Celebrating Our Infinite Potential

Happy Pi Day

Photo by Jeremy Mowery on Unsplash

Since March 14th, International Pie Day, happens on Saturday, I’m posting this week on Saturday instead of on Sunday. Next week I’ll be back on my Sunday schedule.

Ok…on to the post.

Happy International Pi Day!

Pi: The sixteenth letter of the Greek Alphabet

Pi: Is a mathematical constant, a fundamental in geometry, physics, and engineering.

Pi: Tells you the relationship between a circle’s distance around (circumference) and its distance across (diameter). No matter the circle’s size, the circumference is always just about 3.14 times longer than its diameter.

Pi: Is an irrational and transcendental number, its decimal representation never ends with no repeating pattern. Because of this unending value, it is described decimally as 3.14159 or as a fraction 22/7.

Pi: Is represented by a symbol that looks like this π

Pi: A misspelling of “Pie”, something wonderful my grandmother Newcomer made from flour, butter, a rolling pin but mostly love—and incidentally my favorite sweet.

I know there are elegant and beautiful mathematical explanations of Pi π and that there is a reason why mathematicians have attempted to extend their understanding of this important number for thousands of years. But I’m not a mathematician, I’m a songwriter with a poet’s eye — and so I love how Pi is described and the idea that something could be called “constant” and “transcendent”, “irrational” and ultimately still “mysterious.”

In a world that likes to put things (including ineffable things) in small containers, I love that one of the ideas we can consistently rely upon is that there will always be mysteries to ponder.

I like Pi π because it asks me to hold in creative balance the small view and large perspective, to lean into what is constant and reliable and ponder how it is housed in something that is seemingly endlessly unfolding.

Pi π reminds me to stay humble, for there are things I might never know. Pi π reminds me to stay grateful for what is transcendent and constant —like beauty, like mystery, like love and rolled dough.

So my friends….

Let us celebrate our infinite potential, endless creativity and kindness and joy unbounded.

Let us honor all we know and do not know, embracing curiosity and humbly rejoicing with new found insights.

Or in other words, this is an excellent day to say, “thank you” to an unfolding universe of mysteries and constants and maybe bring pie to a friend or to your place of work.

And share this message with your favorite “sweetie pie”

-Carrie

Note: I know a paid subscription is not in everyone’s budget, so there will always be free content here at A Gathering of Spirits, but a deep bow of appreciation to those who support my work, support this community and make this creative endeavor and gathering space possible.

AND as always, thank you for “liking” “commenting” and sharing with friends or restacking to Notes.

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This is a poem called “Addition” from my poetry collection, A Permeable Life: Poems & Essays. It’s the story of how my father sat with me at the kitchen table helping me to learn long addition…and the elegance of how things add up and also transform.

Addition

My father taught me about numbers,
How to carry forward
What had grown too large for its column
Add the 5 to the 7
Carry forward the 10
Leaving only 2.
It is like that,
Taking all you’ve come through,
Combining everything gathered and lost,
Add to the sum a little kindness
For doing the best you could
With what you knew at the time.
Tally up all the fives and sevens,
All the sixes and fours,
All that came up odd or even,
Then carry forward
Your expanded self
Which has grown beyond the limits
Of the first container.
Nothing is ever truly gone;
It only changes places.

by Carrie Newcomer 
From A Permeable Life: Poems & Essays

Question

Ok…What is your favorite Pie :-) Who makes the best pie you’ve ever had? For me…it would be my grandmother Edna Newcomer, or my friend Legene…both total queens of pie-land.

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Music Always Music

The first time I heard this transcendent song by Patti Griffin, I had to turn off the album and just sit down and ponder its meaning. It is one of the most powerful songs I’ve encountered about love and living with the real and forever personal losses and tragedies of war. It’s on an Americana classic album called “1000 Kisses”. Thanks Patti.

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Things I Loved This Week

A deep bow of gratitude to Paul McGee for this beautiful retrospective feature in Lonesome Highways of all my Available Light Recordings (Everything is Everywhere, A Permeable Life, The Point of Arrival, Until Now, The Beautiful Not Yet and A Great Wild Mercy). It is a lovely affirmation of the recordings, but also the spirit threading through the works. Thanks again Paul! Here’s the Link

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Concerts and Retreats

To check out the full listing of all my upcoming concerts and workshops, visit www.carrienewcomer.com/tour

These are times to gather around music, art, community and affirm a Great Wild Mercy in the world and in our lives.

I am so excited to be performing with Gary Walters and Ella Jordan next month for a very special run of trio shows! We will be at Hendricks Live! in Plainfield, IN on April 10th, Delphi Opera House in Delphi, IN on April 11th, and the Old Town School of Folk Music on April 12th. I hope to see you at a show!

March 28th No Kings Rally

I’ll be part of the No Kings Rally in Bloomington, IN. I hope you’ll join us and make your voice heard! You can check this link for 50501 No Kings Protests in your area!