A Book Meme

I GOT this from Terrance who got it from Rachel. According to Terrance, neither of them tagged anybody, so I'm going to jump on board.

1. Find the nearest book.
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
4. Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
5. Name the book and the author, and tag three more folks.

Here goes...

Once you forgive yourself, the self-rejection in your mind is over. Self-acceptance begins, and the self-love will grow so strong that you will finally accept yourself just the way you are. That's the beginning of the free human.

From The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book by Don Miguel Ruiz. One of my favorite books indeed. My sister-friend Gail called me up and read me excerpts of the book, exclaiming that even though I had found my biological people, she had found my spiritual people. She'd say, "This guy sounds just like you!" and read another section. The book helped me navigate the complex process of relating to my birth relatives. Coincidentally, the hard cover edition of the book, the one I own, was published in 2001, the year I found my birth family.

Now I had three books sitting on my desk and I didn't want to choose (three sentences, three books: why not?), so here's the second:

I feel like I'm drowning. The only way out, the only way to fight the waves, is to move up from under them, twisting and contorting, grasping and reaching. With each movement, a new idea, with each new idea, another phrase...or word.

From o solo homo: the new queer performance, Holly Hughes and David Román, editors. Coincidentally, the above sentences happen to be my own. As Spirit would have it, page 123 includes the artist statement for my solo performance skin & ornaments, which the editors were kind enough to include in their book.

And, finally, the third:

The Church had to preserve its doctrines intact, and, like the pure body of the Virgin Mary, it must remain unpenetrated by the false doctrines of the barbarians (many of whom had converted to Arianism). A deep sadness also informed Augustine's later work: the fall of Rome influenced his doctrine of Original Sin, which would become central to the way Western people would view the world. Augustine believed that God had condemned humanity to an eternal damnation, simply because of Adam's one sin.

The last three sentences are from A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong. Excellent read for those who enjoy the history of religion.

I've no idea who I'd tag next. Not that it matters because I haven't the slightest idea how. But if you want to participate, go for it! If you don't have a blog, feel free to post your quotes in the comments section.

tags: books, performance art, religion, spirituality, theater