Jar is named after Wallace Stevens' poem Anecdote of the Jar. The jar in Stevens' poem seems to represent an open and receptive mind. In general, Wallace Stevens was noted for combining intellectual thought with poetic imagery and poetic logic. I don't have permission to copy his poem, but here is a link to someone who has put the poem online: Anecdote of the Jar , so you can compare it to the translated version (below) which is a kind of vision statement for this blog, and for the proposed support group by the same name - Jar.
If you want to hear the poem sung (!) click onto this link:I Placed a Jar in Tennessee | MeFi Music
Anecdote of the Jar Group
We placed a group devoted to contemplative thought in Ohio*.
And it was unified toward developing higher consciousness
Which transcends the part-mind activity of formal thought,
But includes such intellectual processing.
The group mind lifted up the regular activity of thought
By integrating those thoughts into a larger whole.
The consciousness was based upon contemplation/meditation, upon the ground of being,
And was transcendent and open.
The group mind was expansive, exploring all sorts of possibilities.
It was nonjudgmental and non-biased.
The group didn't limit itself to particular beliefs -
Not at all typical of mid-western culture and thought.
* The plan is to have quarterly meetings at Espresso Yourself Music Cafe in Powell, Ohio. The blog will be a supplement to the face-to-face meetings, and can accommodate those who may be too far away to attend the quarterly meetings. Special group-sponsored poetry readings and "searchshops" (philosophical discussions/explorations) may occur in time, as the Jar group grows.
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