22 Comments

Such a delight to read your work again, Priya! I'm all on board for anything you write on so astutely and thoughtfully. Here's to your ten thousand journeys and your readers along for the ride!

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Yes! If your dervishes are a glimpse of what’s to come on this journey, I’m looking forward to being a passenger.

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Ohh exciting! I think a lot of us are trying to find our way, especially as technology throws a new curveball at us seemingly every fortnight. I love the idea, and wish you all the best on this new journey!

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Wonderful, Priya. I feel I have so much in common with you.

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I love this new focus for your newsletter. I’m at the begging of some big changes and look forward to reading your perspective!

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Sound awesome, I’m in!

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Beautiful description of the ripples. I will always picture the dirvish under there every time I see one now. And I live in the ocean so it’s often! Although sometimes they are also big seals.

My journey feels like I’m crossing a threshold. Not sure where to yet though. Look forward to reading more.

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I like it because it gives you the power to write about what you're excited about. This usually creates the best writing.

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Priya, I’ve read your comments on Dandelion Seeds and decided I needed to subscribe to your Substack. Your post made me think of one of my favorite poems and it seems to capture the spirit of your diagram:

Ithaka

BY C. P. CAVAFY

TRANSLATED BY EDMUND KEELEY

As you set out for Ithaka

hope your road is a long one,

full of adventure, full of discovery.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops,

angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:

you’ll never find things like that on your way

as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,

as long as a rare excitement

stirs your spirit and your body.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops,

wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them

unless you bring them along inside your soul,

unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.

May there be many summer mornings when,

with what pleasure, what joy,

you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;

may you stop at Phoenician trading stations

to buy fine things,

mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,

sensual perfume of every kind—

as many sensual perfumes as you can;

and may you visit many Egyptian cities

to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.

Arriving there is what you’re destined for.

But don’t hurry the journey at all.

Better if it lasts for years,

so you’re old by the time you reach the island,

wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,

not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.

Without her you wouldn't have set out.

She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.

Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,

you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

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