Amanda Gorman

[jbseth]

Hi All,

In "Seth Speaks", Seth talks about the "Speakers". Seth says that there have only been about 30 great speakers. In this category he tells us that Jesus was one, and that Buddha was too.  A little later on, he talks about Emerson and says that Emerson was also a speaker.


Below is a video of James Corden, who is talking to Amanda Gorman.  Amanda is the first person to be named the National Youth Poet Laureate, of the US. She is also the young woman who gave the speech at the recent presidential inauguration.

In both this video and in other recent video's that I've seen of her, Amanda, seems to have such a light about her, such wisdom, and such a confidence in herself and of herself. It's almost like she really taps into her inner self.

Being a poet, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that she does.


She seems pretty poised and seems quite confident in that she seems to perhaps have a mission which may includes being the US President at some point in the future.

What do you think, is she a "Speaker"?


-jbseth

[LarryH]

Yes, you have a point. Here is her poem, The Hill We Climb:

"When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We've braved the belly of the beast
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn't always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it
Somehow we do it
Somehow we've weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn't broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
And yes we are far from polished
far from pristine
but that doesn't mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we'll forever be tied together, victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If we're to live up to our own time
Then victory won't lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we've made
That is the promise to glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it's the past we step into
and how we repair it
We've seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth
in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children's birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the windswept northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked south
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we're brave enough to see it
If only we're brave enough to be it"

[jbseth]

Hi All,

Here are some snippets of the video where James Corden talked to Amanda Gorman. It is in some of the comments that she shared in this video that I sense that here, we are hearing from a person who is a "Speaker".

Below, I'm going to quote and bold some of her words.  What I have written here are not the exact words (I took out many of the "like" words that were used for example) and so while I put them in quotes, they aren't necessarily Amanda's and James Corden's exact words, but they do carry the content of their conversation.

It is my impression that this video conversation between James and Amanda probably took place within 24 hours of Amanda reciting her poem during the presidential inauguration.



At the very beginning of their conversation, Amanda tells James that he is "like" her favorite human being. What a nice thing for her to share with James.

When James ask her how she was processing the last 24 hours, Amanda replied, "Here's a metaphor, "My soul's on fire". In regards to the inauguration, James then graciously replied with, "I think that you were the pivotal moment".

Then Amanda showed here her human side and talked about how "This is one of those days where I can unabashedly say, "So, I need a new iphone." and she talks about how you need to capitalizing on these days with your mother. 



When James ask her what was going on in her head as she stepped up to the podium, she described it as, "A moment beyond words."

First she mentioned seeing the Washington and Lincoln monuments and she reflected on her personal history as be a descendant of a slave, also named Amanda. After this she talked about her human anxiety. She said she was aware of the following:

"I'm cold, the Biden's are right behind me, how does my hair look, my nose is sniffling, don't trip, don't mess up." Then she says something quite profound, she says: "You have to let go of all of that and let yourself be a vessel for the poem."

This was one of many things that makes me think that she may be a speaker. She seems to be suggesting here that she lets herself tap into and come from her inner self. Wow.


Then she very quickly says that she needs to cut in and it would be "remiss" if she didn't say the following. Then she proceeds to tell the story of her and her sister when they were young and lived in LA. They would go by CBS where James was inside and they'd put their head between the iron bars of the fence. They wanted to go inside and say "hi" but didn't want to end up being the 2 girls who got arrested for doing so. She then tells James that this is a full circle moment for her.  Again, what a wonderful thing for her to share with James.


Later James talks to her about the events of Jan 6, and how this affected her.

In her reply to this she mentioned that, "Here is basically a chapel that has been violated" Then she says:

"The way we bring that kind of sacredness back to this space is in our actions and in or words and words is where I operate and where I can make magic happen, so this is moreso my calling in using my hymn to try to kind of re-purify that space." 

Again, wow.



Later on, James talks to Amanda about poetry and mentioned that for many young people, this may have been the first time they've heard poetry. He then asked Amanda, what she wanted young people to know about the art of poetry. I think that her response to this was indicative of someone who is coming from her inner self or her higher self.  In response to this, Amanda said the following.

