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• Rain at Three Springs
  by Pilgrim

  7am and it is raining at Three Springs. Our first spring rain and needed and welcomed. To live in the moment is to live. To feel the j…

  7am and it is raining at Three Springs. Our first spring rain and needed and welcomed. To live in the moment is to live. To feel the joy of this rain. I know I will die but for this moment I am alive. I truly live when I am without fear of death or futile desire to transcend it. Each moment is precious. Each moment passes. It was good to start the day with meditation. What a luxury.

• The Peace of Pictures
  by Durotriges

  The best advice that was ever given to me about photography came from my good friend Infinity Rain – who I am sure many of you know a lot…

  The best advice that was ever given to me about photography came from my good friend Infinity Rain – who I am sure many of you know a lot better than I. It came at a time when I was feeling rather disheartened with photography, and going through a bit of a bad patch as far as the quality of my shots was concerned (whether this was actual or just perceived who can say? Art is so subjective like that!). She told me that when I was faced with a shot, to actually stop and contemplate it for a good five minutes, slowing the breathing and actually going into a meditative state before pressing the shutter. OK, so I know that isn’t always possible depending on your subject matter, but by and large for still life I have found it an invaluable technique. The first time I tried it, I ended up with a shot called The Ghost Road Which I rather like (though I’m afraid it doesn’t make a very good print). So will someone please tell me why, oh why, oh why do I insist on going out to take pictures with other people? The wife suggests going out for a walk, so I grab my camera and off we go. I sit there trying to compose a shot and she walks on – so I’m semi-conscious of the fact that she’s waiting for me to catch up. So I rush. Blur the shot, screw up the composition and generally waste time. In fact, I’d have been better off not bothering taking my camera and just enjoying the walk – but you know what it’s like. It’s like an umbilical cord. We need to be surgically removed from our cameras. Many of us will likely be buried with them. Worse still for me is, I have a friend. His name is Ian and he’s a photographer too. The other day we decided to take a trip together to my favouritest of places Marwell Zoo. The only problem is we both have a massive competitive streak – so not only are we stood there chimping our photographs and trying to outdo each other, we’re trying to outdo each other by numbers: calling across to each other “How many did you get of that one then?” “12” “Ha! Well I got 20” and so on. “How many memory cards have you used so far?” “How many gigs?” “How many pics?” And in the race for numbers, quality comes a long way down the list. I think at the end of the day I’d taken about 350 pics of which I’ve used about 10. So I’m not going to go taking pictures with people any more. My walks will be taken alone, my trips will be taken alone. I shall get up early for the best light of the day, I shall go out and find the best locations, and I’m going to find that place of peace where I can take my time, meditate, breathe, compose and finally click… Ian has invited me to take a trip with him to Monkey World sometime later this year… Now where’s that 2GB memory card of mine?

• What Love Is
  by Carson Collins

  Bertrand Russell described love as a condition of ‘absolute value’, as opposed to ‘relativ…

  Bertrand Russell described love as a condition of ‘absolute value’, as opposed to ‘relative value’. Love recognizes a state of truth distinct from, and opposite to, the idea that there is a difference between the subject and the object. It is sometimes called ‘pantheism’. Love is reality itself, of which we incorrectly perceive ourselves as an isolated part. “At the deepest level of our being - the divinity within that we share with all beings - there is no separation between me and you. At any moment it is possible to experience the warmth and openness of a heart connection with any living creature: a lover, a child, a friend, a stranger passing on the street, or even a dog. When we appreciate the beauty of another’s being, the heart channel opens and a spark of absolute love passes through us. In this moment of connection we no longer feel so separate or isolated. We delight in sharing the one lovely, tender presence that dwells in the heart of all.” / - William Harryman There’s love and then there’s Real Love. Small – l – love is like a little stream that will dry up after the rain stops; like a kind of barter, this for that. Real Love is like a mighty spring that gushes up – it is primal, ubiquitous, boundless, inexhaustible… it’s funny how we humans can so often be blind to such a Big Thing… hard to talk about, but I know what Love is! To say that “God is Love” is true, insofar as it goes, but these words are empty pale shadows of the direct experience of that simple, human thing we call “love”. So huge and yet so small. A light brighter than the Sun (it’s been called “the Sun behind the Sun”) yet something as ordinary as putting on your shoes. What I discovered through the practice of Vipassana meditation (specifically the meditation on Metta, or Universal Love) is that love is something one does. One can love regardless of the object, and in my experience this led to a state of extreme bliss which I believe is referred to as the first jhana. One then feels Love as a force that is all-encompassing and all-powerful, and one’s personality is completely dissolved in It – I mean, completely swept away. It’s very difficult to describe; a pleasure unimaginable, a light brighter than I would imagine the core of a galaxy to be. And this led to a magical world where literally every thing was alive with meaning. But, at the same time, I’m aware that this enormous experience of mine was nothing more than the direct experience of the simple, natural act of loving another being (and it’s quite true that one really can’t love one being without simultaneously loving all beings)... When one Loves, one Loves everyone, literally, and that certainly includes oneself because we are all part of the same Big Thing. The separation of individuals, at a certain level of awareness, ceases to be. It’s an illusion. So when you Love, you certainly Love yourself also, because you’re part of everyone. I had lived for 47 years and had, in general, been a kind person who always tried to do the right thing and live by the Golden Rule, but I hadn’t actually known what Love was. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I actually Love everyone! And I had never known this. Humans are pretty simple, really. They want to love, to be loved, and to pitch in and help one another. That’s about all there is to it. There are only two emotions: Love and fear. All of the others are just shades and tints of these two. What we call ‘hate’ is just one of the flavors of fear.

• I Had My First Sale In Zazzle!
  by udonchow

  Hi, I finally broke the zero record this morning with my first sale of “Love Meditations” spag tee at my zazzle...

