So simple an observation but a complex vision for this word! I love it! I can see it: a place holding me, holding you, holding all of us. Where we can rest. Beautiful.
The nucleus of the single syllable “home” is an mid-back vowel, which is deeper and more resonant. The vowel sound feels more stable than, for instance, a high-front vowel like, “ee” in English.
“Nucleus”—I like this word. Makes me think of letter O. Has a lot of power, doesn’t it? I should hope my nucleus is stable. Also, I’m wondering what it means for it to be “resonant,” “deeper”… how this might add to “home.”
This is so wonderful, Christianna. When I contemplate, I try to empty all thoughts except for one word that I hold and repeat whenever my mind wanders. I just did a short contemplation with your suggested word home and honestly it brought me to tears. I'm going on a weekend silent retreat starting tomorrow afternoon. I'm pretty sure what my holding word for the weekend is going to be. Thank you for this, Christianna and thank you for this wonderful space that you share.
I love that you are able to transfer this practice to your contemplation, Steve. This is beautiful to me, and exactly what I hoped for in this work! "Home"--its sounds and images are so grounding, aren't they?
I'm excited to hear maybe one takeaway from your retreat, if you'd like to share with us!
The “O” looks like a space I can crawl into and take a nap. A safe place.
So simple an observation but a complex vision for this word! I love it! I can see it: a place holding me, holding you, holding all of us. Where we can rest. Beautiful.
The nucleus of the single syllable “home” is an mid-back vowel, which is deeper and more resonant. The vowel sound feels more stable than, for instance, a high-front vowel like, “ee” in English.
“Nucleus”—I like this word. Makes me think of letter O. Has a lot of power, doesn’t it? I should hope my nucleus is stable. Also, I’m wondering what it means for it to be “resonant,” “deeper”… how this might add to “home.”
Thank you for sharing!
This is so wonderful, Christianna. When I contemplate, I try to empty all thoughts except for one word that I hold and repeat whenever my mind wanders. I just did a short contemplation with your suggested word home and honestly it brought me to tears. I'm going on a weekend silent retreat starting tomorrow afternoon. I'm pretty sure what my holding word for the weekend is going to be. Thank you for this, Christianna and thank you for this wonderful space that you share.
I love that you are able to transfer this practice to your contemplation, Steve. This is beautiful to me, and exactly what I hoped for in this work! "Home"--its sounds and images are so grounding, aren't they?
I'm excited to hear maybe one takeaway from your retreat, if you'd like to share with us!