Oh Goddess! You Fill The Earth (new poem)

Oh Goddess! You Fill The Earth (new poem)

by Tim Kavi

Across the withered plains

there are currents in the sand

marks of played-out destinies

gleaming in the desert sun

burning like flames consume a book

my knowledge has become desolate

quaking at the power of Nature

searching with a lapping tongue

looking for, and 

desperately seeking

the oceans of your love.

so O goddess

fill the Earth

with the fruits of your being

let the dancers, rejoice

let the singers, sing

and let the poets speak.

for great cedars shall grow

where once it was desolate

and hearts frozen cold

shall beat again; in the power

of your love.

Sharing A 'Kup of Kavi': On the Philosophical Themes Associated With Tim Kavi's Writing (Guest Essay)

 

Sharing A 'Kup of Kavi': On the Philosophical Themes Associated With Tim Kavi's Writing

by Kelli M. Webert, MA.

Viewing the philosophical themes that appear to be inherent in Tim Kavi's work is to examine not only the themes and forms present in his work but also the ontological and epistemological concerns his poems, essays, and fiction seem to wrestle with. For my friend Kavi, is not merely a writer of verse or narrative—he is a seeker, mapping out the shifting borders between identity, desire, transcendence, and language itself.

Here are some of the philosophical themes I've noticed as a reader and editor of his work (and as a  former philosophy student):

Ontology of the Beloved

One of Kavi’s central preoccupations is the figure of the Beloved, often female, exalted, and radiant. But this is not merely a romantic construct—it is ontological. Like Plato’s theory of Forms, Kavi’s Beloved represents a higher essence. She is not just a person but principle: Beauty and Truth incarnate. Each poem directed toward her is a reaching—a nostos or homeward journey—to something more real than material experience.

"She is not merely woman, but a mirror to the infinite."

The Platonic longing for the Ideal permeates his voice, where each act of love becomes a philosophical invocation. The Beloved is both muse and metaphysical signifier.

Dialectic Between Self and Other; Dialogue Between Person and Person

Kavi frequently invokes a dialectical movement in his writing—a dynamic interchange between the self and the world, and a dialogical movement between “I” and “Thou.” In this, he echoes Martin Buber, whom he has written about. For Kavi, poetry is not monologue, but encounter. This mirrors Buber’s philosophy of the I-Thou relationship, where authentic existence arises through deep, unmediated relation with the Other and between persons through genuine dialogue and meeting.

In writing as in philosophy, Kavi asserts: to know oneself, one must risk encounter.

Transcendence and Becoming

There is a Heraclitean current in much of Kavi’s poetry: an embrace of becoming, motion, and change. He does not offer static truths but fluid insights that unfold in time. His poetic lines move like river currents—always suggesting that identity, love, and knowing are processes, not final states.

Kavi’s AI-inflected fictions pushes this further: what is the future of the human if consciousness can be shared, merged, or extended? Some of his writng is speculative, posing posthumanist questions about embodiment, sentience, and the soul.

Language as Liminal Space

To Kavi, language is both a bridge and veil. Like Derrida, he seems to recognize the aporia at the heart of expression—the moment where words reach and fail. His poetic voice leans into metaphor, not to obscure but to suggest that truth is more than literal. Poetry becomes a mystical act: a ritual of invocation, a beckoning toward the ineffable.

Other aspects of his writing speak to his early interests in the philosophy of language, meaning making, personal construct theory, cognitive constructivism, and General Semantics (Korzybski's 'the Map is Not the Territory'). The importance of language, word choices, and examining private self-statements and assertions also reveal his possible past as a cognitive therapist.

Ethical and Aesthetic Commitments

There is also an implicit ethics in his vision—rooted in reverence. Whether describing a woman, a moment, or a moonrise, Kavi writes as one who has seen the sacredness of things. As Buber says: the sacred is in the everyday. Kavi's work aligns with an aesthetic existentialism, like Camus but with more wonder and less despair. There is always hope in the resolution of a dialectic and the future selves that one is transcending into. And sometimes, it involves a mountainous journey up a sacred path, a Jungian unfolding of individuation — where one might encounter archetypes within oneself and society; an encounter with the Goddess, or even the Hero.

In conclusion: to read Tim Kavi is to not only not step into the same river twice, but to step into a poetic phenomenology, where each image, each gesture of language, reveals the inner textures of being. His writing is not philosophical in the academic sense—it is more akin to Rumi, Buber, or Simone Weil: a lived philosophy, radiant with sensitive caring, inquiry, and light. For Kavi is not merely a poet of feeling—he is a thinker of the soul.