"For me, its to know that poetry and art in general means showing up with your "best self" whoever that may be, and that in itself is beautiful."

"Hearing you talk about the grace in which I performed my poem, as someone who has worked for years to overcome a speech impediment, that means everything to me."

"It means that I can still show up and carry the history and background of me and still be more than worth it and still be more than enough. And I hope that that's what other young people see today. Whether you're a poet or not, an artist, a dancer, a late night host, the more that we can bring our authentic selves, with hope into the moment, the more that moment will show up for us."



Following this, James mentioned her children's book, "Change Sings" that'll come out this year and asked her about its message. In response to this Amanda says that she wrote this book a year ago and thought that kids were going to need a pick me up. She says that she wrote this book because she wanted children to see themselves as real "change makers". She wants them to see themselves at the forefront as the "voice of tomorrow".




Finally near the end of the video, James Corden says:

" I think you can be whatever you want. You can choose whatever path for your life. Whatever you do its going to be rich and meaningful, for whoever is around you. For people who you know and don't know.

I genuinely feel there's a very real world where there's a poet speaking at your inauguration day when you're the President of the United States. I'm not joking, I'm 100%.

"Is that something you'd want to do?"

Amanda's response: "Oh heck yeah! Plan on it."



Wow.

This sounds to me, very much like a young woman who's already familiar with the idea of coming from her "authentic self". She also understands the idea that "the more that we can bring our authentic selves, with hope into the moment, the more that moment will show up for us." Finally, I think that as the first youth national poet laureate, she already grasps what it takes to create her reality. She may not understand the process but she's already using it and doing it. 

Like James, I too can genuinely see a world where, at some point in the future, the people of the US will be celebrating her inauguration day. Perhaps she'll be our first Speaker / President.

-jbseth

[jbseth]

Yes, you have a point. Here is her poem, The Hill We Climb:

Hi LarryH, Hi All,

Thanks for sharing that LarryH. 

-jbseth

[jbseth]

Hi All,

Here's another Amanda video. This one is a TED Talks video.

In one of her recent videos, I heard Amanda mention that until fairly recently, she had a speech impediment where, amongst other things, she had a problem with "r's".  In this video, she does seem to exhibit this slight issue but her message here is really powerful.


-jbseth

[jbseth]

Hi All,

I really like how Amanda ended her Inaugural Poem, "The Hill We Climb".


"For there is always light,
if only we're brave enough to see it
If only we're brave enough to be it"


-jbseth

[Deb]

Wow what a dynamo she is, I can see she has the spirit and strength to succeed in anything she sets her mind to, and accomplish great things. One of the things I really like  about her is her ability to see the potential for good regardless of the way things appear. I bet she's a real problem solver, not one to wallow in what's wrong or lay blame... she only sees opportunities to make things better. And she's only 22! Very inspirational.

I can see her being a speaker, one who has experience. She's brave enough to be the light for sure. She's already there.

[jbseth]

Hi Deb, Hi All,

Yeah, she's a real "Ray of Light". 

In Seth Speaks, Seth talks about how when one religion begins to fade, the world will call out for someone and as a result of this, often times someone will come along and bring with them the very things that the world calls out for.  He also mentions, again I think in Seth Speaks, that on occasion, some beings upon completing their reincarnation cycles, will, once again return to earth, as teachers, to help guide us as we go along. 

I wonder if something like this is what is going on with her?

Any way, she's quite an inspiration. 

-jbseth

[leidl]

Hello, jbseth and all,

So, last night I tuned into the Super Bowl to get a poetry fix.     (Haven't had many opportunities to say that...one must seize the moment.)  Amanda is such a joy to watch.  Since this thread appeared I've been wanting to study up on Speaker traits, to see if she checks all the boxes.

