaks back to us."
Life is always touching us, and we are always touching life. When we can't see that, or feel that, our frame of mind is blocked. Resonance is exactly what it is, and I'd hadn't really seen that - or related to it as that until you helped me through this insightful and beautiful piece Brigitte.
As Rick said, this did turn out great and I admire you sticking with it so that the piece itself could touch others. It "resonates with me" 😉
I like the section you picked, as so much of our perception and way we view the world comes down to our own reference frames – that can evolve and be changed! Thank you James for reading, and I wish you a great week.
Birgitte what a beautiful and thoughtful essay. You’ve brought deeper meaning to ‘resonance’ for me. I appreciated the analysis of the Rosa book and the Anna/Hannah comparison. And yes to this: “there is something like a vibrating wire between us and the world.”
I loved this imagery from Rosa so much too. Thank you for taking the time to read this, Amy (I remember I briefly talked to you about this piece when we were at Jeannine‘s ;)).
Brigitte, thank you for sharing this beautiful essay and for the great reminder that life is always reaching out to touch us if only we reach back. The example of Anna and Hannah makes Rosa’s ideas clear and digestible, and your reflections bring them to life in such a grounded, luminous way. I especially love how you end by inviting us to notice what’s catching our eye right now—turning philosophy into practice, and practice into presence.
Thank you, Rachel — I love how you put that: “turning philosophy into practice, and practice into presence.” It means a lot coming from you, and I’m glad if this essay carried even a little of that spirit.
So beautifully done, Brigitte! Thanks for highlighting my comment; this process of sensing more deeply into the phenomenal aspects of our felt sense experiences is so delicious, and fresh every time.
Great stuff Brigitte. We all have Anna days and Hannah days. Love the reference to the little brain in the heart and the scene from your desk at the end.
Thank you so much, April! Yes, there are a few reasons why I think we shy away from being more present and embodied in our interactions with the world, but fear + flight is certainly one of them.
This is beautiful and a reminder that aliveness isn’t something we earn through effort; it’s something we allow. The “vibrating wire” makes me think about how easily we confuse numbness for safety. Maybe resonance begins when we stop armoring against wonder; when we let the world touch back.
"when we love these things, there emerges something like a vibrating wire between us and the world." This is a beautiful essay on connection, noticing, and participating in this wonderful world. I live the imagery of a vibrating wire between us and the world. It speaks of connection and of being alive. Thank you Brigette for this gorgeous work.
I love this image so much too, and hold it now close to my heart (although the heart already knows anyway). Thank you so much, Dana!
I use to think of myself as a bit of Pollyanna and yet i just realized, because of this article that all along i was in touch in the world and all of God’s creation. Thank you.
To think that this piece resonated with you in this way brightened up my morning — beautiful mutual resonance in action! Thank you, Frances.
"What’s catching my eye at this very moment? What are the signals, even the subtlest, when I pay attention?" This quote describes exactly why writing feels so very important and magical to me, because it makes that noticing process more visible and legible, and then writing deepens the noticing for daily life, and the daily attention enriches the writing and so on. It's a sublime flywheel, all of which turns on the basis of the premise of our entire essay. Resonance. I loved considering this topic directly through your writing.
I love how you apply this process of noticing (it‘s all process…in a way 'we' are process) to writing, Rick. It‘s also where I feel so much resonance at work, acting as, in your words, "sublime flywheel." 💛
Brigitte, your essay serves as a wonderful reminder that, in a material world supposedly made of "solid" matter, we're actually vibrations. (The physics behind that is WAY over my head, but I trust the folks behind this seeming impossibility.) I used to think that the manner in which we vibrate is out of our control. However, you explain in a very accessible manner that we can *choose* how we vibrate, how we resonate in the world with ourselves and others. And this resonance isn't merely important; it's absolutely critical. Thank you for opening my eyes to this compelling phenomenon.
By the way, I really love how you end the piece by placing us, your readers, with you as you sit at your keyboard. The vivid imagery is really well engaging. I guess you could say I really resonate with it ... and I'm certain I'm not the only one. Well done!
Thank you for these reflections and all your support, Larry. I also like how we both synchronously came to/referred to the book "Signs" recently. Another trace of resonance;)
Agreed!
This really filled my cup Brigitte. The vibrating wire, our e x p a n d i n g lives, the imagination reaching and catching. A beautiful post :)
t h a n k you, Dan! 🥹
This resonated deeper when you read it to me. ✨👏🏽
Which draft version? 😅
This was spectacular. I needed this reminder today as I’ve been feeling a bit disconnected with things lately.
I read “Letters to a Young Poet” by Rilke this week & I feel like resonance is what he what was urging his poet friend to feel: to be alive to mystery, open to experiencing the breadth of emotion & being unafraid to embrace the more spiritual/divine in life.
Thank you so much Dylan.
