Crashing into Penzance promenade.

No, not a car, the sea...

Good morning cyberspace. Up bright and early today to begin a dedicated forty day routine of practice, joining with people across the globe in the Winter Feast for the Soul. Lots of people will be meditating or doing spiritual practice, including 4 minutes a day for kids, each day. I'm hoping that putting my energy into this time will give me a good foundation for my practice the rest of the year and also that along with other people's intention I might help to bring more peace into others' lives and my own.

A rainy, misty morning with some intense waves crashing against the prom. I'm going down to co-op in a sec to get The Cornishman (hopefully he wont get me back) to see if there's any new jobs and check the classifieds for a new mountain/road bike. My last one was stolen from the bottom of Causeway Head, which was nice. I'm getting some waterproofs and gloves to do some flower picking near Long Rock next week if it's on.

On the topic of waves, I thought I would post the lyrics from the last song I wrote, 'Waves'. Written when winter was just taking over from autumn, just over a year ago. It hasn't got a lot to it without the music, but you should get the gist.

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Say hello to the trees
They are here for you
Feel the warmth of the winter breeze
It knows you

I saw the last leaves fall to the ground
And the earth welcoming
I heard the last cry of the night owl
As she spread her wings

The waves will come
And wash away autumn tears

Openness

My friend asked me what I think openness means to me, which I found difficult to think about at first. I eventually decided to write her a response and thought I would share it on here. It would be good to hear any thoughts you have!

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I think openness comes almost as an effect of being less attached to "the story"; past or possible future interpretations or holdings of how things are, outcomes or feelings and emotions that come with a particular subject. When we are not clouded by these things we can think, act, express and be with more reality and integrity. And sometimes openness might mean acting against the norm or rejecting certain boundaries/constraints in the form of society's neatly woven tapestry of conformities, formalities, concepts or expectations that we abide by or we're concerned about. This 'tapestry' can be one of the bricks to the wall that the ego builds to protect itself.

Mystery is presented to us in every moment. It's possible that part of the human conditition is that we habitually with increasing intensity numb ourselves to this mystery. Recently I have been thinking about this and how opening to the mystery or to the present can support my life in so many ways. What is it like to imagine in this moment that I had just been born, to see my first colours, hear sounds etc? You don't need to go as far as that to experience mystery, but it's not far from reality. I think there is little difference between being born and the present moment being born. It is simply a new experience; a cloud formation we have never seen before; a chance to feel a pain from the past as not pain, or as a strange feeling. So in response to the mystery I am able to become less concerned about "what if...?!" and more inspired to be open, to be generous of myself and my 'contents' with others.

What I actually get out of being more open, I am just exploring. I feel it might build on a kind of certainty in self-expression, a trust in my own expression of being and experience. Now I'm started I could probably go on more, but I think I'll leave it there. If I get any lightbulbs I'll add them later.

A couple of new songs to check out: The Gardner by The Tallest Man On Earth (from Shallow Grave below) and Vetiver - The Swimming Song (A Loudon Wainwright cover from Thing of The Past) but I couldn't find that online!