"Speakers possess an extraordinary vividness of feeling and thought projection."
—SS Chapter 17: Session 569, February 24, 1971

"Many artists, poets, and musicians are Speakers...."
—SS Chapter 17: Session 569, February 24, 1971

"The speakers operate in individual capacity, and yet they affect mass life conditions, for they can point out needed alterations in, say, a political system long before this is apparent."
—TPS4 Deleted Session December 12, 1977

"According to Seth, Emerson is one of the "Speakers" — personalities who, both in the physical state and out of it, speak to man through the ages, reminding him of inner knowledge so that it is never really forgotten."
—NoPR Chapter 9: Session 638, February 7, 1973

"...usually we try to squeeze their messages into concepts that we can understand, cloaking them in worn stereotyped images. Yet they are all about us, in the wind and trees, formed and unformed, more alive in many ways perhaps than we are — the speakers."
—SS Introduction

"The original source of the Speaker data is the inner knowledge of the nature of reality that is within each individual. The Speakers are to keep the information alive in physical terms, to see that men do not bury it within and dam it up, to bring it — the information — to the attention of the conscious self"
—SS Chapter 20: Session 578, April 5, 1971

Personally, I think she checks these boxes.  I came across a description of a Speaker somewhere which I haven't found at findingseth.com; I believe it said that the Speakers remind us of the truth of our eternal natures.  I haven't heard Amanda Gorman address our true nature directly; it feels, though, like she has an awareness of the expansiveness of our being which she chooses to not address, except in more general terms such as in her line about us being "brave enough to be it" (the light.)  The deepest truths are often found in the spaces between the words, after all, instead of in the words themselves.

I read that the current National Youth Poet Laureate in the U.S., Meera Dasgupta, writes a lot about climate change.  It is interesting that both Gorman and Dasgupta are writing about specific issues that are currently challenging our nation and the planet.  Perhaps the Speakers currently among us, major and minor, instead of pointing out our true nature in the way that Emerson, Buddha and Jesus did, are focusing on the issues that are threatening us as a species.  By inspiring and uniting us to address the issues that need to be addressed, perhaps they will help us pull ourselves back from the brink.  I'm rooting for us.

[jbseth]

Perhaps the Speakers currently among us, major and minor, instead of pointing out our true nature in the way that Emerson, Buddha and Jesus did, are focusing on the issues that are threatening us as a species.

Hi leidl, Hi All,

I didn't watch the Super Bowl, but definitely would have, had I known that Amanda was going to recite one of her poems. She's awesome. 

I did see a video of her reciting her Super Bowl poem after the Super Bowl and was once again quite impressed with her.


I too have recently once again come across the Seth quote, from SS, S569, where Seth says: "Many artists, poets, and musicians are Speakers....".  This makes a lot of sense to me, given the creative nature of many artists, poets and musicians, such as Jane and Rob for example.      


As an alternative to what you said above, perhaps the Speakers currently among us, major and minor, "are" pointing out our true nature in the very unique way that they are showing up in the world.

In the TED Talks video in Reply #4 above, Amanda talks about the "mantra" that she uses before she recites one of her poems.  In this mantra, which she gives us starting at about 0:40 minutes into this video, she say, "I am the daughter of Black writers, ..., who changed the world. They call me."

In this video, she says that she repeats these words to herself, as a way to "gather herself". Later on she says that the way that she kind of "strengthens herself" is through this mantra.

Then, along with this, in the video with James Corden, Amanda talks about how, at the moment that she went up to recite her poem, during the Presidential inauguration, how she was aware of her hair, and how she didn't want to trip or mess up her recitation and then she says, "You have to let go of all of that and let yourself be a vessel for the poem."

In using her mantra, and in allowing herself to "let go of all of that and be a vessel", I think that Amanda is demonstrating not only how we can "gather ourselves" and "strengthen ourselves" but also how we "let go of all the concerns of life" and tap into our greater self that is who we really are and be a vessel of this greater self.

When Amanda starts reciting one of her poems, like she did at the Presidential inauguration, she shows us what it looks like when a person both taps into their higher self and speaks from this higher self.


-jbseth

[jbseth]

Hi leidl, Hi All,

I came across a great quote from Seth today. This come from "The Magical Approach", Session One (this is on page 8 in my paperback copy of this book).

TMA, Session One:

[...] "True creativity comes from enjoying the moments, which then fulfill themselves, and a part of the creative process is indeed the art of relaxation, the letting go, for that triggers magical activity,..."



