"Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup" - but not for me, today sadly
July 19, 2010 4:21 PM Subscribe
What's another word - or phrase - in any language for 'transcendent beauty', or 'the universe is as it should be, relax'?
Hi Hive Mind Mefis who know other languages or who art creative,
I'm thinking of starting a community blog on the concept of beauty - not a long dialectical analysis of it... more like a Tumblr place for people to share things they've found inspiring that illustrate the beauty of the universe. Bear with me - it's not too hippie dippy or esoteric, honest.
I need a short name or title for the blog that has this concept in it - about transcendence, acceptance, understanding, and a glimpse into something that can be fleeting but is captured for a moment, but that's ok - the universe is as it should be.
I've found three examples of what illustrate this concept:
• the floating bag in American Beauty: Yes, a huge cliche, but something that still resonates with me - the beauty in the "entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid".
• the Carousel scene in Mad Men - although it's not a 'sad yearning for a previous time that may not have existed' (identified as nostalgia in the clip here). And this was kind of a downer feeling of it (understandable considering Don's life at the time) - whereas I want the word to have some hope in it
• The '"Jai guru deva om"/nothing's going to change my world from the Beatles' Across the Universe
It's not necessarily the Japanese concept of 'wabi-sabi', either - this word I'm looking for (or concept) doesn't have to be radically simple aesthetically, but something that hints at things larger than our daily lives, and something to keep me inspired about a larger perspective. Something a little deeper than just LOL cats, Internet memes, or having a plant on my desk. Religion need not apply, but spirituality, yes.
Does a word or phrase that describes this concept exist? Is there a good word in English that I don't know if that describes it, and does a community like this exist already? Maybe this is for a separate thread, but I don't feel entirely comfortable just borrowing a loanword from German or Buddhist (or other, non English) concepts here - I don't want to take an isolated concept from a culture I don't quite understand, but I don't know what word to use. At the same time, maybe Brahman or Trimurti could capture what I'm hinting at - (i.e. the three concepts tied together of Brahmā the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Śhiva the destroyer or transformer - and that all three make up the universe as a whole)?
The title and issues brought up by that word I'm looking for would be something I'd explore in the blog, but I need that blog title first, and 'fleeting glimpses of transcendent beauty that enthralls and inspires' is a little long winded for a blog address, and I'd just like a word or two at this point if it's out there.
Thanks!
Hi Hive Mind Mefis who know other languages or who art creative,
I'm thinking of starting a community blog on the concept of beauty - not a long dialectical analysis of it... more like a Tumblr place for people to share things they've found inspiring that illustrate the beauty of the universe. Bear with me - it's not too hippie dippy or esoteric, honest.
I need a short name or title for the blog that has this concept in it - about transcendence, acceptance, understanding, and a glimpse into something that can be fleeting but is captured for a moment, but that's ok - the universe is as it should be.
I've found three examples of what illustrate this concept:
• the floating bag in American Beauty: Yes, a huge cliche, but something that still resonates with me - the beauty in the "entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid".
• the Carousel scene in Mad Men - although it's not a 'sad yearning for a previous time that may not have existed' (identified as nostalgia in the clip here). And this was kind of a downer feeling of it (understandable considering Don's life at the time) - whereas I want the word to have some hope in it
• The '"Jai guru deva om"/nothing's going to change my world from the Beatles' Across the Universe
It's not necessarily the Japanese concept of 'wabi-sabi', either - this word I'm looking for (or concept) doesn't have to be radically simple aesthetically, but something that hints at things larger than our daily lives, and something to keep me inspired about a larger perspective. Something a little deeper than just LOL cats, Internet memes, or having a plant on my desk. Religion need not apply, but spirituality, yes.
Does a word or phrase that describes this concept exist? Is there a good word in English that I don't know if that describes it, and does a community like this exist already? Maybe this is for a separate thread, but I don't feel entirely comfortable just borrowing a loanword from German or Buddhist (or other, non English) concepts here - I don't want to take an isolated concept from a culture I don't quite understand, but I don't know what word to use. At the same time, maybe Brahman or Trimurti could capture what I'm hinting at - (i.e. the three concepts tied together of Brahmā the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Śhiva the destroyer or transformer - and that all three make up the universe as a whole)?
The title and issues brought up by that word I'm looking for would be something I'd explore in the blog, but I need that blog title first, and 'fleeting glimpses of transcendent beauty that enthralls and inspires' is a little long winded for a blog address, and I'd just like a word or two at this point if it's out there.
Thanks!
Kensho, illumination, enlightenment, satori.
Awakening.
A foretaste of paradise.
A peek behind the curtain.
A guidepost along The Immense Journey.
Stepping through the Doors of Perception.
