the line about vigilance i used comes from the buddhist text, the dhammapada, that i’m reading. it reminded me of being vigilant while your working so you make the right cuts on the wood as well as avoiding cuts to yourself. if you pay attention to the way the wood flakes and bends and are aware of the faults and qualities of your tools, you can adjust to the wood and tools and create what you need to. the more care and diligence you put into each of the parts, the more likely they will fit together and match the original blueprints in your head. in this way, your “ghost” of an idea comes into view and is illuminated for all to see.
it’s also like Holdrege’s Exact Sensorial Imagination; if you are vigilant and aware of the thought, the image in your head, you can visualize it with the piece of wood you’re working with and make even more exact cuts with that deeper understanding. if you illuminate the vision in your head, bringing it into sharper focus, you can think more creatively about how to go about accomplishing that. we see the world differently by noticing the way wood flakes and splits. and what’s physically happening when you envision it in your imagination is a neural firestorm that’s literally illuminating your brain. there’s many many meanings in it. i only had the first one in mind. but i’m curious what meanings you see come out of it. i don’t think i wouldve noticed the nuerophysiological one had you not said anything.

Favorite lines:

“Ancient sculptures of flesh

Revealing (hidden) layers

Ghostly blueprints find

Themselves laid down onto wood

Moving from carelessness

Illuminating ghosts

Embryology”

A question: How does vigilance light the world? Literally, or neurophysiologically, or creatively? It’s more than a metaphor, right?