  Hi, I finally broke the zero record this morning with my first sale of “Love Meditations” spag tee at my zazzle store. I may not know who this buyer is but I sure am very grateful :D Special thanks to Fa and Karin for cheerleading me constantly these past 1 month or so, your encouragement has been most precious to me :D

• New Foal
  by Pilgrim

  Firstly, I am back from my meditation retreat. Got back just on a week ago and have been a bit inundated. RedBubble is wonderful but it c…

  Firstly, I am back from my meditation retreat. Got back just on a week ago and have been a bit inundated. RedBubble is wonderful but it can be very needy! Outside of that, last night we had a new foal born on my farm at Three Springs. He, and his mum, were in no mood to be photographed and I was not about to disturb him for the sake of art – so this is what you get in all his newness and wonder: There is something so wonderful and grounding about new life of any form and a new foal is particularly special because they are so complete (walking within seconds). I will write a little bit later about some of the isights from a week of meditation. Perhaps the most important one is that it simply gives context. All we do and say and are is ephemeral and that is OK.

• Contemplation
  by Pilgrim

  In 2004 I was quite ill and became involved with the Gawler Foundation. This had ma…

  In 2004 I was quite ill and became involved with the Gawler Foundation. This had many positive consequences but most importantly I discovered meditation. Prayer for me has always been a bit challenging. I often find I have nothing to ask for. Perhaps I lack imagination. I can, and do, recite the Lord’s prayer regularly but beyond this have struggled to find a way of active prayer with which I am comfortable. In discovering mediation I found a new way of simply being quiet with God and being comfortable that this was indeed prayer. The Gawler Foundation teaches an ecumenical form of meditaton based on simple silence. Ian Gawler has written a number of books on the subject which are worthwhile: Medititaion: Pure and Simple and Peace of Mind. It is possible to add a more overly Christian element to your meditation using the technicques popularised by John Main. Sometimes I use a Christian mantra and sometimes I try to simply merge into the universal silence. The meditation is important because it allows me to understand that all that is created, including myself, are merely this “creations”. It doesn’t bring (or hasn’t yet) a blinding rationale about why we are here. Indeed, I suspect this is impossible as the meditation hints that the mind as a creation cannot ultimately comprehend the creator. It does, however, bring a calm sense of knowing about the general outline of the final destination. And one senses it is a knowing shared by the Buddha, the Saints and, of course, Christ himself. It is a knowing of feeling not of complex thinking. Indeed the object of the meditiation is to get beyond complex thinking. This is not to dimish thought (the danger of doing so is very apparent in a lot of popularist religion) but to understand that thought must ultimately be transcended. When I begin to know that God cannot be contained by my intelligence (to suggest He might is to suggest the more intelligent can know him in a greater way than the less) I begin to approach reality. And I try to approach it in a humility which will allow me to share in it.

• Vision Quest - Part I
  by Mysticmoon

  Vision Quest / She walked along a narrow track somewhere on the steep side of the volcano in France. It was dawn and cold, and she is r…

  Vision Quest / She walked along a narrow track somewhere on the steep side of the volcano in France. It was dawn and cold, and she is rugged up in her jacket and hat, breath forming little clouds before her as she walks. On her back she carries her backpack with tarp and sleeping bag attached. In one hand her staff and in the other carrying her 10L water canister. She feels afraid and excited; afraid because she is about to spend three days and nights alone in the wilderness, excited because this is her vision quest. On the days preceding this early morning journey to her chosen place the most dominant emotion had been fear of not knowing what was to come. There was even a time, on the first day, when she would have jumped in her car and driven home, if she had come in her own car. Her vision quest actually began months earlier when she first saw it advertised in the news bulletin of a shamanic group. She knew that this was something she really wanted to do. Instantly there were two of her. One was positive that she would go – no nonsense, we are going, we can do this, we are strong. This self was confident and calm, trusting that she would be there without doubt. The other was a mess. And sadly, it was this one that was louder. From constant fear of not being physically strong enough to guilt about leaving the family to fend for themselves (which they were quite capable of doing), she did eventually find herself hundreds of kilometers from home with a group of strangers. Over the next few days these strangers became her tribe, her family. They spent time sharing and talking, and with the help of the supervisors they each became aware of their own personal issues for this quest. They spent time in circle using ritual and ceremony to discover themselves, their fears and their goals. Her own fear began to ease as she felt safe during the journey while they were searching for the right location where it would all take place. But by the time she ended up on the ridge of the volcano away from camp the fear began to overwhelm her again. She was afraid of anything that could bite her, from snakes to ants – not to mention being attacked by wild boars. As she zipped herself into her sleeping bag every night, she always thought about home and family. What on earth was she doing here? Hundreds of kilometers from home and out of hearing distance from base camp, paying for the privilege of sleeping on the ground. She is forty-nine years old. She must be crazy!

• Seasonal Affective Disorder by Simon R. Gladdish
  by Rusty Woodward Gladdish

  SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER An extended meditation on the / Nature of time and its effects / Inspired by Edward Fitzgerald’s / Rubaiya…

  SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER An extended meditation on the / Nature of time and its effects / Inspired by Edward Fitzgerald’s / Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. By Simon R. Gladdish / DEDICATION For my much-missed mother Enid and father Kenneth (fellow author), my brother Matthew and his family, my sister Sarah and her family and last but never least, my wife Rusty, without whom there would have been nothing. BIOGRAPHY Simon R Gladdish was born in Kampala, Uganda in 1957. / His family returned to Britain in 1961, to Reading where he grew up. / Educated at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, he trained as an English Language Teacher, a profession which enabled him to live in Spain, Turkey, Tunisia and Kuwait for a long time. He now lives near Swansea, Wales. / His poetry has been warmly acclaimed by many other poets including Andrew Motion, the present British Poet Laureate. / He has published nine volumes of poetry so far: Victorian Values, Back to Basics, Images of Istanbul, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Original Cliches, Torn Tickets and Routine Returns, Homage to Edward Lear and The Tiny Hunchbacked Horse and The Poisoned Tunic jointly translated from Russian with Vladimir and Elena Grounine. / / PREFACE ‘The moving finger writes; and having writ, / Moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit / Shall lure it back to cancel half a line, / Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it. With earth’s first clay they did the last man’s knead, / And of the final harvest sowed the seed: / Yea, the first morning of creation wrote / What the last dawn of reckoning shall read.’ (Extract from ‘The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam’) SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER Experiencing contrition / Like a weak prison warden, / I sit in my kitchen / Overlooking my garden. The season is April / (The cruellest of months) / Aries the psychopath / Swaggers and flaunts. Tell me, my darling / What can the matter be? / Is it the daffodils / Under the apple tree? Is it the ivy / Hiding in the branches / Or is it the hyacinths / Huddled in bunches? / / Is it the primroses / Proud on parade / Or is it the foxgloves / That make you afraid? Is it the river / Which winds like a snake / Or fate’s blind indifference / That makes your heart ache? Time is a river / Or perhaps it’s a lake. / Time makes us shiver, / Accelerate and break. Time is a stream / On its way to the sea, / Leapfrogging the waterfalls, / Untrammelled and free. / / Time is an arrow / Or perhaps it’s an axe. / Nothing protects us / Against its attacks. Time is a goldcrest / Trapped in a cage. / Time is the palimpsest / Under the page. Time is our ancestry, / Sad and forlorn, / Tacked onto a tapestry / Before we were born. Time is a tinderbox, / Time is a tangle. / Time’s a pair of tawny socks / Twisted at an angle. / / Time is a treasure / Placed in a chest; / A pleasure to measure, / Waste or invest. Time is a pyramid / Lost in the sands. / A peculiar liquid / Which runs through our hands. Time is a tragedy / Performed in a palace. / Time is Jack Kennedy / Murdered in Dallas. Time is the bullet / Tin-opening his skull, / Unravelling the cortex / Like soft cotton-wool. / / Time’s Freddie Mercury / Dying of Aids, / His diamonds as useful / As handle-less spades. Time is Bohemia / Preserved in a rhapsody. / Time is a prisoner / Dissolving in custody. Time is the tune / To a popular song. / Time is the hand-over / Due in Hong Kong. At a small country station / When it’s pouring with rain, / Time is the tedium / Of missing your train. / / Time is a telescope / Trained on the track / As life’s locomotive / Comes lumbering back. Time is a telephone / Oppressing the room / With ambiguous messages / About a princess’s doom. Time is a talisman / Tied to a mast. / Time is an also-ran / Coming in last. Time is a treadmill / Of worry and work. / The second world war / Was when time went beserk. / / Time is a parcel bomb / Winging its way / From here to Hiroshima – / Unwrapped the same day. Under Victoria / And Benjamin Disraeli, / The Times was the thunderer, / Thundering daily. Time is a coin / In the mouth of a cod. / Time is theology: / Is there a God? Time is a healer / Or so we are told. / Time is a stealer / Of simpletons’ gold. / / Time, like necessity, / Mothers inventions. / Time, like anxiety, / Smothers intentions. Time is a mirror / That smashes in two; / A heart-rending sorrow / That lashes us through. Time’s a haemophiliac / Like my best friend Trevor. / (Time’s a necrophiliac – / Better late than never!) Time is a necklace / Of dates and events; / A gift from a magus: / Gold, myrrh, frankincense. / / Time is a challenge, / A chance to make good. / Time is the dry-rot / Asleep in the wood. Time is latitude, / Time is longitude; / A poisonous attitude / Perfected in solitude. Time is the padlock / On Pandora’s box / Portentously opened / On Opportunity Knocks. The dreams that the sirens / Dragged on to the rocks / While the hero Odysseus / Was attending his flocks. / / And Orion the hunter / Outwitting the fox / In the midsummer solstice / And spring equinox. Time prevents everything / Happening at once; / A vulgar procession / Of days, weeks and months. Time is a tortoise / Encased in its shell; / A shiny sarcophagus / Shaped like a bell. Time is a tableau / Of a team playing cricket; / The static white figures / Grouped around the green wicket. / / And Joan Hunter Dunn / In the Aldershot sun / Gently thrashing her partner / By three sets to one. And insouciant punting / On the Isis or Cam. / Is there honey for tea? / More like strawberry jam To go with the crumpet / We toast by the fire / (Until she complains / She’s about to expire!) Time is a temptress, / A tart and a tease. / A hard-working sempstress / Attempting to please. / / Time is a con artist / Readily bluffing; / A tired taxidermist / Unsteadily stuffing. Time is the lease / Running out on your flat; / Your belongings in boxes / And disconsolate cat. Time is a bucket / Containing a hole. / A trek from Nantucket / Towards the North Pole. Time is the error / Of abusing our cooks. / Time is the terror / Of losing our looks. / / A bald-headed man / Whose appearance is pleated / Has debated with time / And been roundly defeated. Time is a teacher / Burnt out in the class; / The Sunday night dread / Of the Monday impasse. Time is the tarot deck / Path I have trod / (Banged up with the hermit – / The miserable old sod!) Time is a joker / Whose jokes we enjoy; / A prattling prankster / Who’s apt to annoy. / / Mephisto Magician / (Mountebank from Milan) / Is astounding the masses / With legerdemain. Time is the high priestess, / Cool, unassailable, / Beautiful, brilliant, / Quite unavailable. Time is the empress, / Fragrant with hope, / Seductive, maternal, / Smelling sweetly of soap. Bellowing orders / In a bass-baritone, / Her husband the emperor / Reclines on his throne. / / Nearby is the hierophant / (Beard overgrown) / Blessing the populace / And invoking Saint Joan. Time is an oyster / Incubating a pearl. / Time is a boy / Making love to a girl. The lovers embrace / At the end of the pier / As time’s winged chariot / Is hurrying near. Furtive sex in a climate / Of worrying fear; / (A fumbling coupling / Then straight home for a beer.) / / Time is the strength / That we need to endure / The sea’s cruel contortions / As we swim for the shore. Time is the hermit / I have mentioned before / Who rots in his hut / And won’t answer the door. Time is Dame Fortune’s reel / Solemnly spinning; / The glamorous roulette wheel / When we happen to be winning. Time is the hanging man / Caught by his foot; / His arms are a rhombus, / His hair is a root. / / Time is our lifeblood / Liberally spread / Over the fields / Where the poppies have bled. (Instead of just forgetting, / It’s time for us to talk; / Wherever there is blood-letting, / The devil loves to stalk. In Bosnia or Ireland / The narrative’s the same; / The guns and bombs exploding / In history’s dreary name. Corpses stuff the alleys, / Justice goes unheard; / Truth’s a major casualty, / Morality is blurred.) / / Time’s gentle temperance, / The need to refrain / From committing new errors / And causing more pain. Time is the tower / Whose structure’s unsound; / The East German Mauer / Swiftly smashed to the ground. When we wish on a star / We expect to pull through; / The nightmare will end / And our dreams will come true. Time is the sun / And time is the moon / And time is the morning / Returning too soon. / / And judgement and justice / Are what we must face / If our lives have been selfish / And lacking in grace. And time is the world / As we’re all well aware / With which we have nothing / At all to compare. Time is the flower / Making way for the weed. / The farmer and lover / Both broadcasting their seed. And time is the books / I’m still planning to read: / The Cloud of Unknowing / And Venerable Bede. / / (Time is the price / Of dividing the cost / Between All’s Well that Ends Well / And Love’s Labours Lost.) Time is the blues / When your lover has gone; / The insatiable muse / That won’t leave us alone. Time’s sibling rivalry / Ever since Cain and Abel; / The decaying cadaver / Stretched out on the table. Time is the feel / Of a courtesan’s flesh. / The foul-tasting milk / That we thought was still fresh. / / Physicists laboured in vain / When they tried / To prove time successional / And not side by side. But mediaeval mystics / Knew to a man / That time slowly unfolding / Was part of God’s plan. Time chisels the milestones / Towards our salvation / Like petals gradually opening / On a rose or carnation. Time is the stanza / The poet has read. / Time is the spider / Ascending his thread. / / Time is a chrysalis / Glued to a leaf, / Giving birth to a butterfly – / Taking off like a thief. Time is the railings / Surrounding the park; / The planets abseiling / Their way through the dark. Time’s a conundrum / Wrapped up in a mystery, / Shot through with controversy, / Repackaged as history. Time is a lorry / Burnt out on the road; / The dinosaur skeleton / Of metal and wood. / / Time’s the deceased / Leaking blood through his skin; / The last rites of the priest / Reeking whisky and gin. Time is the tunnel / Hollowed out by the mole; / The unbridgeable gulf / Between substance and soul. Time’s my aunt Rosemary, / Riddled with cancer; / On her knees praying, / Demanding an answer. Time is a terrorist / Out on parole; / His victims still anguishing / Body and soul. / / Time is the cross / Between matter and space / Upon which our Saviour / Hung for three days. Time is astronomy / (Son and heir to astrology) / Political economy / And bio-technology. Time is the lamb / Crucified in a circle; / The crowd uncontrollable, / The emperor in purple. Time is the bull / Slaughtered under the sun; / European directives / And rotting meat by the ton. / / Time is the twins / Such as Janet and John, / Castor and Pollux, / Reginald and Ron. Time is the crayfish / Abandoning June, / Surrendering sideways / To the silvery moon. Time is the lion / (The king of the beasts) / Defender of Zion / And arranger of feasts. Time is the virgin / Whose control is sublime. / (The hard-hearted harlequin / Is wasting his time.) / / Time is the balance / Precariously poised / Like Damocles’ sword / Till our verdicts are voiced. Time is the scorpion / With its treacherous tail. / The tower struck by lightning, / The dreams doomed to fail. Time is the archer / With his bright-coloured bow / Drawn across the green valley / In a glorious show. Time is the goat / Contemplating the sky / With his conservative coat / And rectangular eye. / / Time is the water-bearer / With a jug in each hand, / Refilling the sea / And refreshing the land. Time is the sign / Of the mystical fish; / The prophet and dreamer / Imprisoned in flesh. Time is the actual, / The past and the future; / A fractured black vacuum / Stitched up like a suture. Time’s the refrain / In the midst of a song. / Time is this poem / Which has gone on too long. / / Time is a bat / Upside-down in its cave. / Time is a sultan / Asleep in his grave. Time is an illusion, / A present from our Maker / Which tucks us into coffins / Like a cheerful undertaker. TAMAM SHUD (It is completed.) The right of Simon R. Gladdish to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act, 1988.

