Wednesday's Word -- Ascension

This week's word comes from the creative work of Daniel Everett (talented, and my brother to boot):

Daniel Everett, Ascension II, 2010

You can follow Daniel's work and get information about his shows at daniel-everett.com and at his tumblr site.

Ascend

Ascend means to rise or increase to higher levels, values or degrees; mounting or sloping upward. The word ascend comes from the indo-european root skand-, meaning to leap or climb. You might think of ascending the stairs or ascending to the throne, or even the ascension of Christ.

I love Daniel's Ascension, because it's maddening -- but oh so typical of life -- to feel like you're moving but never really progressing. Watching this video makes me want to rest. But it also makes me think about the importance of continuing to press forward, and that the joy should be in the journey and not the destination.

Because one of the meanings of "ascend" is to go toward the source or beginning, I'm also reminded of a favorite excerpt from T.S. Eliot's "Little Gidding":

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

It might be the aging process, but I feel like that quite a bit lately!