Miranda: The Tempest

- by John William Waterhouse (1916)

This is a scene from Shakespeare's last play, "The Tempest," Miranda (the soul) is looking out at a shipwreck in the tempest. We can see that as long as the soul stays on its own ground it is safe. A few feet away the tempest rages. This is how self-remembering works. The soul can stay perched on secure land while our thoughts rage below. If she takes one step into that world she will be swamped. Remember to watch the tempest of your own thoughts and do not try to swim, even if the rest of you feels like a shipwreck.

~ Mervyn Brady