• Stress Busting Exercise
  by Jen Whyte

  We are all so stressed just now from various causes so I thought a simple little exercise to help with this might be appropriate. I use…

  We are all so stressed just now from various causes so I thought a simple little exercise to help with this might be appropriate. I used to teach relaxation and meditation techniques and the following helps to clear your mind, centre yourself and bring a bit of peace to your soul. Light a single candle and place it at the edge of a table then sit down facing it at a distance of about two feet. Sit easily and comfortably on the chair in a relaxed state with your feet flat on the floor and your hands lying in your lap, take three deep breaths and stare at the candle flame without blinking for as long as you can. Gently close your eyes and bring the image of the candle flame onto the inside of your eyelids, remembering to breathe and to stay relaxed. The flame will be guttering and dancing about so with deep breaths and gentle concentration make the flame stand still. The object of the exercise is to empty your mind of all negativity and stress and then to control what comes into your mind instead of letting the whole world take over … remember you are in charge of you – don’t let anyone or anything control your thoughts. The whole exercise should only take about five minutes once you are practised at it which is not a lot out of the twenty-four hours in the day. Light and love Namaste Jen

• Time
  by Pilgrim

  Time, enemy of my ego Friend of my soul I see my actions a hundred years from now They are bleached as a shell on the beach A…

  Time, enemy of my ego Friend of my soul I see my actions a hundred years from now They are bleached as a shell on the beach A thousand years from now They merge with the sand A million years from now The beach has gone But “Iâ meditate on Not I

• A New Prayer
  by Pilgrim

  The last week, since my return from the US, has been intense. There is a complex legal negotiation, there are three children, there is si…

  The last week, since my return from the US, has been intense. There is a complex legal negotiation, there are three children, there is simple overflow of RedBubble work and there is Three Springs deserving attention. I am conscious that there are stories on RedBubble I would like to add to. There is art I want to see. There is a community here I want to enjoy. There is just so little time. In the jet-lag hazy of the morning, I find just enough time to meditate. And here, in this most pressing of times, I find a new mantra “my Lord teach me to meditate”. This is a prayer of humility where I understand that the ultimate prayer is the divine in me meeting the ultimate Divinity. The old monk says to the young man: “The difference between you and I is that I know that I am godlike, you have yet to learn this”. This is a statement not of pride because it is ultimately beyond ego. It is a statement of humility. And so, while so much is pressing on me – or appears to be – and I strive to find that quiet moment, I ask God’s help to aspire after Him. There can be no ego in this, for the circle completes itself beyond me. This calms my soul and leads me step-by-step on. And then the children wake up and all hell breaks loose.

