I have read a similar story/myth in Hindu methodology:
According to the myth, during his third incarnation as the avatar Varaha, Vishnu killed the asura known as Hiranyaksha in combat. In Hindu tradition, asuras are evil beings, often referred to as “demons” in modern literature. The “demon” reference is for the sake of simplicity, though the word is clearly inadequate. As a result of that killing, Hiranyaksha’s brother, Hiranyakaśipu, swore revenge and became Vishnu’s archenemy. Following a carefully concocted plan, Hiranyakaśipu performed penance and austerity for 12,000 years, after which Brahma, the creator god, conceded him an extraordinary boon: Hiranyakaśipu could not be killed by any god, man, or animal, by day or night, neither on earth nor in the air, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither with animate nor inanimate weapons.
All but invincible, Hiranyakaśipu became a tyrant, overturning world order, abusing humans, and deposing the gods, while proclaiming the supremacy of the asuras. Eventually, he ordered the murder of his own son Prahlada, who happened to be a faithful devotee of Vishnu. This cosmic imbalance required cosmic intervention. Such is the scenario leading up to Vishnu’s fourth incarnation as the avatar Narasimha, a creature with an anthropomorphic torso and lower body, with the face and claws of a lion. This creature manifested itself by emerging from a pillar set at a threshold, best visualized as an intersection.
The whole scene serves the purpose of killing Hiranyakaśipu without violating Brahma’s boon. Hiranyakaśipu could not be slain by any god, man, or animal, but Narasimha is a god incarnated in a half human-half animal body; the asura could not be killed inside or outside, by day or night, hence he is killed at dusk on a threshold (in that an intersection is between one state of place and another); he could not be destroyed on earth nor in the air, and no animate or inanimate weapon could defeat him, so Narasimha places him on his lap and disembowels him with his claws — nails are, after all, neither animate nor inanimate.
Have been making paintings and wood sculptures since I was 19 and I’m 66 now. There has been a few years that I didn’t . I noticed the time when I did a lot of art is when I’m working on a particular piece, time seems to go by fast. It seems the opposite of when I was in school waiting for school to let out.
Seems like this state of consciousness is something like living in eternity, time seems to disappear. Makes me think of Zeus’s killing his father Cronus.
Time seems like a double edge sword when your mindful and active it goes by fast, and when I do nothing meaningful life is a bore and goes by slow.
Would love to learn more about time .such as how flies perceive time. To get out of the way of the slap. The subject is fascinating Albert Einstein seem to have some interesting things to say about it.
Oh Elwyn, you’ve distilled something beautiful about time—how it bends and shifts depending on how we’re engaged with it. That ‘eternal’ feeling while creating art sounds like flow, where time almost dissolves and we’re fully present. It’s such a contrast to the sluggish drag of boredom or waiting.
I find that the idea of Zeus and Cronus is such a poetic lens for this too—time as both a creator and a destroyer, shaping our lives in paradoxical ways.
As for flies, their faster perception fascinates me too—what feels like a slow-motion slap to them must make the world so different.
Maybe that’s the magic: learning to ‘stretch’ our moments through meaning. Thank you for sharing 🧡
Depression that comes out of wasting time is a valuable asset . Yet when you have OCD that brings an interesting aspect. And then to be creative it’s sometimes good to do nothing. Being we are not machines it’s a creative process just to live. The zen monks say to watch yourself. yet don’t control.
I’m with you it’s a fascinating subject. Have you ever read or listened to old speeches by Alan Watts. He seemed to speak on this kind of subject. His speeches can be found on Apple podcast for free.
I have read a similar story/myth in Hindu methodology:
According to the myth, during his third incarnation as the avatar Varaha, Vishnu killed the asura known as Hiranyaksha in combat. In Hindu tradition, asuras are evil beings, often referred to as “demons” in modern literature. The “demon” reference is for the sake of simplicity, though the word is clearly inadequate. As a result of that killing, Hiranyaksha’s brother, Hiranyakaśipu, swore revenge and became Vishnu’s archenemy. Following a carefully concocted plan, Hiranyakaśipu performed penance and austerity for 12,000 years, after which Brahma, the creator god, conceded him an extraordinary boon: Hiranyakaśipu could not be killed by any god, man, or animal, by day or night, neither on earth nor in the air, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither with animate nor inanimate weapons.
All but invincible, Hiranyakaśipu became a tyrant, overturning world order, abusing humans, and deposing the gods, while proclaiming the supremacy of the asuras. Eventually, he ordered the murder of his own son Prahlada, who happened to be a faithful devotee of Vishnu. This cosmic imbalance required cosmic intervention. Such is the scenario leading up to Vishnu’s fourth incarnation as the avatar Narasimha, a creature with an anthropomorphic torso and lower body, with the face and claws of a lion. This creature manifested itself by emerging from a pillar set at a threshold, best visualized as an intersection.
The whole scene serves the purpose of killing Hiranyakaśipu without violating Brahma’s boon. Hiranyakaśipu could not be slain by any god, man, or animal, but Narasimha is a god incarnated in a half human-half animal body; the asura could not be killed inside or outside, by day or night, hence he is killed at dusk on a threshold (in that an intersection is between one state of place and another); he could not be destroyed on earth nor in the air, and no animate or inanimate weapon could defeat him, so Narasimha places him on his lap and disembowels him with his claws — nails are, after all, neither animate nor inanimate.
Seems like the greatest battles are within. And when I do what I truly like then life goes by so fast. I hope my statement is in line with narrative.
It is Elwyn.
May you give us an example where you did something you truly like, and life goes by you ever faster? 👀
Have been making paintings and wood sculptures since I was 19 and I’m 66 now. There has been a few years that I didn’t . I noticed the time when I did a lot of art is when I’m working on a particular piece, time seems to go by fast. It seems the opposite of when I was in school waiting for school to let out.
Seems like this state of consciousness is something like living in eternity, time seems to disappear. Makes me think of Zeus’s killing his father Cronus.
Time seems like a double edge sword when your mindful and active it goes by fast, and when I do nothing meaningful life is a bore and goes by slow.
Would love to learn more about time .such as how flies perceive time. To get out of the way of the slap. The subject is fascinating Albert Einstein seem to have some interesting things to say about it.
Oh Elwyn, you’ve distilled something beautiful about time—how it bends and shifts depending on how we’re engaged with it. That ‘eternal’ feeling while creating art sounds like flow, where time almost dissolves and we’re fully present. It’s such a contrast to the sluggish drag of boredom or waiting.
I find that the idea of Zeus and Cronus is such a poetic lens for this too—time as both a creator and a destroyer, shaping our lives in paradoxical ways.
As for flies, their faster perception fascinates me too—what feels like a slow-motion slap to them must make the world so different.
Maybe that’s the magic: learning to ‘stretch’ our moments through meaning. Thank you for sharing 🧡
Depression that comes out of wasting time is a valuable asset . Yet when you have OCD that brings an interesting aspect. And then to be creative it’s sometimes good to do nothing. Being we are not machines it’s a creative process just to live. The zen monks say to watch yourself. yet don’t control.
I’m with you it’s a fascinating subject. Have you ever read or listened to old speeches by Alan Watts. He seemed to speak on this kind of subject. His speeches can be found on Apple podcast for free.
Fascinating!!!!
Beautiful and relatable piece. Nice one