A suffusion of yellow.
Breakthrough.
Breath.
A Moment of Awe.
The Stendhal Syndrome.
posted by darkstar at 4:30 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Awakening.
A foretaste of paradise.
A peek behind the curtain.
A guidepost along The Immense Journey.
Stepping through the Doors of Perception.
A suffusion of yellow.
Breakthrough.
Breath.
A Moment of Awe.
The Stendhal Syndrome.
posted by darkstar at 4:30 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
You might be interested in this book by Crispin Sartwell.
posted by Lutoslawski at 4:31 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by Lutoslawski at 4:31 PM on July 19, 2010
The hebrew word Shalom, in it's original context.
The use of shalom in the Scriptures always points towards that transcendent action of wholeness. Shalom is seen in reference to the wellbeing of others (Genesis 43.27, Exodus 4.18), to treaties (I Kings 5.12), and in prayer for the wellbeing of cities or nations (Psalm 122.6, Jeremiah 29.7). Coincidentally, the root shalem, found in Jerusalem, means peaceful (yara to mean to lay or found). Yet, its transcendence lies in its relationship to truth and justice (Psalm 85.10, Isaiah 48.18, 22, 57.19-21). The wholeness of shalom, through justice and truth, inspires the words of hope for the work expected by the messiah, and to refer to its revelation as the time of peace (Haggai 2.7-9, Isaiah 2.2-4, 11.1-9), and to even grant this anointed one the title Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9.6, Micah 5.4-5a).
posted by yoyoceramic at 4:32 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
The use of shalom in the Scriptures always points towards that transcendent action of wholeness. Shalom is seen in reference to the wellbeing of others (Genesis 43.27, Exodus 4.18), to treaties (I Kings 5.12), and in prayer for the wellbeing of cities or nations (Psalm 122.6, Jeremiah 29.7). Coincidentally, the root shalem, found in Jerusalem, means peaceful (yara to mean to lay or found). Yet, its transcendence lies in its relationship to truth and justice (Psalm 85.10, Isaiah 48.18, 22, 57.19-21). The wholeness of shalom, through justice and truth, inspires the words of hope for the work expected by the messiah, and to refer to its revelation as the time of peace (Haggai 2.7-9, Isaiah 2.2-4, 11.1-9), and to even grant this anointed one the title Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9.6, Micah 5.4-5a).
posted by yoyoceramic at 4:32 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
"What Sublimity of Mind" —Galileo
"Supreme Sublimity" —Lao Tzu
"Porte de Sublime"
"Oh So Sublime!"
posted by Mertonian at 4:36 PM on July 19, 2010
"Supreme Sublimity" —Lao Tzu
"Porte de Sublime"
"Oh So Sublime!"
posted by Mertonian at 4:36 PM on July 19, 2010
"Something mighty and sublime" —Goethe
"Material Sublime" —Schiller, kind of
posted by Mertonian at 4:39 PM on July 19, 2010
"Material Sublime" —Schiller, kind of
posted by Mertonian at 4:39 PM on July 19, 2010
Sublime
posted by overeducated_alligator at 4:40 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by overeducated_alligator at 4:40 PM on July 19, 2010
Sublemon (instead of sublime)
"'fleeting glimpses of transcendent beauty that enthralls and inspires' is a little long winded for a blog address, and I'd just like a word or two at this point if it's out there."
How about fleeting glimpses?
posted by ian1977 at 4:42 PM on July 19, 2010
"'fleeting glimpses of transcendent beauty that enthralls and inspires' is a little long winded for a blog address, and I'd just like a word or two at this point if it's out there."
How about fleeting glimpses?
posted by ian1977 at 4:42 PM on July 19, 2010
Anodyne
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:47 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:47 PM on July 19, 2010
Also, "Transport", in the classic sense of being moved to strong emotion, carried away, enraptured, especially by the sublimity of aesthetic or spiritual experience.
posted by darkstar at 4:50 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by darkstar at 4:50 PM on July 19, 2010
Enchantment.
posted by Celsius1414 at 5:14 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by Celsius1414 at 5:14 PM on July 19, 2010
"God's in his Heaven, all's right with the world." —Robert Browning
posted by bricoleur at 5:21 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by bricoleur at 5:21 PM on July 19, 2010
Japanese - wabi sabi
Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".
posted by Babblesort at 5:25 PM on July 19, 2010
Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".
posted by Babblesort at 5:25 PM on July 19, 2010
too bad I answer faster than I read... :-(
posted by Babblesort at 5:29 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by Babblesort at 5:29 PM on July 19, 2010
Prisencolinensinainciusol...