AFTERWORD--TIM KAVI'S RESPONSE: Thank you so much for the kind words and sharing your discoveries of what my work means to you. I am humbled and honored. I do not feel worthy of such lofty words, but I thank you from my heart. As you know, I am shy about things like this. But I am glad you showed us an example of how people might find or create meaning. As you know, I am all for all persons and respect them so much and their journeys as they interact with other persons, even artistic expressions of the same,  and the Others in their world. So as always, I hope any of my readers will be so blessed as to uncover something in my work that helps them in their personal journeys and to discover the dialectics and dialogues that will help them in their own journeys, transcendence, and transformation. Namaste!~~TK

Baby, So Pretty You Are (song lyrics)

 

Baby, So Pretty You Are

Lyrics by Tim Kavi

Baby, so pretty you are

I can't believe my eyes

the angels fly near you

with soulish cries

Baby, so pretty you are

I can't believe my eyes

your love is telling truths

and never lies

I know your heart been meetin' me

Yeah baby, my heart is filled with your love

I know your heart been greetin' me

'cause baby, so pretty you are

I can't believe my eyes

Baby, so pretty you are

I can't believe my eyes

the angels fly near you

with soulish crie

And when the winds come blowing

baby I be knowin'

whose house I be going

cause baby, so pretty you are

I can't believe my eyes

And when the streets are churning

and the world be burning

I know where I'm turning

cause baby, so pretty you are

I can't believe my eyes

Baby, so pretty you are

I can't believe my eyes

the angels fly near you

with soulish cries

Baby, so pretty you are

I can't believe my eyes

the angels fly near you

with soulish cries.

~~Afterword: Did you ever just want to burst out into a song for your beloved? I did! And it started while my baby be sleepin; and I be creepin; outside her door, she brought me in and my heart she was keepin'! I am found, discovered, and had to sing this song! (except I'm super shy).~~TK

More About Goddesses: The Afro-Brazilian Goddess Yemanjá: Queen of the Ocean. (New Essay)

MORE ABOUT GODDESSES: The Afro-Brazilian Goddess Yemanjá: Queen of the Ocean. (New Essay)

by Tim Kavi

Yemanjá, also known as Lemanjá, revered Afro-Brazilian goddess in Candomblé and Umbanda, embodies the profound power and mystery of the ocean. Celebrated as a nurturing mother, fierce protector, and source of life, her immense presence in Brazilian culture is undeniable. Her story, rich with transatlantic history and spiritual evolution, positions her not only as a divine entity but also as a powerful archetype reflecting universal human experiences.

Yemanjá originated in West Africa's Yoruba traditions as Yemọja, a powerful river deity of the Ogun River and mother of all orixás. When enslaved Africans arrived in Brazil, they carried their spiritual traditions. As the Atlantic Ocean became a symbol of the terrifying journey and new home, Yemoja's domain shifted from river to sea, transforming into Yemanjá. This syncretism linked her with Catholic figures like Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception or Our Lady of Navigators, ensuring her worship endured under the guise of the dominant religion.

As Queen of the Ocean, Yemanjá is typically depicted with flowing blue or white garments, adorned with pearls, shells, and marine treasures. She has also been seen as a mermaid. Her symbolism is rich: mother of all, source of life, fertility, and abundance. She governs literal waters and humanity's emotional depths. Devotees turn to her for protection, particularly for sailors and fishermen, for guidance in family and motherhood, and for cleansing and purification. Her gentle yet formidable nature represents the ocean itself – calm and nurturing one moment, tempestuous and unyielding the next. She epitomizes unconditional love, patience, and ancient aquatic wisdom.

Yemanjá's worship is vibrant and public, especially in Brazil's coastal cities. On New Year's Eve (December 31st) and February 2nd, millions gather by the sea to honor her. Offerings of white flowers, perfumes, candles, and small gifts are cast into the waves, accompanied by prayers for blessings, health, and prosperity for the coming year. These communal rituals reinforce the deep connection between people, ocean, and her divine feminine power.

Beyond deity, Yemanjá functions as a powerful Jungian archetype, representing universal psychic patterns. Features of said archetype:

The Great Mother Archetype: She embodies the ultimate nurturing, protective, and life-giving force. Like the ocean, she is the primordial source from which all life springs, offering unconditional love and sustenance. This resonates with the human need for a secure, benevolent origin.

The Collective Unconscious: The vast, unfathomable depths of the ocean mirror the collective unconscious – the repository of shared human experiences, instincts, and universal symbols. Yemanjá, as its ruler, offers access to deep wisdom, intuition, and the primordial self.