Seth's comment that, it is "the letting go", that triggers magical activity, kind of reminds me of Amanda's comment where she said:

"You have to let go of all of that and let yourself be a vessel for the poem. "


-jbseth

[leidl]

Hello jbseth and all,

As an alternative to what you said above, perhaps the Speakers currently among us, major and minor, "are" pointing out our true nature in the very unique way that they are showing up in the world.

Yes, perhaps.  I agree, your examples suggest she does have this insight.  It is interesting to me though that her talk of our true nature comes through in interviews where she discusses the creative process, but not in her poetic works.  (At least not the ones I've read.)  But she is only 22!  Those ideas may come out later, after they've percolated a couple of decades.  I wonder when Emerson started talking about the oversoul? 

As I mentioned above, I do think her sense of the depth and expansiveness of the psyche shows in some of her poems, but it comes through in the silent spaces, rather than in the words themselves.  Sometimes we have to leave the biggest truth to silence, which can express with less distortion.

In any event, it is going to be a lot of fun to watch her develop as a poet!

[leidl]

Seth's comment that, it is "the letting go", that triggers magical activity, kind of reminds me of Amanda's comment where she said:

"You have to let go of all of that and let yourself be a vessel for the poem. "

Yes, jbseth, nice parallel.  I appreciate the reminder from Seth to let go and enjoy the magic of of the process, too.  Writing is a kind of play one engages in with All That Is. 

Amanda's radiance puts me in mind of the Thoreau quote, "Surely joy is the condition of life."  :-)

[jbseth]

Amanda's radiance puts me in mind of the Thoreau quote, "Surely joy is the condition of life."

Hi leidl, Hi All,

I like this quote from Thoreau, which is actually at "Walden's Pond". 

-jbseth

[jbseth]

Hi leidl, Hi All,

I just realized that the photo I attached is hard to read.

It says the following:

"I went to the woods because
I wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential
facts of life.
and to see if I could
not learn what it had to teach
and not, when I came to die,
discover that I had not lived."

                  - Thoreau


This sign is actually located at "Walden's Pond". I say this because I actually saw it there at Walden's Pond in 2008. 



I personally happen to think that many of the "Transcendentalists" like Thoreau, were actually "Speakers" of some sort.


I think that Amanda's Gorman's, 2021 inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb", is in some ways not unlike some of Thoreau's writings. Both being very inspired. 


-jbseth

[Deb]

a part of the creative process is indeed the art of relaxation, the letting go, for that triggers magical activity,..."

Associations this has brought to my mind:

• The Christian "Let go and let god." (I used to feel this was a cop-out, but the next thought changed that.)

• Abraham Hicks did a whole analogy about us paddling upstream—against the flow that comes from Source (or ATI if you're talking Seth, this is what changed my mind about the Christian saying). The A-H audio is both very clever and humorous at times, and makes a "boatload" of sense. It's stuck with me all this time. It's below. Enjoy the flow.

• Similarly, Richard Bach's handwritten fable in the beginning of Illusions (1977). It wowed me then and has stuck with me all of these years. Of the creatures living in a river:

12. "The current of the river swept silently over them all — young and old, rich and poor, good and evil, the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self.

13. "Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth.

14. "But one creature said at last, 'I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging I shall die of boredom.'

15. "The other creatures laughed and said, 'Fool! Let go and that current you warship will throw you tumbled and smashed across the rocks, and you will die quicker than boredom!"

16. "But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath it did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks.

17. "Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more.

18. "And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, 'See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the Messiah, come to save us all!'

19. "And the one carried in the current said, 'I am no more Messiah than you. The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.'

20. "But they cried the more, 'Savior!" all the while clinging to the rocks, and when they looked again he was gone, and they were left alone making legends of a Savior."

There's more, but this is the part that really wowed me.

This type of "let go" may not appear totally in line with what Amanda meant about letting go and being a vessel, but to me it does. But I have to admit I'm a bit sleep deprived right now. Just a quick personal story which I also connect with letting go and being a vessel. Sometimes I paint, and once in a while I "fight" the creative process because I don't trust my ability or am concerned I'll mess up. Especially if it's something meaningful to me or I've already invested a lot of time in it. On one particular painting, I finally got angry with myself and decided to let go of trying to control the creative process (anger is a great motivator for me). In very little time I stabbed my way through the painting (not relaxed, but hey it worked anyway) just letting my body impulses rather than my mind take over. I have to say it's one of my favorite paintings and I felt like I was in the "zone" at the time.

