{"id":2545,"date":"2018-01-22T00:00:44","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T05:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=2545"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:45:40","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:45:40","slug":"jan-22-but-not-to-take-away-the-precious-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2018\/01\/22\/jan-22-but-not-to-take-away-the-precious-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"jan 22 – “but not to take away the precious dark”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cHoly Dark\u201d a Repetition according to St. Ignatius<\/strong>
\nPosted on\u00a0January 23, 2014<\/a>\u00a0by<\/p>\n

In\u00a0The Spiritual Exercises,<\/u>\u00a0St. Ignatius teaches methods of prayer. \u00a0One of the most important he calls the \u201cRepetition.\u201d (i.e., \u201cAttention should be paid to some more important [remembered] places in which I have found understanding, consolation, or desolation.\u201d\u00a0Sp Ex<\/u>\u00a0# 118). \u00a0 The principle: \u201cI know more from my experiences than I think; \u00a0go back and savor and be surprised.\u201d \u00a0 For some reason this dark morning, I went back to a workday post from October 2013 and found this one about longer nights and shorter days.<\/p>\n

Here it is again, posted with no changes from its Oct 2 original form. \u00a0Perhaps an anointing for the deep darkness of \u00a0late January.<\/p>\n

Have a good day.<\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

Subject: Robert Frost \u2014-a work day as days get shorter
\nDate: October 2, 2013<\/p>\n

Hard times \u2014 \u00a0a Congress locked in venom and contempt for those with whom one must negotiate, \u00a0\u201cpartisan\u201d is a common adjective for elected officials at the national level; a time of moral fatigue. \u00a0 Even so, \u00a0this morning reminded me that I like getting up while it is dark outside. \u00a0It helps me recognize a balance of light and dark. \u00a0 Early dark opens awarenesses that I sometimes miss while hustling along in the light.<\/p>\n

I once got in a fight at MIT when I gave a talk about the West\u2019s coupling the emergence of Western scientific methods with its devaluing of Europe\u2019s mystical disciplines. \u00a0A friend, Leo Marx got upset with that talk and some other MIT-Harvard types got angry and insulting that I would \u00a0call the dark \u201choly\u201d and celebrate mystery and mysticism at MIT. \u00a0 But it was Leo who introduced me to this Robert Frost\u2019s poem, \u00a0today\u2019s post. \u00a0 As you read, out loud if possible, pause and breathe 2 or 3 times.<\/p>\n

Have a blest day.<\/p>\n

john st sj<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Post<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u2014 \u00a0A poem for days of lean light
\n{n.b., \u201cbulb or arc\u201d \u00a0from the time of Edison\u2019s breakthrough innovations, \u201carc lights\u201d and \u201clight bulbs\u201d \u00a0were perceived as transforming the night with bright manufactured lights.<\/p>\n

Here come the stars to character the skies,
\nAnd they in the estimation of the wise
\nAre more divine than any bulb or arc,
\nBecause their purpose is to flash and spark,
\nBut not to take away the precious dark.
\nWe need the interruption of the night
\nTo ease attention off when overtight,
\nTo break our logic in too long a flight,
\nAnd ask us if our premises are right.<\/p>\n

Robert Frost \u201cThe Literate Farmers and the Planet Venus\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHoly Dark\u201d a Repetition according to St. Ignatius Posted on\u00a0January 23, 2014\u00a0by In\u00a0The Spiritual Exercises,\u00a0St. Ignatius teaches methods of prayer. \u00a0One of the most important he calls the \u201cRepetition.\u201d (i.e., \u201cAttention should be paid to some more important [remembered] places … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2545"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2545"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3125,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2545\/revisions\/3125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}