King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Honest Words

The Divine Present

Our life is unfolding here and now. Every breath in is a new beginning; every breath out is a letting go. To be fully present is to say no to the past memory that would paint the future in the same colours (especially where those colours mark fear and lack of courage), not to mention that it dishonours the indwelling divinity. I say this for myself but perhaps it will speak to you too.

When I became a Christian, by Adrian Plass

When I became a Christian I said, Lord, now fill me in,
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin.
He said, your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink,
Do you still want to follow me?
I said Amen - I think.
I think Amen, Amen I think, I think I say Amen,
I’m not completely sure, can you just run through that again?
You say my body may be killed and left to rot and stink,
Well, yes, that sounds terrific, Lord, I say Amen - I think.

But, Lord, there must be other ways to follow you, I said,
I really would prefer to end up dying in my bed.
Well, yes, he said, you could put up with the sneers and scorn and spit,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - a bit.
A bit Amen, Amen a bit, a bit I say Amen,
I’m not entirely sure, can we just run through that again?
You say I could put up with sneers and also scorn and spit,
Well, yes, I’ve made my mind up, and I say, Amen - a bit.

Well I sat back and thought a while, then tried a different ploy,
Now, Lord, I said, the Good book says that Christians live in joy.
That’s true he said, you need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow,
So do you want to follow me, I said, Amen - tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Lord, I’ll say it then, that’s when I’ll say Amen,
I need to get it clear, can I just run through that again?
You say that I will need the joy, to bear the pain and sorrow,
Well, yes, I think I’ve got it straight, I’ll say Amen - tomorrow.

He said, Look, I’m not asking you to spend an hour with me
A quick salvation sandwich and a cup of sanctity,
The cost is you, not half of you, but every single bit,
Now tell me, will you follow me? I said Amen - I quit.
I’m very sorry Lord I said, I’d like to follow you,
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do.
He said forget religion then, and think about my Son,
And tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done.

Are you man enough to see the need, and man enough to go,
Man enough to care for those whom no one wants to know,
Man enough to say the thing that people hate to hear,
To battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear.
And listen! Are you man enough to stand it at the end,
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of a friend,
Are you man enough to hold your tongue, and man enough to cry?
When nails break your body-are you man enough to die?
Man enough to take the pain, and wear it like a crown,
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down,
Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again?
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said Amen.

Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen; Amen, Amen, Amen, 

Taste the Space (Calais - Boulogne)

The Gentle Fog

Never trust the weather forecast!

Yes - blazing sun here at Cap Gris Nez!

I'd better go - cliffs are in view...at last!

From the misty shore, with love, or Taste the Space II

Shearwater-Hidden Lakes

Found my "voice of the week"; so much space and life in this music!

The Dynamics of Falling Upwards III: The Sleeping Giant

Confidently detached, delightfully connected

What happens in meditation is slow, humble, routine, and may go unnoticed for months, if not for years. However, something strikingly momentous is happening there. By simple sitting still and consistently letting go of the normal flow of your thoughts you gain access to what C.G. Jung (and others) called “Self” - your real self; your soul. 

It feels first like coming across a sunlit clearing in a forest, or a cool well; just a surprisingly still space within. As you dwell there, you discover that it is possible to be aware of your thoughts and emotions, yet remain undisturbed, free from compulsion to follow their twittering noise. You cease to identify with feelings, emotions and thoughts, with impulses, defence mechanisms and motives that normally drive your behaviour. You acquire experimental knowledge of the fact that you are NOT these things, and that you can choose whether to act in accordance with their appeal or not. Much of what seemed absolutely inescapable - destiny, curse, fate - appears now as a mere option. This is what confidently detached means: freedom to perceive a choice.

Then you become aware of the connection; you realise that your simple "dwelling within" IS connection whereby you are included, rooted, embraced, held within an incessant stream of reality. A radically new relationship with the world is emerging: you no longer receive your legitimacy and validation from your environment, but from this "being within"; from God. This is like a quiet ocean of light within, a light that has almost material density; a solid ground of peace under your feet. This is the delightful connection that chases away fear and makes you capable of fellowship with everything that exists, enables you to welcome with kindness, accueillir avec douceur. This all-inclusive acceptance will now validate and communicate legitimacy to your environment.  

Yep. Say hello to your immortal soul. The sleeping giant is rising. Be sure, he is on his way to shatter your world. 

No Roots

The guy must be a self-sufficient Five :); only travels too much for a Five...

Dark Days

Bear with me, folks. There will be only music for a while.

I'll be back with the "intelligent speech" though.

Later.

No Room for Doubt

Compostage obligatoire, or the Old Woman and the Train

Train dream again. I am walking into a railway station, which reminds me of St Lazare in Paris, and of Historical Museum in Moscow.  The platform I need is very close to the exit. It is dusk, the sky is purple red; it is summer.

I am walking to the second or the third carriage of the train: the old green train Moscow - Prague I used to take when I was small, going to Ouzhgorod for holidays. I see a very old woman, whom I recognize as my mother's school teacher and life-long friend. She is standing on the platform, leaning on the train, very weak, her face has no expression. There are other people around - her family, among them I remember a boy of about 9 years old, perhaps a grand-son. 

I am heading towards the group to say hello. A younger woman whom I do not know, her daughter, greets me and says someything like, "How lucky! I was going to ask you to take care of my mother". 

I am going to answer "Of course! With pleasure" when I realize that I have no tickets. In a flashback, I see these tickets (2 of them) in my mother's hands, back home. They look exactly like the SNCF tickets I am so used to, and they are not there. And I think, "Oh! This is because I thought I had an electronic ticket!". 

Then the dream fades - I do not see the departure, and do not know if the old woman took the train. 

Joke of the Week, or Fare Forward, Voyagers :)

Picture is courtesy of Edward Ross

From Fire by Fire

Time to elaborate on the cheerful bit. One thing we can be sure of (but seldom are): what is broken and torn apart has to be broken and torn apart. God doesn’t cut off our lives anything but garbage, dead leaves, dysfunctional limbs. Anything that can not stand the light of His reality is not worthy of our attention, let alone our attachment. Good riddance! Go ahead, Lord, and make us a good bonfire with this stuff. Nothing of real value will be burnt, no real connection will ever be lost, however painful and scary it might feel; just the old dirty clothes, which anyway are not our size anymore.