Elemental
The banner (or header) for the site consists of the circular "Enso" symbol, representing community, non-duality, enlightenment and the circle of life. Superimposed on the enso is a crane rising in flight. The magnificent bird represents earthly existence and the journey to radiant awakening, whatever form that awakening might take for individual earthlings.
The moon is a powerful motif in earthly cultures and spiritual practices. For me, the enso also represents the perfect aureole of the moon shining above us all, radiant lunar cycles and the turning of the seasons in the great round of time. On moonlit nights, I am often to be found somewhere on a hillside with camera and tripod, looking up and marveling at the grandeur of this astonishing cosmos we all call home.
Banner text is set in Sophia, designed by the incandescently gifted Matthew Carter and released by his independent type foundry, Carter & Cone Type Inc. Sophia's glyphs reflect a splendid Byzantine potpourri of influences: classical Roman capitals, early uncials and Greek letter forms. The typeface was inspired by a cross and chalice crafted in Constantinople during the sixth century, and the engravings on the two works of art followed models which were in use a thousand years earlier. On both cross and chalice, there is a veritable cornucopia of influences which express the vibrant cosmopolitan culture of the time. For all that, Sophia's glyphs are elegant and gracefully readable, suggesting at the same time ancient origins and impeccable scholarship. Matthew Carter's contemporary creation includes many alternative character shapes, and many have extensions designed to compose on-the-fly “manuscript” ligatures. Sophia is among the most beautiful typefaces ever created. I never tire of seeing it on a page or typesetting something in it.
Body text is, for the most part, Gill Sans, simply because I like it. Created by the legendary Eric Gill for Eric Cleverdon's Bristol bookshop in 1926, Gill Sans remains (to my mind anyway) the most elegant of all sans serif typefaces and the easiest on the eye.
For the lover of typefaces and lettering, the world is full of wonders, and every scrap of print is an adventure in the offing. It helps to have a good guidebook along as one traverses the soaring peaks and pastoral valleys of the typographical landscape, and I recommend one reference volume above all others—book designer, typographer, poet and mythic historian Robert Bringhurst’s magnificent The Elements of Typographic Style.
In these elder days, I find myself cleaving to a lifestyle that is lean and supple and spare. Once in a while, I consider redesigning this site, brewing up a new template, adding widgets, gadgets, windbells and bamboo flutes, but whenever I tinker with the place, I always seem to land up putting everything back the way it was. The truth is that I like this simple uncluttered Zen approach, and the place is likely to remain much as it is for the foreseeable future. Emaho!
The moon is a powerful motif in earthly cultures and spiritual practices. For me, the enso also represents the perfect aureole of the moon shining above us all, radiant lunar cycles and the turning of the seasons in the great round of time. On moonlit nights, I am often to be found somewhere on a hillside with camera and tripod, looking up and marveling at the grandeur of this astonishing cosmos we all call home.
Banner text is set in Sophia, designed by the incandescently gifted Matthew Carter and released by his independent type foundry, Carter & Cone Type Inc. Sophia's glyphs reflect a splendid Byzantine potpourri of influences: classical Roman capitals, early uncials and Greek letter forms. The typeface was inspired by a cross and chalice crafted in Constantinople during the sixth century, and the engravings on the two works of art followed models which were in use a thousand years earlier. On both cross and chalice, there is a veritable cornucopia of influences which express the vibrant cosmopolitan culture of the time. For all that, Sophia's glyphs are elegant and gracefully readable, suggesting at the same time ancient origins and impeccable scholarship. Matthew Carter's contemporary creation includes many alternative character shapes, and many have extensions designed to compose on-the-fly “manuscript” ligatures. Sophia is among the most beautiful typefaces ever created. I never tire of seeing it on a page or typesetting something in it.
Body text is, for the most part, Gill Sans, simply because I like it. Created by the legendary Eric Gill for Eric Cleverdon's Bristol bookshop in 1926, Gill Sans remains (to my mind anyway) the most elegant of all sans serif typefaces and the easiest on the eye.
For the lover of typefaces and lettering, the world is full of wonders, and every scrap of print is an adventure in the offing. It helps to have a good guidebook along as one traverses the soaring peaks and pastoral valleys of the typographical landscape, and I recommend one reference volume above all others—book designer, typographer, poet and mythic historian Robert Bringhurst’s magnificent The Elements of Typographic Style.
In these elder days, I find myself cleaving to a lifestyle that is lean and supple and spare. Once in a while, I consider redesigning this site, brewing up a new template, adding widgets, gadgets, windbells and bamboo flutes, but whenever I tinker with the place, I always seem to land up putting everything back the way it was. The truth is that I like this simple uncluttered Zen approach, and the place is likely to remain much as it is for the foreseeable future. Emaho!
