Thirteen

First posted on October 22nd, 2019, with 13 follow-on quotations from this book

In thirteen years of this blog, I’ve discovered some precious things and attempted to expose them in the form of words. As to why, it was an impulse aimed at my own pleasure, first to write and then the desire for outreach, unhindered & unlimited. Such was the blogosphere in 2006: there were many of us doing the same. Things have changed since. Perhaps the world has turned less idealistic. Perhaps Facebook, Twitter & other social media are vehicles for more immediate, less time-consuming, less thoughtful exclamations.

When I say I ‘discovered’ some precious things, it’s not to imply that I was first to stumble upon them. They’re old as mankind. Or older: as if seeds for their flowering were embedded in the structure of the universe, from the original Big Bang, or any other creation myth you choose to believe.

These precious things are not discoverable by reading alone, just as you can’t get fed by recipes, or warmed by pictures of tropical islands.

In often clumsy words, diluted with dross, I’ve tried to put my joy of discovery onto the screens of those who’ve sought them out. If they have any value, it’s to try and express the fresh excitement of ‘aha’ moments. Which might hit a spot with a few readers, if encountered at the right time.

Thirty years ago I bought an old copy of The Testament of Light, by Gerald Bullett. It’s a compilation of excerpts culled from eminent authors across three millennia. I find that I’d ticked some of them with a pencil, indicating approval of their content. I don’t recall any ‘aha’ moments. But I’ve just gone through it again, ignoring those ticks, picking out those which correspond pretty much with my discoveries. The trawl yielded thirteen pages, which I’ve scanned & uploaded then given them one-word titles. They’ll be published one per day, starting tomorrow October 23rd. I’ll add links to the list below as each comes online:

Animal; Attracted; Blissful; Constant; Forgiving; Generous; Humble; Akin; Natural; Outreaching; Self-proclaiming; Unjudging; Wise

Comments
Bill M (Oct 4th)
I think many who go on line now look for the instant, short, and often erroneous content of FB and the short nonsensical Twits rather than the more in depth thoughts and writings expressed on blogs. I prefer blogs and blogging. A look into a person. An expression of a person. A brief glimpse of their life. I use mine as an expression of my hobby more than myself, but as blogging seems to be less active than before I think about starting another one just for writing. I enjoy each of your posts, and I look forward to the next. I need to search for a copy of the book. I’ll be following your links.
Cheers

Vincent
Thanks for your loyal encouragement over a long time, Bill. We agree about blogging. I do hope you will start another one just for writing, for there are tales to be told direct from life and ideas to be aired which only you could express.
I was very glad to be able to download a copy of Traherne’s Centuries of Meditations. Reading a little each day is uplifting to a new level, i find.

Bill M (Nov 4th)
These short clips from The Testament of Light have encouraged me so that I have been searching local used book stores for a copy. I may resort to an online purchase. I’ll search for Centuries of Meditations also.

Vincent (Nov 9th)
There’s one edition of Centuries which I recommend above all the others. I borrowed it from the county library reserve stock, and have now ordered a hardback version from AbeBooks.
It’s the one with a Note by H M Margolioth, and an Introduction by Hilda Vaughan. Together these give some biographical background and explain that Traherne never gave the manuscripts any title. I had thought they were “Meditations” mainly written on his own account as opposed to publication, but discovered they are better seen as a “Handbook to Felicity”. While living in London he wrote them to a Mrs Susanna Hopwood, who lived in his birthplace, Hereford. Initially I assumed that Felicity was her first name, but of course he means that old-fashioned word which has been dropped in modern times in favour of the much-tarnished “happiness”.

PS I note that AbeBooks have low-priced copies in the Mowbray’s Christian Studies Series. I’m almost certain these are identical in content to the one I bought, as the copy I got from the library is a Mowbray reprint (1985) of the original 1960 version published by Clarendon Press (Oxford)