• Added Morning Meditation, written works.. to photo 'Reverence'
  by linaji

  LOOK AND SEE!

  LOOK AND SEE!

• Meditation for Sunday.....6/15/08
  by Elaine Farmer

  If you find yourself loving any pleasure better than your prayers, any book better than the Bible, any persons better than Christ, or any…

  If you find yourself loving any pleasure better than your prayers, any book better than the Bible, any persons better than Christ, or any indulgence better than the hope of heaven – take alarm.” – Thomas Guthrie “I” took ALARM!

• The artist within....
  by jaycee

  Art and what it represents to me…. For a long time I struggled with my artist within, I fought it, I tried everything else. No matt…

  Art and what it represents to me…. For a long time I struggled with my artist within, I fought it, I tried everything else. No matter what I did I could not seem to thrive anywhere else. It is one of the only things that settle my mind, my soul my everything. My art is who I am just expressed on the outside… it may not make sense to many, not even to me sometimes but for some reason it puts me in a space of meditation, a space of inner peace, a reflection, an observation, a state of now. What else can I truly ask for.

• INNER PEACE
  by Daniela M. Casalla

  ...

  WALKING MEDITATION Take my hand. / We will walk. / We will only walk. / We will enjoy our walk / without thinking of arriving anywhere. / Walk peacefully. / Walk happily. / Our walk is a peace walk. / Our walk is a happiness walk. Then we learn / that there is no peace walk; / that peace is the walk; / that there is no happiness walk; / that happiness is the walk. / We walk for ourselves. / We walk for everyone / always hand in hand. Walk and touch peace every moment. / Walk and touch happiness every moment. / Each step brings a fresh breeze. / Each step makes a flower bloom under our feet. / Kiss the Earth with your feet. / Print on Earth your love and happiness. Earth will be safe / when we feel in us enough safety. / - Thich Nhat Hanh -

• Emotions Practice of Meditation and Peace
  by Amber Elizabeth Fromm

  Friday Journal, I was just thinking maybe we could all share about emotions such a happiness joy sorrow anger and how you apply pract…

  Friday Journal, I was just thinking maybe we could all share about emotions such a happiness joy sorrow anger and how you apply practicing positive ways of dealing with the negative emotions to achieve the positives on the spectrum such as tranquility joy and happiness… I personally would prefe to live in a bubble and since joining this Red Bubble I have found so many outlets for so much emotion found alot of healing and pray to continue this journey Well I love Friday Journal responses for I find that I heal and learn through each one of you and your spirits so I will throw this out there Have a Great Night and Many Many Blessings and Regards Amber Elizabeth / lil ol me:)

• Meditation, My Brain Rehabilatation, Yoga and Photography
  by DeeprBlue

  Over the past 8 months, I’ve -managed- (for lack of a better word and a nearby thesaurus, lol), to start walking, I mean REALLY walking…