....Or not. It's not particularly related to beauty per se, nor is it a short word. Otherwise, I'd vote for something along the lines of 'sublime'.
posted by Ky at 5:37 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
....Or not. It's not particularly related to beauty per se, nor is it a short word. Otherwise, I'd vote for something along the lines of 'sublime'.
posted by Ky at 5:37 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
"Everything's fine right now" - The Incredible String Band
Also Wu Wei.
posted by foobario at 5:38 PM on July 19, 2010
Also Wu Wei.
posted by foobario at 5:38 PM on July 19, 2010
In the Eye of the Beholder or something like that.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 5:46 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by Short Attention Sp at 5:46 PM on July 19, 2010
Not necessarily a short title but how about something along the lines of "the interconnectedness of all things"? I'm also thinking (again, don't really have the words) about how everything is made of energy but is represented in infinitely different forms...and that when we die our energy is simply transformed into/utilized by some other thing's existence.
Sorry, not effectively answering the question -- but I too love thinking about these ideas. I will read your blog avidly once you launch it!
posted by hapax_legomenon at 6:04 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Sorry, not effectively answering the question -- but I too love thinking about these ideas. I will read your blog avidly once you launch it!
posted by hapax_legomenon at 6:04 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Just this.
posted by Wordwoman at 6:16 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Wordwoman at 6:16 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Sublime Salaam
Salaam means 'peace be unto you,' but also represents protection from all impurity and evil.
posted by karminai at 7:07 PM on July 19, 2010
Salaam means 'peace be unto you,' but also represents protection from all impurity and evil.
posted by karminai at 7:07 PM on July 19, 2010
the movie "Amelie", specifically the Tour De Horse and Peg Le Pete.
If you haven't seen it, do so soon. Makes me teary every time.
posted by KenManiac at 7:24 PM on July 19, 2010
If you haven't seen it, do so soon. Makes me teary every time.
posted by KenManiac at 7:24 PM on July 19, 2010
Wu Wei
Also "ananda" -- sanskrit for bliss or heavenly joy -- or as Madeline L'Engle memorably translated it (though I don't know if the translation is original to her or comes from somewhere else), "The joy without which the universe would cease to exist."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:34 PM on July 19, 2010
Also "ananda" -- sanskrit for bliss or heavenly joy -- or as Madeline L'Engle memorably translated it (though I don't know if the translation is original to her or comes from somewhere else), "The joy without which the universe would cease to exist."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:34 PM on July 19, 2010
I think the concept of grace is somewhat similar to what you're after.
posted by vytae at 7:37 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by vytae at 7:37 PM on July 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Talk about "A Moment of Awe"! Wow, as I imagined, my fellow MeFi's did not disappoint. I will have to go through these and see what's the most appropriate choice, but amazing suggestions, everyone, and thank you. That Browning quote sounds familiar - maybe I had heard it from my mum a few too many times :)
Yes, hapax_legomenon, "the interconnectedness of all things" is a big element in what I'm going after, and that's what gives me comfort as well - to know that things will go on after we are gone, but this is an infinite circle of existence - 'this too shall pass', and I feel fine with it :)
Wow, I have no idea what to choose now, but it's fantastic to get input and eventually I'll pick one and mark it as resolved - and if I get the blog up before the end of this century, I'll post it in Projects.
posted by rmm at 8:29 PM on July 19, 2010
Yes, hapax_legomenon, "the interconnectedness of all things" is a big element in what I'm going after, and that's what gives me comfort as well - to know that things will go on after we are gone, but this is an infinite circle of existence - 'this too shall pass', and I feel fine with it :)
Wow, I have no idea what to choose now, but it's fantastic to get input and eventually I'll pick one and mark it as resolved - and if I get the blog up before the end of this century, I'll post it in Projects.
posted by rmm at 8:29 PM on July 19, 2010
grace - but do your work as to the definition of such....
posted by lakersfan1222 at 8:36 PM on July 19, 2010
posted by lakersfan1222 at 8:36 PM on July 19, 2010
karminai: "Sublime Salaam
Salaam means 'peace be unto you,' but also represents protection from all impurity and evil."
Salaam just means 'peace'. Assalaamu aleikum means 'peace be unto you'.
posted by Gordafarin at 9:08 PM on July 19, 2010
Salaam means 'peace be unto you,' but also represents protection from all impurity and evil."
Salaam just means 'peace'. Assalaamu aleikum means 'peace be unto you'.
posted by Gordafarin at 9:08 PM on July 19, 2010
Response by poster: I'm going to mark this as resolved, but can't seem to choose a 'best answer'. If I do this, I'll let the people who are interested know about the blog when it's up.
posted by rmm at 12:59 PM on August 19, 2010
posted by rmm at 12:59 PM on August 19, 2010
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