Words behind the Gold in Effulgence

Jacob wrestled the Angel! And the Angel is overcome.

Jacob was on the road when he ran into a man that tried to stop him. They fought through the night. Turns out the guy was an Angel, and he realized he couldn't beat Jacob, so the angel touched his hip to weaken him, and said Jake you gotta let me go. But Jacob said, "Yeah right! I'm not letting go until you bless me!" [Genesis now...] The Angel said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel.

Ok! So here's some background on the painting, should curiosity strike or perhaps tap you gently. Here are the words behind the gold:

Love will not betray, dismay, or enslave you, it will set you free. Be more like the man you were made to be. My heart was never pure. You know me. [Mumford & Sons, "Sigh no More"] The stars got poured into the sky out of a magician's hat last night, and all of them have fallen into my hair. Some have even tangled my eyelashes into luminous, playful knots. Wayfarer, you are welcome to cut a radiant tress that lays upon my shoulders. Wrap it around your trembling heart and body that craves divine comfort and warmth. I am like a pitcher of milk in the hands of a mother who loves you. All of my contents now have been churned into dancing suns and moons. Lean your sweet neck and mouth out of that dark nest where you hide, I will pour effulgence into your mind. Come spring you can find me rolling in fields that are exploding in holy battles of scents, of sounds- everything is a brilliant colored nova on a stem. Forest animals hear me laughing and surrender their deepest instincts and fears. They come charging into meadows to lick my hands and face. This makes me so happy, I become so happy that my rising wink turns into a magic baton. When my soft-eyed creatures see that wonderful signal we all burst into singing and make strange and primal beautiful sounds! My only regret in this world then becomes: That your shyness keeps you from placing your starving body against God and seeing the Beloved become so pleased with your courage that His belly begins to rock and rock, then more planets get to leap onto the welcome mat of existence all because of your precious love. The friend has turned my verse into sacred pollen. When a breeze comes by falcons and butterflies and playful gangs of young angels mounted on emerald spears take flight from me like a great sandstorm that can blind you to all but the Truth! [The Gift by Hafiz translated by Daniel Ladinsky, "Out of God's Hat"] They change your name, they change your face, and try to hide you from the human race. But still you broke through and spoke to me and said follow me and you will see. You say follow me, follow me, follow me and you will see. [Michael Brown, "Hymn"] Is it so hard to believe that you're the one I need? Is it so hard to receive this love I have to give- I give to you. Don't complicate it. Don't anticipate it. Celebrate it. Celebrate it and let it go.You ask me how I feel? You want to know is it real? Is it real? [Michael Brown, "Is It Real?] And She knows that She can trust you, because She's touched your perfect body with her mind. [Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne"] We all are onward, onward, speeding slowly, surely bettering, Life, life an endless march, an endless army. The world, the race, the soul- in space and time the universes, All bound as is befitting each- all surely going somewhere. [Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman "Going Somewhere"] By now the initial upset and mourning have settled but she was a treasure uncovered and now a treasure once again buried back into the everlasting universe. [Tarynn Wiehahn, "Treasure"] There are children in the morning. They are leaning out for love. They will lean that way forever. [Leonard Cohen "Suzanne"] I see the love in your Brother's eyes and the love in your Mother's cries. Sister don't let go. Sister don't let go of us. [Mumford & Sons "Sister"]

I put those words on there nice and clean in cursive (as I entered this into the Masscribes Exhibit and wanted it to look like I could write alright) and then went to feeling what images ought to go where, and when I painted froggie and traced a circle behind his head to make a circle for the sun, it gave me that goosey feeling to see that the words within the sun were "dance, effulgence, of sounds, deeper." And so had to name the piece after that. I looked up the word "effulgence." It means radiant splendor. Is the sun the radiant splendor of sound? And does that make hummus holy?

Leonard Cohen. He is wonderful, huh? Tarynn posted a video from his Live in London concert (wow) on her site TarynnO.com. After hearing that I listened to the whole album a few times. There's this great part between songs where he says, "I've studied all the major religions. But.... cheerfulness kept breaking through." and everyone giggled.