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Archive for February, 2014

this is amazing

Posted in creativity, from the living room, from the viewing room, life, music, video on February 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Sometimes you just come across something on the web which is SO good, SO creative, SO original, SO inspiring…..you’ve just got to share it.

Isn’t that amazing?

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People as waves

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, perception, photography on February 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

zen garden

pool of resonance

 

What’s the difference between these two kinds of waves?

Yes, the sand waves aren’t moving, they just look like ripples. But if you see timelapse photography of desert sand dunes you can see great waves of sand moving just like the waves which crash onto the beach.

Except, even there, there is a huge difference.

What’s the difference?

It’s a difference between matter and energy. The sand waves are made of particles which stick, or move, together. Waves in water, however, might look like lines of water molecules all moving forwards together…..but they aren’t. Waves in water are energy waves. As the energy passes through the water it pushes the water molecule up and down again (in a kind of cyclical motion). In other words, the wave which moves forward is continuously made up from one group of molecules after another.

A bit mind boggling, huh? But you can see what happens if you see some seaweed (or a rubber duck) on the surface of the sea…..as the wave arrives, the duck rises up, as it passes onwards, the duck sinks down again, waiting for the next wave to arrive…..same thing is happening with the water molecules.

What interests me about this is that I think WE are like the waves in the water much more than we are like the waves in the sand. We emerge out of everything which is, as the energy or life force of the universe surges through us, lifting us up into the world, then we disappear again, back into everything which is.

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Becoming unique

Posted in creativity, from the dark room, from the living room, from the viewing room, life, personal growth, video on February 4, 2014| 1 Comment »

DSCN0001

As I walked past Kings Park at 7am this morning I could see the lights of Stirling Castle shining high up on the rock. The rain spotted my glasses, and the cold wind blew against my cheeks. On my iPod, Stevie Ray Vaughan played Voodoo Chile, and wave after wave of thoughts washed over my mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEJh2FFUUoU

I thought, right now, 7am, February 4th, 2014, I am the only creature in the whole universe walking past Kings Park, feeling the rain and the wind on my face, hearing the guitar of Stevie Ray Vaughan in my ears, and thinking these exact thoughts.

soul nebula

I was struck by the uniqueness of the moment. I was struck by the sense of the universe expanding over the billions of years, developing furnaces of fission and fusion, scattering the elements of the stars far and wide, only for them to collide in a place to become known as the Earth, and for Life to miraculously emerge, and spectacularly evolve from single cell creatures to generation after generation of complex beings we call humans, and here I am…..one, ever changing, distinctly unique manifestation of this amazing story……having this utterly distinct experience of living.

blue marble

Then, on the train, on my phone, I stumbled upon this……

Every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the world’s phenomena intersect, only once in this way, and never again. That is why every man’s story is important, eternal, sacred;

                                                                                                                                                                     Herman Hesse. Demian.

How does that all happen?

I really don’t know

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February, the month of love

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, personal growth, photography on February 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

young Japanese couple

In my monthly themes, February is the month of love. It was, therefore, serendipitous that, on the train, on my way to work this morning, I read about the four different words the Ancient Greeks had for love.

Eros, for physical love, sensual love, the love we feel in our bodies.

Storge, for affectionate love, the love we feel in our hearts.

Philia, mental, or intellectual love, the love we feel in our heads.

Agape, unconditional love, the love we feel in our souls.

It’s nice to take these four concepts and relate them to the four elements – Earth (body), Fire (heart), Water (head), Air (soul)

So, here’s a great exploration for you this month, the month of love – reflect each day and maybe write in your journal, or take a photo, or sketch a drawing, paint, or make a playlist of music which captures, or at least suggests, for YOU, the sensuality of the love you feel with your body, the affection which is heart felt, the conscious love of your thoughts and your intellect, or the times when you feel that soul connection with a person, a place, or some other….

By the end of the month, you’ll have a wonderful collection of memories and inspirations which connect you to the essential Earth, Fire, Water and Air of Life and Love.

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The A – Z of Becoming. E for Explore

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, personal growth, photography on February 2, 2014| 1 Comment »

red arrow

In the A – Z of Becoming, the fifth verb, is EXPLORE.

Targets, goals and plans……how do you set off into the future? Do you set yourself some targets or goals? Do you draw up a detailed plan? Or do you decide what or where you would like to go and explore?

What’s the difference?

Well, think of taking a walk over the hills. You can either work out in advance where to start from, where to finish, and which particular path on the map you will follow. Or you can decide where to start, but then decide which particular paths to take, and where you would like to go, once you are there.

Or think of going to a gallery. Maybe you hear about a particular work of art (Rodin’s The Kiss has been on display in the Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh in recent weeks) and you decide to go and see it. So you plan your trip, go to the gallery, ask at the door where the particular work of art is being displayed and then follow the floor plan to go and see the work you want to see. Or instead you can decide to go the gallery for a few hours and wander around…..explore the rooms you’ve never been in before, see the works of art you’ve never seen before, or stumble over some old familiar works you haven’t seen for years.

For my next holiday in France, I’ve booked a flight, and a hire car. But that’s all. We’re going to explore an area we’re not familiar with, and might find our way into some neighbouring areas to see some old friends, some previously visited towns. I like these explorations. You can’t predict what you might find.

Exploring isn’t the only way to encounter life, but it is a different way. It maximises serendipity, surprise and wonder.

What, or where, might you begin to explore this week?

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Education

Posted in education, from the dark room, from the living room, life, personal growth, photography on February 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

education

 

What’s education about? Qualifications? Marks? Something you do until you are 16, or 18, or 20 something?  I think it’s an ongoing, constant, way of living.

becoming educated, not being educated

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