  Over the past 8 months, I’ve -managed- (for lack of a better word and a nearby thesaurus, lol), to start walking, I mean REALLY walking…miles at times, become a proficient “beginner/apprentice” at yoga, immersed myself in meditation and photography. Prior to that time, I was 90% bedridden. Given a terminal diagnosis about 5 years ago, I lost everything I loved and had worked so hard to attain; and I laid down and gathered bed sores, hip problems, and flaccid muscles. I was deeply intoxicated with severe depression; something I’ve lived with since childhood, but had relatively managed to keep at a level I could function with, and mostly functioned quite admirably; not many people knew of it even…other than those closest to me. There are lesions on my brain and I, a lifetime bookworm, lost my ability to comprehend complex thought or read a book of any heft whatsoever. I’ve now read one book since my diagnosis in 2002. That accomplishment occurred about 2 months ago and now I’ve joined every book club out there and have amassed enough reading for a lifetime I think….lol. More importantly, I’ve discovered the photographer within. Having a background in graphic manipulation/design and a low level but relatively constant love for taking your ordinary “memory” pictures; those that freeze a time and place in your life that you don’t want to forget….yet oddly (or not) it never occurred to me to go …deeper….into photography. / Until about 6 months ago. I read somewhere…and never forgot it…that your first 10,000 shots as a budding photographer are all garbage….and I don’t know who the famous quote came from…wish I did…and somehow that never left me. / I was not and am not ever in a “race” to reach that “magical” 10,000, yet it made perfect sense to me. / Perhaps on a more specific and individualistic level, that quote may or may not be relatively true, but I believe it to be an inspiration….a sort of test to determine one’s -true- niche in this particular realm of “profession” . Almost a test of sorts to see —where you are—after that 1st 10,000 shots…. / Where you are. This isn’t about me reaching me that 10,000 “mark”. Even having reached it, I only feel a deeper hunger, addiction, or calling to the capturing of images, the manipulation of images, and now, through meditation and sometimes even through dreams…I’m finding layers that keep baring the fresh fruit of new ideas and concepts. This miraculous and profound time in my life where I’m at an age where things begin to shift to a more enlightened perspective, or at least a deeper hunger for such, I am even more blessed by being a spectator of the rehabilitation of a damaged brain that was once thought to never have that hope. I believe that if I were to have this near-death experience, subsequent life of bedridden melancholy, and loss of everything….to this new life of recovery, at a younger age and time of my life, I would not have the capacity to foster, appreciate, & acknowledge on a profound level as I do now. We so often ask “WHY?” or “WHY ME” or “WHY NOW?” / I believe…there are reasons, if we’re open to seeing them and receiving them and meditating upon them. I beleive in my heart of hearts that without meditation,; a total emptiness of mind…without the discipline of at least that….then we are, on some level, victims of an overwhelming life experience without the deepest capacity to be a spectator without preconceived ideas and notions driven into our minds from birth. I am a miracle…(but so are YOU). / Yes, we are ALL miracles. We ALL MUST find the miracle of our own lives and reach an enlightenment that surpasses everything we’re taught and everything we hear all around us. Then we’re responsible to one another from there on out….to be a voice. A voice that reflects the truest state of things, and a voice that often only speaks through imagery to convey to the world around us, the world we are all connected to; a thought, idea, an abstract concept or message. / Words are used as well to give a message to the world and words are altogether another facet of this higher consciousness communication/s. Once upon a time…I was a writer. And, once upon a time, I was a good writer and was getting published but breast cancer struck along with one other tragic life event and I closed that part of myself off forever. / That was in 1991. I’ve mostly - listened - since then. One good thing I gleaned from my father was that “children should be seen and never heard.” / Perhaps that’s not a “good” thing but I’ve mastered the fine art of making lemonade from a lifetime of very…sour…lemons. What I finally took from that back in my early 30’s was that I wanted to listen to the world. / Thinking was my “forte” and I even attracted a nickname for myself back then and sometime I still am reminded of it, all in good fun, to this day. That word was “Ruminator”. Perhaps I was perceived as ruminating but more accurately, I was listening…and thinking about what I was hearing…on so, so many different levels of -things- in this life. Today, I’ve come to a place in my own travels in life, where yielding and fostering my brain rehabilitation, and the miracle of recovery, is on the top of “the list” of things in life to accomplish. / Although it may sound like -one thing- it branches out and touches so many other features of life. Although practically impossible to explain to others exactly what is going on in my brain, it’s most certainly…—GOING ON - and vestiges of this process include things that -appear - to be things other than what they really are. / These include but do not encompass all: / LENGTHY periods of time to get from point A to point B: For example. All of this time I’ve - not - been on Red Bubble (or Flickr, myspace, facebook, blogger, etc for that matter), would -seem- to indicate that I’m certainly …not…immersed in my photography. Yet just the opposite is true. / EVERY SINGLE DAY….bar NONE…is FILLED with working with my images. / Every…single…day. / Yet, why am I not popping new images onto the site/s everyday? Or every week? Or weeks?? / THAT…is most likely -the—most prominent consequence, at this time in my recovery, of my brain re-wiring, re-GROWING (literally), re-integrating it’s “files” and “programs” . / I seem to process….overall…quite slowly. I’ve found myself apologizing and apologizing and apologizing….—endlessly- to so, SO many people, Groups, etc….and the inability to explain what is going on within my brain is leaving the impression that I am either disinterested, unable, unwilling, not THERE, not WITH IT, not involved…... / This is a profound “predicament” for me. / On occasion, even, I have “lost” a “cyber friend” or two as a result of a misinterpretation of where I am at. This hurts me….but I cannot be angry….I can only realize that when it all comes down to the very root of things, it is — I —- who must be able to look in the mirror every single day and KNOW I did my absolute very best that day. This “root of the matter” experience has an effect on many other areas of life as I live it. / It teaches me that although I have an unfathomable LOVE for humanity overall, and the same for those individuals involved on ANY level in my life; I still have to dully recognize that I must be ok…MORE than ok…within my own self. / For this sense of being will emanate outward and reach those around around me and sustain them until I can reach them again and be in that…place…where I’m “back” to what others may perceive as —being present -- / Yet I am ALWAYS present. / With YOU her on this wonderful and loving environment at redbubble where some of you have had SUCH a profound effect upon me that only in time will you truly…know this truth when one day you hear from me, just one on one. I find those of you here on this site….so precious to my heart. I hope that this writing will somehow remind you of that. Please…NEVER ….EVER…think…that Valerie has disappeared. She hasn’t. She won’t. I’ve landed on a new plane of existence that I’ve not experienced quite like this. It’s a combination of my brain rehabilitating….and MUCH of that…MUCH….is due to the daily yoga and meditation. / The rest is due to photography and graphic creations. I’m overwhelmed with a quiet joy b/c I have a - knowing -- deep within me of the fact that I’m on my way to unbelievable success in life. / During meditation or yoga, I’ve lately experienced something new. That something new is the subtle seed of inspiration planted within my quieted mind and suddenly a new concept, or set of concepts literally just comes to me and starts growing. / I’ve made a point to write these down….and when I look back and re-read them, I am amazed….and deeply humbled in awe of what lies ahead of me if I keep doing what I’m doing….if I keep going in the direction I’m going. I’m ….so…filled with gratitude for my pain and losses and hardships in this life….there have been so many….b/c I am at the literal DAWNING of the deepest realizations I’ve known in my entire life. / And I don’t think reaching these moments of enlightenment would’ve happened any sooner in my life than now. Please always know that I HONESTLY think of you, my new friends, on redbubble….almost daily. I WANT to get on here and upload the thousands of images I’ve worked on and I also want to look at everyone else’s work….so much….but it’s a process for me and I MUST allow my brain to recover in the manner it needs to….and I don’t want that to be interpreted as ignoring, not being a a part of, or not involved with, any of you or the “cause” : creativity and expression through enlightened ideas amongst and betwixt one another! / I have ….Great….ness…..ahead of me. / Do not interpret that as arrogance…please…..please. / What I mean by that statement is that what I’ve been processing, accumulating, preparing for, etc….is slowly coming together and I refuse to rush it for the sake of ANYTHING. Stick with me. I need and love you all and YOUR GREATNESS. Knowing me requires the deepest of patience when it comes to things as like response time….but I will get better. I will continue to heal. / I have a message of sorts….to offer in my work,. as MANY of us do….and each message is as important as the others; only different. Please do feel absolutely free to contact me at my email address if you need to reach me sooner than the turn-a-round you get from me on here. / valerielk11@yahoo.com. / I genuinely love you all. / Namaste, / Valerie/DeeprBlue The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. / – Steven Covey

• CD giveaway FOR REAL!!!!!
  by Tania Rose

  As a celebration of Spring, and an incredible year so far, I have decided to give away some Tania Rose CDs to my fellow RedBubblers. *...

