‘ . ' - North Shore News tee a , 29 ~ Wednesday, October 8, 1986 ~ al Neighbourhood House expands seniors’ NORTH SHORE Neighbourhood House has expanded its seniors’ counselling service to the Com- munity Assembly Room in Capilano Mali. Joyce Schmalz, a_ registered Department of Social Services seniors’ counsellor will be available on Thursdays from 1:30 to 3 p.m. to November 27 to provide seniors services with free advice on such matters as old age pensions, Canada pension, guaranteed income supplement. In the new year the house hopes to include an income tax service at this location to aid seniors with their tax returns. For further information about this service call the North Shore Neighbourhood House at 987- 8138. 1st ANNIVERSARY Specials Appointments taken but not always necessary 1857 Lonsdale 986-6042 Across from Canada Trust Our High Quality Conditioning Perm (Long hair extra) Perm includes: Shampoo, cut, style GREAT VALUE, FULLY EXPERIENCED STYLISTS 1256 Lynn Valley Rd 986-6091 Beside PharmaSave Mon.-Wed. 9:30-6 pm Thurs. & Fri. 9:30-8 pm ie 9:30-6 pm ; x rman ON LITERARY-LAUGH: An Important Aspect of Comic Strips Sir JG. Frazer's ‘Myths of the Origin of Fire” reveals that — it is a strange thing to say — the origin of a ‘Laugh! ‘According to the Kabi, a tribe of south- eastern Queensland, the deaf adder (Mun- dulum) had formerly the sole possession of fire, which he kept securely in his side. All the birds tried in vain to get some of it, until the small hawk came along and played such... antics that the adder could not keep his countenance and began to Jaugh. Then the fire escaped from him and became commom property.” This Fire-bird ‘hawk’ is, to the tribe, a happiness bringer, a gospel preacher, therefore, almost a religion. A_ little bhodhisattva! (We know this ‘hawk’ is their Totem-bird.) But what we think about this Fire-bird is no other bird than the Swan. Yes, — it is a strange thing to say — this very Water-bird is the very Fire-bird! How 4 did then this strange thing happen? It is an universal truth that the womb of the Fire {agni.Skt) is in no other place in the universe, — strange enough as it is — but in the Water. This very Water is the Mother of this very Fire. So Fire is born from this Water Js #.X and sucks the Milk (is the liquified Power, or Fire that supports the Life} from this Water {is Life), and rises against her (the Gravity). — In the same token, the desert pepole have thought that the Mother (or Womb) of this Fire is the Sands (or Ashes) from which the Fire is hatched, the phoenix, the desert Swan. In this connection, the desert is the ‘Ocean of Milk’ (kshiroda.Skt.) to them. Reveries like these fatten our souls. — S. Mallarme mused this thus; “What kind of eag has the lily laid this night? / The white flower sits 8 already in its eag cup’ ... This ‘White flower’ & is, no doubt, a Swan, hatched from the Water through the labour of Darkness and rising against gravity — it is Fire! (a healthy Laugh, and an animated poetry.) How then. among so many aquatic birds, is especial- ly the Swan (Hamsa.Skt.) taking the strange position as the Fire-bird! Indeed. this bird carries Myths from time im- memorial, she knows {according to “The Rig Veda’) how to separate Milk (or Soma) from Water. (Translation: This means that § the Water gives a birth to the Fire.) From fi this Milk, the Butter (which, the clarified § Butter, is the food for the gods), from this & Butter the Fire (agni) is bom, and fed. If this Fire is fed, through this oblation (the Bumt Offering) the gods are satiated. This Milk, in this connection, is a prayer, a chant, a word, the Fire. This is why Hamsa (Swan) is connected with the word, and this ‘word’ is a Swan, the Fire. (We now know that the gods eat processed, cooked, culturized food — the prayer. or the Chant -~ only.) Now if we know this Milk is Fire, then also know we the Swan is the Fire-bird. (And about here) we would tike to borrow your attention to the passages borrowed from Frazer. According to the mentioned Passages, it is striking news that the Fire’ and the ‘Laugh’ are the very same elements, (at least they are treated on the same level of a scale) G. Bachelard (in his “~Psycho- analysis of Fire") states this thus: “Fire is associated with innumerable Jokes. since human (alone in this vast universe) has tamed this Fire, and started to herd it in their hearths, especially through cold even- ings of long Winter seasons (since there was no Radio, nor TV. set) around this Home Fire, innumerable Jokes have been Fried: — Reveries like these, ya, fatten our souls. — But before we go any further, let us make one thing clear here that this kind of ‘Laugh’ (which is the same element to Fire} is never the same kind as everyday use, viz., from silly jokes, or from some dry — 7 textes Rae The Nort ore Neighbour pleased to announce the extended hours << CHILD-MINDING \. An Interesting and Stimulating Environment for Preschool Children g Mp Now Open Longer To Serve You Better Monday-Wednesday 9:30-6 Thursday & Friday 9-9 Saturday 9-5:30 Located in the Mall on the Upper Level above the Grand Concourse Child-Minding available for children 18 months - 6 years Experienced and Qualified Child Care Staff A United Way Agency Keservations Accepted - Patsy E 987-1326 United Way & The distinguished Cartoonist, Lynn Johnston, the Author of numerous books under theTitle of “For Better or For Worse”’, syndicated in over 450 Newspapers, the Winner of the 1985 Reuben Award for best Cartoon of the Year, which is the most prestigious