Eros And Psyche:
Psyche was a beautiful woman, rivaling that of Aphrodites
Psyche was so beautiful that everyone was intimidated by her beauty
Everyone refused to marry her because of her intimidating beauty
An oracle of Apollo told Psyche’s father that she will marry a monster with wings on the cliffs edges, so her father sent her there
Psyche was transported to a place where a voice told her to go inside as her husband
There she felt a body that didn't feel like a monster at all, and so they made love and psyche was pregnant
Afraid of raising her child, she sought to reveal who her lover was and brought an oil lamp to see him at night, but hurt him with the oil
The man was eros, and he revealed that he didn’t want to reveal his identity because he thought that mortals were inferior to the gods and that they could not be in love
Psyche went to seek out eros, but aphrodite stopped her in her tracks, and gave her tasks to do in order to be with eros
Psyche was able to complete almost all of the impossible tasks, and by the third one, she collapsed due to the box being filled with sleep rather than beauty
From there, eros found her and realized that immortals and mortals are equals and therefore there is no need for his anxieties
Mary Magdalene:
From the view of a lady watching a man
Was entranced by his pace of walking, could not decipher whether or not it was fast
The lady gave a gesture to him, in which he ignored and for that she was angry at him and said, “I hated Him”
She dreamt of him that night, but her body was reacting violently– as though it was a nightmare
She saw Him again, and he was in her garden
She stared at Him , and realized he was handsome, and that she was in love
She went to go see him, and could not understand why she went to approach Him
Even though He was saying simple things to her (good morrow to you) she felt a huge effect on herself, and when he rejected her invitation into her house she compared it ti death
She is a prostitute, “I belonged to all men, and to none”
She found beauty that everyone called her a harlot or bad words and yet he called her by her name
She was so desperate for Him and then He confessed that he loves her for who she is, not what she is or what she sells
He politely declined her and walked away and she was heartbroken but then came to the conclusion that no man walked away from her and that from him, she became a woman with a name
I have someone who has loved me deeply and who is also a mentor to me, and that is my grandma. She had primarily raised me as my parents are divorced, and both worked multiple jobs to keep up with the debts. My grandmother has changed my life completely and I credit almost all that I am to her guidance and love. As we call her in Filipino, Lola, meaning grandma, she has laid my life out for me without me even realizing it until I face problems where her values come into play. Lola didn't teach me how to pay taxes, how to pay for my college, or how to apply for a job– but she taught me that laughter is the best medicine in life, and that 3 ingredients can make a meal for a king. I listened to her because of the stories she told me. She would detail her older sister’s hair, and how it ran past her ankles. How she watched her sister grow so smart that she caught up to the same grade as their own mother. She told me what it was like being courted by my grandfather, who took a whole army bus just to pick her and her students up from the school she taught up in the mountains. She told me what it was like hiding in the cave from the Japanese soldiers during WWII with her older brother studying to be a doctor at that time. She showed me time and time again– to make the most out of everything– memories, happiness, time. From my understanding of her wisdom and years on her hands, I believed her to be a good mentor, and from that she taught me with immeasurable love.
For my creative piece, i would like to highlight an analysis of a poem that I did for my grandmother. It is also in this blog– here is the hyper link but I shall also post my writing section below:
Life is fleeting. People change and evolve, shaping ourselves into the mold created by hardships and success. Change is inevitable for life to prosper. My grandma made sure we understood that. She engraved it into my sister’s and mine hearts before she couldn’t. Having divorced parents, life is always so different and constantly morphing.
I have moved a total of thirteen times, counting both sides. I’ve lived with a total of 3 other families, hearing new experiences and leaving with some of my own. Memories were birthed in large open yards that bled into fresh pine forests but also in cramped townhouses infested with rats every winter. Marble kitchen counter tops were covered in home-cooked visayan food and so were dumpster dove dining tables, but they both held the same warm conversations booming with laughter. My grandma has had the freedom to roam around the town via the access of a free pace bus, asking, “what’s your problem?”, to everyone she meets, then telling them how to navigate their way, preaching the words spoken from last Sunday’s mass, and hugging strangers’ babies. There were also times when I’ve seen her cooped up in her room, legs dull and thin from not going anywhere, eyes blank towards the same Filipino telesarye (Filipino soap operas) that has been running for the past 6 hours, the scent of laundry, crushed garlic, and earth lingering on her hands and vestida. Her prayers at night have been silent but strong, her hand dashing across the pages of her prayer book writing a psalm for everyone on the earth, even those who have cursed her. Some nights they were passionate cries and preaches at night praying for the guidance down “the right path”. Large changes have occurred, from household to lifestyle that I often forget I face a small switch every week for the past 11 years of my life.
No matter my circumstances, my mind always resonated with what’s going on around me but also how it started. My grandma, or my Lola, reminded me how life is transforming, she also made sure that we knew who we are from, where we are from, and what we are from, which reminded me of Joy Harjo’s poem. “Remember the earth whose skin you are”, is a line that strongly captured my grandmother's message. She told me to connect back to the soil on which I came from and the soil my parents came from, even if you are on new land. To live as an American, but love as a Filipino. The earth is a place that holds our stories, our connections, and our life— she wanted us to be aware of that, even with the spontaneous course of a river that life sails on. Joy Harjo’s lines and stanzas are like my grandma is whispering in my ear from across the world, reiterating her values that she instilled in me. Here is Remember by Joy Harjo:
https://ponoyoudidnt.blogspot.com/2020/01/this-is-work-inspired-by-tracy-k.html
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