I also liked this Rilke book so much, and I looked up the quotes I wrote down after I read it a few years ago, and I think you’re right! This one I loved, and it’s speaking directly to/about resonance:
"I believe in aging, dear friend, working and growing old, that is what life expects of us. And then one day to be old and still not understand everything, no, but to begin, to love, to sense, to be connected with the distant and the unspeakable, all the way to the stars.” — R. M. Rilke
Brigette... thank you for writing this entry and posting it.
I've read it for the third time just now -- trying each time to soak in its essence in a way that might make embodying it more full . . . more natural.
There is something about the journey you take us through with this piece that feels so deeply true -- like we're being rebaptized in perennial wisdom.
This section is beyond delicious, "Life is good not (or at least not necessarily) when we are rich in resources and opportunities, but rather, however banal and even tautological this may at first sound, when we love it. When we have almost a visceral and emotional connection to it – it here meaning the people, places, tasks, ideas, objects (...) that we encounter and with which we interact."
But it becomces even more meaningful when I read, "We all catch glimpses of this inner life of things. Resonance is everywhere and elemental . . . Moment by moment, we can actively participate in the world and its potential. We are touching the world, and the world touches us."
I reflected on this as I stood on our deck tonight, looking out toward the horizon in a magical moment just after the sun had gone down, leaving its subtle glow above the mountains, mere minutes before they were enveloped by the night sky.
I took in a breath and held it . . . "I am part of this beauty and it is part of me."
This realization of Resonance -- of Connection felt Holy -- like Oneness -- like the horizon, the night sky, and I were all remembering that we are each and all part of God.
Thank you for creating the invitaiton to that experience.
Oh Christopher, I feel moved by your comments and reflection. Just to think that you "took" a few of the words from the essay out onto your deck and felt more resonance in that special moment is such a beautiful thought. Thank you so much. So, just like that, you were touched, and now your words are touching me.
Just a few minutes earlier, I was reminded of this Rilke quote (from his Letters to a Young Poet) — isn’t he describing "his own deck moment"!?
"I believe in aging, dear friend, working and growing old, that is what life expects of us. And then one day to be old and still not understand everything, no, but to begin, to love, to sense, to be connected with the distant and the unspeakable, all the way to the stars.”
This makes me smile and then laugh in wonderment at the beautiful sychronicity of life.
It is this very quote of Rilke that a wonderful friend once shared with me as she introduced me to Rilke. She said Rilke's writings could touch a place in us that words alone cannot.
"It's what's between his words . . . " she said, pausing to find a way to explain that which cannot be explained. "It's from that space . . . " And she looked away for just a moment to wipe away a tear. "It's from that space that Life will lead you to the place your heart has always been longing for."
😲
“There is something like a vibrating wire between us and the world. We were meant to feel each other.”
This sums up the state of our existence in 2 sentences.
Beautiful essay, Brigitte. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you Kathy 🙏
This is so good Brigitte: "We’ve lost the once sharp sense for life’s inner vibration, are denying ourselves the belief that life speaks back to us."
Life is always touching us, and we are always touching life. When we can't see that, or feel that, our frame of mind is blocked. Resonance is exactly what it is, and I'd hadn't really seen that - or related to it as that until you helped me through this insightful and beautiful piece Brigitte.
As Rick said, this did turn out great and I admire you sticking with it so that the piece itself could touch others. It "resonates with me" 😉
I like the section you picked, as so much of our perception and way we view the world comes down to our own reference frames – that can evolve and be changed! Thank you James for reading, and I wish you a great week.
Yes! we are well served to evolve our frames aren't we. (And our ego often doesn't like it...) Have a wonderful week too Brigitte.
Birgitte what a beautiful and thoughtful essay. You’ve brought deeper meaning to ‘resonance’ for me. I appreciated the analysis of the Rosa book and the Anna/Hannah comparison. And yes to this: “there is something like a vibrating wire between us and the world.”
I loved this imagery from Rosa so much too. Thank you for taking the time to read this, Amy (I remember I briefly talked to you about this piece when we were at Jeannine‘s ;)).
Yes I remember that!
Brigitte, thank you for sharing this beautiful essay and for the great reminder that life is always reaching out to touch us if only we reach back. The example of Anna and Hannah makes Rosa’s ideas clear and digestible, and your reflections bring them to life in such a grounded, luminous way. I especially love how you end by inviting us to notice what’s catching our eye right now—turning philosophy into practice, and practice into presence.
Thank you, Rachel — I love how you put that: “turning philosophy into practice, and practice into presence.” It means a lot coming from you, and I’m glad if this essay carried even a little of that spirit.
This essay brought some resonance to my day. I appreciated it!
So beautifully done, Brigitte! Thanks for highlighting my comment; this process of sensing more deeply into the phenomenal aspects of our felt sense experiences is so delicious, and fresh every time.
I thank YOU, Alden, for your wonderful feedback and making this piece feel more resonant to me too!
Great stuff Brigitte. We all have Anna days and Hannah days. Love the reference to the little brain in the heart and the scene from your desk at the end.
Thank you Alan!
Thank you so much, April! Yes, there are a few reasons why I think we shy away from being more present and embodied in our interactions with the world, but fear + flight is certainly one of them.