Signing off from work for a few days; a late summer break. The end of an eventful, delightful summer. Time to take stock and so make way for new inspiration. Time to begin to gather that seed, ready to nurture it over the autumn and winter months so it may begin to flourish come spring-time.
And since this is a time for contemplation, some food for thought: another excerpt from my notes on the book about Michelangelo:
For Michelangelo, Plotinus was an especially apt inspiration, a philosopher who upheld the carver's art - 'taking away' - as a model of spiritual self-perfection. To the question 'How can one see the beauty of a good soul?' Plotinus replied: Withdraw into yourself and look. If you do not as yet see beauty within you, do as does the sculptor of a statue that is to be beautified; he cuts away here, he smoothes it there, he makes this line lighter, this other one purer, until he disengages beautiful lineaments in the marble. Do you this too. Cut away all that is excessive, straighten all that is crooked, bring light to all that is overcast, labour to make all one radiance of beauty. Never cease 'working the statue'. Thus we become our statues, and our life's work is to pare away the dross and reach the virtuous form within.
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