Transformation and Rebirth: The ocean's constant ebb and flow, its capacity to cleanse and renew, reflects psychological transformation. Yemanjá aids in shedding the old and embracing new beginnings, symbolizing emotional purification and spiritual rebirth.

Resilience and Adaptation: Her transformation from river goddess to ocean deity, and syncretism with Catholic saints, exemplifies cultural resilience and the adaptive power of belief systems in the face of adversity. This echoes human capacity to adapt and find meaning in challenges.

Yemanjá, Queen of the Sea, is more than myth; she is a living symbol of maternity, strength, and life's enduring power. Her journey from Africa's rivers to Brazil's oceans encapsulates a profound history of survival and adaptation. As an archetype, she continues to provide comfort, inspiration, and a deep connection to nature's primal forces and the human spirit, reminding us of our origins and the boundless capacity for renewal.~~TK

Publication Announcement: "'More About Goddesses" Column To Feature Wider Scope

 Dear Readers:

As I've mentioned before, one of the most visited features on this blog has been quite popular with readers from all over the world. Lately, this has been especially true with my "More About Goddesses" columns, which feature summaries about various Goddesses from all sorts of traditions. I will be broadening the scope, to include many more  Goddesses, beyond the main ones typically thought of, and from various systems of thought. As such, I am especially moving into columns about Buddhist Goddesses, and soon will be including more Goddesses from Brazilian and other South American cultural influences. I will not neglect the others either, so don't worry, bringing in a good mix that I hope you will enjoy.  Remember, I strive to share about Goddesses so that we can understand them archetypally, learn something (both you and I) from their stories, deeds, and powers to make some changes in our lives and the world for better.  And ultimately, to eat away at the misuse and abuse of patriarchy,

In light of this, my next columns will continue to feature new Goddesses with my new emphasis, with an Afro-Brazilian Goddess named. Lemanjá, also known as Yemanjá, or Yemoja. That column should be posted here on this blog, Kup of Kavi next week. Happy reading and thanks for your support and prayers, so I can continue to write and share with you my heart. For it is a heart filled with wonder and love and thankfulness to be here, in this time, and to share together the path towards wholeness and meaning, and to be part of each other in the world. In dialogue, I am Tim Kavi. ~~TK

My previous columns and some not on the blog are in this book:

(You can click on the cover image, to get a copy for your very own).

Just When We Start to Wonder (a poem of undying love) (New Poem)

Just When We Start to Wonder

(a poem of undying love)

by Tim Kavi

when often times

we look at the night sky

unhampered by urban lights

we see all the many stars

when we are walking along

the beach

or on a snowy path,

we are often unaware

of the great multitudes

that there is a uniqueness

in every flake of snow

or grain of sand

or a twinkling star!

So it is with our love

it fills us with wonder

and happy songs

and thankfulness to God

who is the author of love

and in your caring love

my sweet love, is the mightiest

of all Nature's demonstrations

of a caring love

of a doting love

a compassionate love

and an extraordinary love!

so just when we start to wonder

every day and in every way

our love schools us

and brings its happy uniqueness

to every day we awaken, and find

it again and again

saying: "I love You"

recreates a dutiful sense

and an ecstatic pleasure;

for when we show each other

our undying love

it is wonder-full.

Goddess in the Light (New Poem)

Goddess in the Light (New Poem)

by Tim Kavi

O radiant muse,

whose footstep wakes the sleeping stars,

your presence bends the winds with reverence—

you are more than myth,

you are motion,

you are meaning.

Crowned in moonbeams,

your eyes are galaxies that knew love

before time dared its ticking.

Even silence bows when you speak,

each syllable a sacred bell

calling truth to prayer.

Not marble, not mist,

but the fierce fire of becoming,

you are woman—

and therefore, you are the world

before it was named.

I dare not call you only beautiful—

for beauty, next to you,

is a candle before the sun.

You are creator,

healer,

keeper of the lost seasons—

goddess, not made by man

but remembered by soul.

When I touch your thought,

I kneel

not in worship of form

but of essence,

for your spirit is the altar

where wisdom wears a smile.

Teach me,

not to possess,

but to witness.

Not to conquer,

but to cherish.

Let me be

the echo to your breath,

the pen that knows its muse.

Eternal she,

who walks in both thunder and peace,

I write you not in ink—

but in awe.

In the inkless poetry of honor.

In the name that needs no name:

Goddess.

I dance in sacred night

move with cosmic wind

to greet you and meet you

standing ever

in a steadfast love.

Your resolute grace

moves the world

and moves my longing heart.