I love the messages from A-H and Bach to let go and yield to the current which originates from ATI and which will "lift us free."

Amanda is amazing. Not only smart, but very wise for her age. If she has a grasp on concepts like this now, I can only imagine what she will grow into.

The best teachers/speakers are not only wise, but able to communicate the ideas to others in a way that is both easy to understand and "tastes great going down." She not only has the wisdom, but the skills as well.

[jbseth]

Hi Deb, Hi All,


Wow Deb, thanks for sharing that post. I really, really connected with what you've said here. 



Yeah, I agree, I too think that the letting go that Amanda was talking about was very much in line with:

1) The idea of "Let go and let God",

2) Richard Bach's story of the creatures in the river (I too have always loved that story) and

3) the letting go that A-H talks about in the audio file where you let the river direct the flow of your boat (thanks for sharing that video too).  



Seth also talks about letting go. While I'm sure he probably does this in several places, the one that comes to mind right now is in DEAVF1, where he talks about letting go in terms of creating your reality. Check it out below. 

DEaVF1, Ch 3, S891:
The important lessons have never really appeared in your societies: the most beneficial use of the directed will, with great expectations, and that coupled with the knowledge of Framework 1 and 2 activities. Very simply: You want something, you dwell upon it consciously for a while, you consciously imagine it coming to the forefront of probabilities, closer to your actuality. Then you drop it like a pebble into Framework 2, forget about it as much as possible for a fortnight, and do this in a certain rhythm.



The New Thought Church that my wife and I went to about 20 years ago also used to talk about this idea of "Let go and let God". They talked about it in the same way that we're talking about it here. Only they even took it one step further.  Along with talking about "Let go and let God", they also use to sell what they called "God Cans".

A "God Can", is typically some empty and cleaned out soup can, soda can, or coffee can.  The top of these cans consists of some sort of removable lid with a slit cut in it.  Whenever you have a big problem, or an issue with a friend, or something that you want or need, if you're having a problem with it, you write down the issue on a small slip of paper and then you put this slip of paper it into the "God can".  You do this knowing that while you might be having trouble with this issue, God can do anything.  Then you "let go" and put this problem or issue completely out of your mind and let God solve it for you and for the highest good of all (this is kind of like Seth's idea of Value Fulfillment).

The idea here being that in some situations, even though we might have trouble trying to solve some problem, God can do anything, and so we put the issue into God's hands and we let go of it.

This church use to sell these soup can sized "God Cans" for something like $5.00 each or something like that. Furthermore, these cans were all decorated with a nice wrap around label that contained a blue sky with clouds and a rainbow in the background.

Attached is a picture of a "God Can" that I found on the internet. It's really not quite the same as the one's our church use to sell.



I really liked your story about your painting and once you let go and went with it, it just really seemed to creatively come together in a really awesome manner. I've had similar types of experiences myself. When I finally got out of my own way, everything seemed to flow smoothly.

Right now I'm rereading "The Magical Approach" and I sense that this is exactly the kind of thing that Seth is talking about in this book.

-jbseth

[Deb]

This church use to sell these soup can sized "God Cans" for something like $5.00 each or something like that. Furthermore, these cans were all decorated with a nice wrap around label that contained a blue sky with clouds and a rainbow in the background.

That's a great idea! I think Esther or Jerry Hicks or someone had a similar idea, they called it a seed jar or something like that. I made one for myself, a pint canning jar that I decorated, put a hole in the lid. Same concept: write things down on slips of paper that you want for the future, crumble it into a ball and pop it in the jar and let the "seeds" be. I was putting some notes in my jar for a couple of months and then got out of the habit. A year so so later I came across the jar again and read my notes. Most of them had come true.

I should read Magical Approach again, it's been so long. I think Tim Hart recorded that one and I have a short road trip coming up next week, it would be a good choice for the trip. BTW I just saw Tim has a patreon page, good for him! I also see he's working on The Afterdeath Journal of an American Philosopher. I was hoping he would do that one!

https://www.patreon.com/TimReadsSethandJane