  As a celebration of Spring, and an incredible year so far, I have decided to give away some Tania Rose CDs to my fellow RedBubblers. Have you been a supporter? a friend? a fellow banterer on the forums? If you believe you would appreciate, care-for, love, or otherwise value a CD from me to you, then Bmail me and tell me your thoughts. How will i choose? i have no idea…. More info on the music, visit The Tania Rose website

• Photography and the Dentist's Drill
  by William Bullimore

  Well, some of my precious photography time was taken up yesterday by a dentist’s appointment. Now I’m not particularly scared of dentist’...

  Well, some of my precious photography time was taken up yesterday by a dentist’s appointment. Now I’m not particularly scared of dentist’s, but I defy anyone to not tense up when they hear the high-pitched whir of the drill when it starts up! In fact, I got so tense that I started thinking to myself, “Okay Bill, calm down, think of something else.” So I started thinking about my next photo shoot. What I will photograph, where, how etc. I also started thinking about my past photos and what I would do now to improve them if I had a second chance. All of a sudden, I was lost in my little world of cameras and landscapes and composition. So to add to all of the other amazing things that my new pastime has brought, I can now make a new claim. Photography can overcome fear. Haha.

• Thoughts on my poems comments - 'Teacher'
  by anaisnais

  Just a thought that struck me for everyone really that I thought would be more use here than in my comments box really. It came from a th…

  Just a thought that struck me for everyone really that I thought would be more use here than in my comments box really. It came from a thoughtful reply given to me, but which I wanted to extend on as such:- If we do not rest and listen at quiet times, how do we know we haven’t missed something important. Reflection can be enlightening. Meditation is a good way of acheiving restful state. Aside of this it gives a time of peace and rest to our earthly bodies. Time our blood pressures and pulse can have time to calm some, time to just let go and be at ease. A few minutes reflection time can be all needed to set us back on track quickly. Wishing you all a restful day Kindest intentions, Anna-Marie.

• The hellish jumps
  by AbyssalSoul

  This was the title of an old letter I got published in a gaming magazine, regarding the annoyance of being forced to swtich components li…

  This was the title of an old letter I got published in a gaming magazine, regarding the annoyance of being forced to swtich components like we get rid of toilet paper. This was back in 2000 and it didn’t get any better now. Now we are in 2007 and things are still the same. The inefficiency in production (which of course focuses on profit and not into quality or anything related to “What is my business?” as Peter Drucker used to said) is reaching unknown levels. I mean, did you estimate how long a cellphone, a new TV, a new mp3 player last? Not much to tell the truth. In fact, an I-pod shuffle (and this was real-life tested) may be cheap but is also a candidate for the trash bin as once the battery runs out (and it can run out in a matter of months), you need to almost re-pay it to get it back working or they sell you a “portable battery” device so you can keep using it, that if the buttons still work after six months of over-pressing them. Should it be the situation of my country what drives me to focus on philosophic things and ramblings about stuff that is extremely hard to get here (there is only one fully official Apple Center in our capital, the rest are “importers” so I can assure it’s hard to get an Ipod here and if you find it, paying for it it’s a rip off) and also brutally expensive. I don’t know, but Thus, it leads me to think, even if they cost less, are they worth? A friend of my father bought a supossedly excellent fridge. It worked pretty well but, a couple of months later (and following Murphy’s law, right when the guarantee expired!) the fridge stopped working. Some chip melted inside and the repairs costs were almost half of the cost of the fridge. Made in China for the win? No, do not blame China (although probably 85% of the tech stuff is built and assembled there), it’s not their fault alone. It’s the whole vicious circle of the “BUY BUY BUY” and the necessity of creating necessities (Michael Porter and others talk of this I think) what drives people mad. You buy something, the next day is old. People keep saying it: / “It gets old.” I can’t think of a phrase that can hurt more than that one (well, actually I can and it’s “Meh”, the other tactics are ignoring or silence). For a reason, I feel it’s used in a wrong way because it’s not that it gets old it’s just people get saturated with publicity bombardment and media-hammering (ie: jokes and such, which “get old” though I still laugh at some old tango jokes and those are from 1930.) I also sense it’s used not only to express that something is a couple of months old but also to tell people are, as I said, tired and saturated of it. Are people translating this to relationships too? They dump others in a matter of weeks like tissue paper because even a person “gets old”? Oh I will leave that for another rambling, je. Mozart’s music, Shakespeare, Aristotle, Borges, Martín Fierro… They all have decades or even centuries with us and they don’t get old in terms of originality, etc. I also thought it could be due to a heavy focus on young people (like me) who supossedly only want cool new stuff permanently to shout about: “LYKE OMG NEWWWW!!!” (I’m only stating how the exclamation should be because I’m not english and I don’t know the true reactions) but the buy-buy-buy campaigns focus on everything, not only the young. They go for everyone, friend and foes alike. From food to cars and beds and furniture. Tech stuff gets worse because everything is old as soon as its released. Windows Vienna for 2009? One month after releasing Vista? Please. At this rate I will think about Linux or something else that doesn’t force me into an insane race to a bottomless pit. Each year we have to tolerate version something of the same program as usual. In games, you have the infamous “McDonalds” of gaming, Electronic Arts with their new 2008 versions of everything coming soon. Fear not, others do the same, with the 10th part of the 20th saga of the 5th era and more. Going back to the fridges… We have two 1980 Siam fridges (OLD pieces of metal) and they still work perfectly, in fact, we keep using one of those since the “New” fridge died tragically after several years of use. No, I don’t think we want to go to a past were military regimes and WWII were close but, at least, I think the whole industry matter should turn on the brakes on the production. No, I’m not begging for less working places, I’m begging for a wise resource administration. The materials used to build this expendable items comes from nature and nature isn’t infinite. It is showing signs of exahustion (haha, it’s “getting old”!) and a rapid decay. How much plastic and other materials are wasted every month for those unused cells and devices that are already useless as soon as they are out? And what about the tons of CRT monitors without recycling? Everyone may be happy with the LCD screenies but there are still tons of the “old” ones stored everywhere… Same with motherboards, the above-mentioned fridges, “discontinuated” DVD players, TVs… These are the hellish jumps. We are forced to jump to “better” stuff too fast. And at times I don’t think even the supossedly “First World” places can follow this insane races that only happen in the companies’ heads. At this rate, I’m feeling like an awkward version of Al Gore talking in an awkward english. Conclusion? Humanity is generating a planteary amount of tech and consumist trash. I think this should be quickly sorted out before we get drowned under 2.9 trillions of useless devices. I also had a nightmare about this that may turn into a short story… Sorry if I offended anyone but I wasn’t target people but targetting the ways and techniques of an extremely inefficient system that forces people to keep buying without foreseeing the future! Still, my apologies because I may not be able to discuss things pretty well since my lack of knowledge of the art of rethoric and related things. Over and out. And despite what seems to be a big chunk of negativity, there are positive things. We are seeing devices that use power better, and others that seem more durable or rely on trust (in software, Mozilla keeps evolving, remains free and “trustable” doesn’t use some sort of invasive Validation and super-mega authentication that requires your ADN and soul to see if you have the right coloured original CD)