Award in the world towards Cartoonist, (Bravo! Many Congratulations!) will be with us to greet you (of all ages) and Autograph her newest book ‘‘Keep the Home Fries Burning’’. And we believe it is her wish to pay a visit to more bookstores and meet more good Readers if possible, but we have learn- ed that her schedule is so tight, even hard as she may try, she is only able to make one visit to one bookstore, (Your District Bookstore, Readers Retreat in Lynn Valley Centre is the honored one) through Vancouver, West Vancouver, and the North Vancouver area this year. It is our guess that, possibly this Bookstore in Lynn Valley Centre is the bookstore closest to her memories of her early years. (You would know by now that she grew up and was educated here on the North Shore.) However the truth here is that she is not coming because the Bookstcre is here, but she is coming to the Bookstore because her good old neighbors and good readers are around this particular Bookstore. So this lucky Bookstore is the junction where she is going to greet you, and as she might expect from you (of all ages) in return very warm hugs. A daughter and sister of the North Shore, Lynn Johnston, carrying with her a bundle of Laurels in her arms, is coming home. Readers Retreat Bookstore in Lynn Valley Centre cordially invites you (of all ages) to come and meet this outstanding Cartoonist Lynn Johnston, and if you would feel like getting her Autograph on her book, then we believe she would do it with a happy heart. satires, or some sarcasms, ete. ... But this ‘Laugh is something that is not associated with negative feelings like jealousy, envy, ‘hatred, ete., which are (known to Physi- cians) connected to lower abdomen, ,the downward feelings. This is why, in our reveries, Hell is down’ there some place in the depth. (Then Heaven is opposite side of the ‘down’) But this mentioned ‘Laugh’ is something that is associated with positive feelings like joy, ‘happiness’ ‘love, ete ... This kind of ‘Laugh’ is, therefore, highly alchemized like a line of a well vers- ed poetry, through the furnace of ones mor- tifications (for the Truth). This is almost a religion. Therefore this ‘Laugh’ is not Raw at all like every day use. but artified like Chagall’s Bible and Lynn Johnston's Car- toons. (Why Chagall here? Becuase we read stories through his paintings. He tells us stories and fables with drawings. In this sense, Chagall was a Cartoonist. and a minstrel.) Unlike Goya (who was, if we are not wrong. the first Cartoonist. To our understanding, the weather of Goya's winter was sickly, gloomy and chilly — the gruesome satires. It is another important aspect of the Comic Strips, But it is funny enough that we like this kind of gruesome scenery too. On this ground, some satiric Cartoonists stand.) Those twa, Chagall and Philosophy). All are in one hi Oct. 11th (Sat.) 12:30-1:30 p.m. Readexs Retreat Bookstore Lynn Vatey Centre 1199 Lynn Valley Rd., North Vancouver 985-7616 Johnston, look and read their world with love and good-will. To see and understand the world this way is never so easy. If it were an easy matter, this world would have turned into a paradise long ago. This means, their ‘dove’ and ‘good-will’ are pregnated through their pains and labors (to make their world better place to live), but still harder is how to alchemize this Jove and ‘good-will into an Art. Laugh like this is then itself is Fire that is alchemized through one’s penances. Now then, wise Readers are already hinted to know what we try to establish. But, to tell the truth, what more ma.) we add up here like old man Conjiucius who vsed to try to unite six nations with his ‘three inch tongue’ Talkative, talkative! The way you think that is the way we also think, yes. the Author of “Keep the Home Fries Burning, Lynn Johnston, is, this year again. none other than this fire-bird, the Swan, who collects the Laughs from the ‘deaf adder (the Humorless world) and spreads this hap- piness to aryone who likes to be joyous. It is a striking fact that, especially, in Lynn Johnston's Works, there is no generation- gap between young and young-at-heart, nor any boundary between the different levels of intelligence (from Grade | to Prof. of armony in joy by this Home Fire. This graceful white bird | is a gospel carrier, and a happiness bringer. Because, only we open her book, where suddenly hearty healthy laughs are bursting out from? This same feeling is arising when ff we look into the depth of an open water 3 lily, What more can we add onto this? fj Since we have her books in our hands, the § Laughs are a common property. It is really a good thing! And we see that since these & Laughs are a common property, this par- @ gicular part of the world (of Art) is the garden of full bloomed Fire-flowers. § Beautiful! As long as we have these kinds of Laughs and Smiles, no matter how cold g the Winter is, and how ill-humored the ff world is. the Winter of our world is never # going to be too cold, nor too dark. Now then, it is the time for the deaf-adder' & himself needs to borrow some warmths & from us. How then can one not admire this & sincere and graceful Artist who bears good news only? Why, then, do we not try to share this Fire from her and bring it into § our hearths (hearts) to herd and keep this & Home Fries (— a poetic slip of the tongue!) Buming through this Winter again? We see no reason why we do not do that. :; This Artist, Lynn Johnston, in her own way (as a Cartoonist) is a little bhodhisattva. § Sincerely Readers Retreat