Cyeba Alcala

“I am rich with the mountains & rivers in the world but none of them is of value when you think about it. Just a bunch of old rocks & wild creeks. The only thing I have that is somewhat worthy is my heart. You want it? Take it.”
― priest, 镇魂

“Illusions, illusions, he interrupted. You are a tomb, not a church. Faith is dead. No one believes anymore, no one bows his head. You are so cold. There is no life in you. You are all marble and dead metal. You have transformed everything into dead matter. You have denied life. You have preached mortification and asceticism. You have terrified the world with the gaunt faces of martyrs, instead of delighting it with a smile and cheerful faith. How chilling are your crucifixes, chalices, and reliquaries! The roses of your altar drip blood from their leaves. Your altar cloths have the pallor of a corpse’s vesture. Your chapels resemble jail cells. And what darkness in your depths!”
― Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic, A Gothic Soul

“Sometimes he would be overwhelmed by such melancholy that he would weep in secret without even knowing why. Then he would give himself over again to extraordinary hopes. It was as though everything in the world had an alluring magic for him. He knew that at some point a life of beautiful dreams and beautiful reality would begin, a golden, exquisite life like a work of art, a proud jewel, covered with precious stones. That was his goal. He would go through life with a smile, with a silent tread. He would be gracious toward everyone. Everyone would be gracious toward him. Everything he touched would be beautiful. And everything he looked at would be exquisite.”
― Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic, A Gothic Soul

“we have been taught to fear the very things that have the potential to set us free”
― Alok Vaid-Menon