• An amazing flight in space
  by AbyssalSoul

  Well, in my quests for inspiration I decided to risk myself at the night and step to the garden (even though mosquitos stalk like a mad s…

  Well, in my quests for inspiration I decided to risk myself at the night and step to the garden (even though mosquitos stalk like a mad swarm and the urban lights block most of the view…) and looked up. I was surprised to realise how much time passed since the last time I gazed at the stars for so long. There I got hit but the inspiration I needed. Orion and the Southern Cross were visible and clear. And, after a while I got lost in the immensity. Takes time to realise the HUGE (all in capitals) scale of a planet. I can only dream to imagine the gigantic proportions of a galaxy… Bad days and weeks have been annoying me and this eased things a bit. I also found several music albums that focus on the space or the science fiction. Focused in the tradition of the “symphonic/progressive” metal, this project, Ayreon, and, in particular, one of their older albums, “The Universal Migrator Pt. 2: Flight of the Migrator”, is superb. In fact, after an long intro song, we are driven to the beginning of time, the ‘Dawn of a million souls’: At the birth of time, the beginning of beginnings / One cosmic soul was created / A bringer of life, a universal migrator / Born to sow its seeds in all the galaxies And so on. I highly recommend any of Ayreon’s works for those who are fans of science fiction, progressive/symphonic rock/metal and the likes. In fact, the title of this entry is, precisely, one of the songs from Ayreon’s album “Into the Electric Castle: A space opera”. Not quite a super creative title but, hell, it came handy for this whole text block, hehehe. Anyway, how long have you been without looking at the night sky? Ok, enough of my ramblings. Everyone, have a nice day. Over and out.

• EmptyEasel Featured Artist
  by Baiko

  Today, Dan at EmptyEasel chose me as this week’s featured artist. He wrote a very perceptive review of my Ikeba…

  Today, Dan at EmptyEasel chose me as this week’s featured artist. He wrote a very perceptive review of my Ikebana Art. What pleases me most is that Dan didn’t know a thing about Ikebana prior to seeing my work. He is a very knowledgeable art critic and that is exactly how he approached my work. He looked without any pre-conceptions. He has made some very insightful remarks which I hope will help people here on Redbubble and the art buying public to appreciate the Art of Ikebana. This is my homage to the late Sofu Teshigahara, the founder of the Sogetsu School and modern Ikebana. Here’s the link to the EmptyEasel review: Baiko’s Ikebana Art

• Yoga, Meditation, and The Seeing of Auras
  by Angela Zito

  My fellow bubbler inspired me to write again because I had to think about the time when I saw someone elses’ aura. I was in the middle o…

  My fellow bubbler inspired me to write again because I had to think about the time when I saw someone elses’ aura. I was in the middle of a Yoga class, deeply in meditation, totally in alpha brain vibration, looked up at the teacher, and saw the most beautiful royal blue color surrounding her body about a foot off her etheric body. It wasn’t the kind of flat blue you’d see on a cereal box, no, it was color which was alive and vibrating and swirling around her in the air. When I looked up around her head, neck and shoulders, equally, I saw a beautiful golden yellow light glowing, like the golden light inside that posey photo in my portfolio? What was beautiful was the colors were bright and clear indicating positive emotions coming from this individual and I knew she was, indeed, a positive happy person…, Yoga will do that to ya. This Yoga teacher was blue and yellow because she was devoted (blue) to her teachings and using her intellect (yellow) to do so. Most teachers who love their work have blue around them. Also, I didn’t have my glasses on and I believe auras are easier to see when one’s eyes are out of focus…, maybe that’s because one is seeing more with their etheric eyes than their physical ones. I go around like Mr. MaGoo a lot just to see what I can’t see :) As You can see, I’ve lots of theories about lots of things but many of them are based on pretty solid imperical evidence and experience. Meditation closely following any Yoga practice, I began seeing my teacher’s aura on a regular basis, of course, I never told her so, wish I had, she would have appreciated it. There’s lots of literature on colors and the aura for anyone who wants to read, and practice. Anyone can see auras, it’s just a matter of training. I enjoy that which goes beyond the physical, like different states of consciousness as it were, know there’s much more to us than our usual five senses, no doubts from me, and try to go to these places whenever I can. At the time I visited the World of Abstract Thought and Halls of Knowledge, I was deeply into Yoga and meditation which explains the benefits of raising one’s consciousness whenever possible. Interesting trip, this thing called living. When we take photographs, consider that the archetype of that photograph is already in Spirit before we ever captured the image on the physical. There has to be a pattern in the Spirit world in order to receive it physically if we’re to consider we might be the last rung on the ladder. There’s many levels in between physical and astral but that’s for later. Everything we have here is a replicate of something already having happened or been and it resides in Spirit. It’s like we wouldn’t be asking the question if we didn’t already have the answer, why is that? We think we’re the archetect of our own creations because we’ve got a blueprint in front of us, but, in reality, that blueprint was first formed in Spirit by someone before us. In the end, I don’t give myself too much credit when I get a good photograph because I know that that shot is a thought form someone else developed and left behind long before I got it., I just happened to be in the right place, at the right time, in the right state of mind to pick up on it. So our photographs come from Spirit before we get them is something to think about.