Big snow today but not as big as we expected. About six inches or so. It was invigorating to go out and use the snow blower and snow shovel. My face turned pink and my nose red. Truffle the cat went to the door thinking she might get out on the deck but turned right around when a blast of wind smacked her in the face.
I worked in the studio all day doing some watercolors and some collage. I have several oil paintings sitting on the floor waiting to be finished. Just a few touches would do it but I didn't feel like getting into that today. While working out there I have been listening to a teaching CD about Dante's Divine Comedy. I did not think I would ever read it but a friend gave me the set of CD's so this was my chance to learn about it. Dante lived from 1265 to 1321. He wrote The Divine Comedy the last few years of his life while in exile from his home town of Florence. The epic poem is written in three parts: Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise. The theme is about what happens to man's spirit after death but there is much symbolism like in the Bible which was one of his sources. In his poem Dante was able to combine Christian sources with Pagan, Science, Literature, Philosophy and real people with fictional ones in his journey as a Pilgrim going to all three places. The first place he visits is Hell which is composed of concentric circles going lower and lower. Sinners who are not sorry for their sins go to Hell for eternity. Lucifer is at the bottom frozen in ice (not in flames.). After that he visits Purgatory. That is where people go who have sinned but are repentant. They will eventually get to Paradise. The last place Dante's pilgrim visits is Paradise. Dante arrives in Paradise with Beatrice and he asks Apollo and the Muses for his Divine Task. The first Heaven is the sphere of the Moon. There are Ten Heavens. In the Tenth Heaven Dante sees Mary and asks her to intercede so he may gaze on God. She does and in an instant he understands everything.
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