I LOVE how the universe is always tossing delicious little bits of wonderfulness our way. Today I was trying to look up the name of a town in Ireland I visited years ago. First I tried a map, and then I started typing in letters of what I thought might be a reasonable attempt at a spelling, hoping something would pop up I’d recognize. Instead, I fell down a rabbit hole that lead me directly to today’s topic.
G is for galimatias, which is defined as confused mixture of unrelated things; nonsense; confused or unintelligible talk.
Isn’t that a delicious word? Apparently galimatias is one of my favorite blogging topics – I have no trouble whatsoever sticking a bunch of unrelated things in a collection and delighting in all.
First up, let’s talk about gazing. After I wrote about Eyes the other day, I remembered an intriguing little factoid – back in the late 1700s it became popular within the upper classes of England to have a portrait of your lover’s eye painted on a bit of ivory which you then wore. It’s suggested that because marriages were often arranged for political or social alliances or such, that romantic love was frequently sought outside the marriage bond. And so one could demonstrate loyalty to one’s lover by wearing a portrait of them, albeit a portrait of a part of them not easily identifiable. This of course has me reeling with intriguing potential projects – I absolutely want to create some kind of collection of one-eye images. I want to stick eyeballs everyone – and not just generic eyeballs, but specific people’s eyeballs.
But alas, I can’t spend all my time thinking about the joys of such an undertaking. Sometimes my mind turns to gardens and flowers and other such lovely topics of flora. For example, today as I was looking out the back window and seeing that our goldenrod is towering above the roof line of the garage, I began anticipating that its bloom time will be soon. Late summer through fall this is a guaranteed bee haven.
Thinking about the goldenrod though also reminded me that gladiolus is often attributed as August’s flower. Perhaps I’ll plant some next year. The name gladiolus is Latin, the diminutive of gladius, a sword. The plant is often known as sword lily – both because of its sword-shaped leaves and because its tall straight stem. But I have a fondness for trumpet shaped blooms, and gladiolus fills that bill as well. Trumpet-shaped blooms make me think of Archangel Gabriel, and so there’s yet another G connection for today.
And finally, I think it’s hardly possible that my mind could be musing about the letter G and not bring to mind Ganesh. Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu god of wisdom, prudence, and salvation, is also known as The Lord of Obstacles. It is believed that since he can either create or remove obstacles, he must be acknowledged before beginning any new enterprise.
I have a lovely little wooden Ganesh in my hallway that I pass countless times each day as I head up or down the stairs. And while I don’t embrace Ganesh in the religious sense, I do like his presence there. I like to take the time to stop for a moment on my first trip downstairs each morning. It’s a little ritual reminder that each day begins anew and is filled with opportunities. I ask that I remain open and receptive to continued opportunities that reveal my true Heart-of-Spirit. And that I take responsibility and make choices that move to peace and balance.
So there you have it, a true galimatias. Feel free to add your contribution to the mix. What G thing is inspiring you today? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
Hi Deborah – I’d add ‘Gorse’ … love the Cornish countryside – granite strewn – lit up with golden gorse … it gladdens my eye. I didn’t know about the ‘eye portraits’ I knew about miniatures .. but not the eye versions … cheers Hilary
Oh lovely Hilary. I’m more familiar with Gorse’s sister Broom. But they share that gorgeous yellow color that delights the heart.
What a delicious word galimatias is, Deborah. New to me as a vocabulary item, but certainly not as a life force. My G-word this time of year (and throughout other times too, I suppose) is Gatsby, my marvelous 90-pound mutt who decided it was time to go at age 15 around now in the calendar cycle in 2012. This stubborn, independent and intuitive soul taught me more through some of the toughest years in my life than most people I’ve known. A monster paradox with curious insight. Miss him. He kind of fits your chosen word in some ways. So do I.
Gatsby sounds like he was a most wonderful friend!
I am a BIG FAN of Ganesh, because he IS the remover of obstacles, as well the one who places obstacles to keep people ‘in check’ and I love the duality of that =)
And I am enamoured of the new word I have learned in this blog post today “galimatias” – it sounds like a wonderful title for a mixed media magazine! If I ever start such a magazine, that is what I will call it! 😉
What a fabulous idea – Galimatias would be a wonderful name for such a publication. And somehow I think Ganesh would approve too. 🙂
Could it have been Galway that you were looking for Deborah? A wonderful city for all sorts of randomness.
Fil
No it wasn’t Galway. I’ve spent some time in Galway and it is indeed an odd and wonderful city.