My Biology students continue to read Anatomy of a Rose by Sharman Apt Russell. In the chapter on color she speaks of bee purple, something we can only believe in.
Pet peeve--- purple is not violet. As humans we can see a small range of colors, or a large range depending if you focus on wavelengths that we can't see or those that we do see. They range from red to violet. If you make a circle of that range and bring the edges together, you get purple...the blending of red light with violet light.
Bees see UV light. If you twist their range into a circle and blend... bee purple is created. Color only found in our imagination The fact that flowers look so amazing to us, is amazing. They could care less what we think. They want to catch the eye of a pollinator which sees true flower colors.
I am driving to work thinking about bee purple and wonder what would happen if we blend opposite ends of our thinking. What if we blended fear and joy? Purple visions of eternal life float through my brain. Fear of death. Joy of Resurrection. The Thrill of Hope.
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It seems like this happens more often than we might realize...opposite emotions blending, like grief and joy.
ReplyDeleteKievas-- yes indeed. a wise person once told me that emotions are like pancakes--- they come in stacks.
ReplyDeleteWayne, it was really sweet of you to send that piece to Gannett Girl. And also, I wanted to tell you that I love your new StarFlower design from a few posts back, and the one above that, which has kind of an asymmetrical "ivy falling" feeling. Really lovely.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of yoga...and turning one's mind/observation in on itself.... And OH! To see colors as an insect!
ReplyDeleteA thrill of hope....my favorite carol line.
ReplyDeleteRuth--- thanks for the kind words. as for the stained glass, a design came into my brain and thus it became a gift.
ReplyDeleteGiggles--- I did yoga the other night for the first time in years
Jennifer-- thumbs up on that lyric reference. It my favored line also. I blogged about it a year ago.
I know that sorrow and joy can come very close together, often blend. Sometimes fear is the anticipation of sorrow.
ReplyDeleteNever knew about bee purple before. How many other things in the universe can we only imagine, and through a glass darkly?
So, how did yoga...feel? I love the feeling of being 20 pounds lighter as I walk out after my class...and I love the wisdom of my teacher!
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm a real live blogger now...if you click on my name, I will take you there!
How's that quilt workin' for ya? Many comments on Sunday were "Beautiful...!" I said "Oz did it! Go tell OZ!"
Wait! DOn't click on the one I jusr left... I typed it wrong and it takes you somewhere you don't want to go!! Click on the earlier message!! Man, this web world is full of mine fields!!!
ReplyDeleteZorra-- I could tell a story about gypsy moth pheromones...
ReplyDeleteGiggles-- will blog at some point on both yoga and quilt
I love the concept of bee purple and wish that I could see it. I love thinking about the merging of opposites esp. problematic ones like those at opposite ends of the visible spectrum but also the more mystical dichotomies.
ReplyDeleteI love looking at the stained glass and mosaics. I really like the starflowers.
Kathryn--- I think my students are getting it that there are many ways to experience reality, we just get our own particular view. I sold another of the starflowers and finished some rainbow ones last night.
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