Saturday, October 27, 2007

Secrets

As we're currently travelling through the astrological terrain of Scorpio, and secrets are stock-in-trade of this zodiac sign, it's a good time to take a look at Post Secret, an ongoing "community art project" founded by Frank Warren.

From Wikipedia
"The simple concept of the project was that completely anonymous people decorate a postcard and portray a secret that they had never previously revealed. No restrictions were (or are) made on the content of the secret; only that it must be completely truthful and must never have been spoken before."

People with a lot of Scorpio in their natal charts are said to be secretive by nature, so I somehow doubt that many of them would wish to partake of Post Secret's opportunity. Keeping secrets is unlikely to present them with a psychological problem. Other folk, with little or no Scorpio in their nature, might well feel guilty or burdened by their secrets, and for them Post Secret may well provide a welcome outlet. I'll decline the offer myself - I reckon a secret is a secret is a secret!

If you haven't already stumbled upon Post Secret, this YouTube video shows some examples of contributors' postcards. There's also a Post Secret blog and a book.



In an interview with the originator of Post Secret, Frank Warren at How to Change the World blog the last question the interviewer asked was:

"What have you learned from all this?"

Answer: "We all carry a secret that would break your heart if you just knew what it was. And if we could remember that there might be more understanding and peace in the world."


A nice thought, but I'm not convinced that personal secrets are the cause of many of the ills in this world.

2 comments:

wyrdling said...

i'd have to agree with you.
it's how we respond to our darknesses, rather than whether they are shared or private, that makes the difference.

but postsecret does help people place a name on their suffering, and perhaps not feel quite so alone it in. giving something form rather than leaving it constantly whispering around in the back of our heads just out of our hearing can help us face it and live with it.

Twilight said...

Hi Wyrdling

Yes, you're right. I suppose it's almost like someone of the Catholic faith going to confession.