REALIZING WHERE WE ARE
1.1 After taking a career course I had some rough ideas on what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to lead people, inspire them, cheer them on and I wanted to express myself. I wanted to be able to use my mind to see solutions. And I wanted to grow and at the same time stay young. The biggest and most important thing to me seemed to be working with my body but at that time I wasn’t sure in what context. So I focused on the other things that I thought I might like to do.
1.2 I looked into management at the company I was with. I thought that maybe I would like to get into management. I also started to take acting lessons to see if that was something that I would like. I was dimply aware that I wanted to work with the body but I wasn’t sure in what context.
1.3 Thinking that I wanted to be famous actor, I quit my engineering job fully believing I was going to be discovered and taken to Hollywood. Somehow, that didn’t quite happen. Instead I started to teach more and more yoga, which was good because my retirement savings were running out. Meanwhile I still thought that I wanted to act. Actually what I wanted to be was famous and I though acting was a pathway towards that. But then I realized that what I really wanted was a job that made me happy.
1.4 I continued to teach yoga but even after a few years I still didn’t think of myself as a teacher. When I met other teachers, especially famous or well known ones, I didn’t like telling them I was a teacher because I’d never been to India to study with a Guru, I’d never been given approval and I’d learned from a book. But I was teaching, and I was helping people and eventually I realized that the only person who really needed to approve of me as a teacher was myself.
1.5 Of course the irony of it all is that when I’d taken the career course I knew that I wanted to work with my body in some way. I just didn’t realize that teaching yoga I was doing exactly that. And even when a roommate commented that I appeared to like teaching yoga better than I did doing acting it still didn’t click.
1.6 I realize now that sometimes we have what we want, we just don’t realize it, as if clarity applies to not only knowing what we want but also recognizing it when we have it.
1.7 It reminds me of what happened to me in university once when I got one of my math tests back. I’d solved one of the problems correctly but didn’t realize it and crossed out my answer. The Teaching assistant who marked it gave me a perfect mark because I did know how to solve the problem even though I had crossed it out.
1.8 In acting, knowing what we wanted in a scene, that want pulled us along, we didn’t have to think, we just had to let go and let our desire pull us. And I believe that is what happens when we know what we want in life, once we recognize that idea, it pulls us towards itself even when we forget what the idea is.
1.9 Maybe that’s a little like Love. Love pulling us towards the things we love even if we don’t know it or realize what it is that we love (or whom).
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Scanning so we can see Everything at Once
SCANNING SO WE CAN SEE EVERYTHING AT ONE
1.1 Trying to notice what is around us it’s difficult to notice everything at once. We can learn to see everything at once, but in the beginning it’s helpful to notice one thing at a time and so that we see everything one at a time it’s helpful to scan.
1.2 Scanning, I like to think of radar screens where the beam of light sweeps around in a circle and as it passes over objects those objects get momentarily brighter on the screen then slowly fade till the beam passes over them again. It smoothly scans an area looking at one section while staying aware of the others.
1.3 Scanning our body, we can smoothly move the focus of our awareness from point to point, perhaps from joint to joint, while staying aware of our whole body, what we are doing. Or we can scan the world around us keeping our eyes open but moving the focus of our attention around our field of vision. In either case as we shift our gaze we stay aware of the residual image of what we have just seen, like a blip that slowly fades until it is refreshed again.
1.4 I scan my body when I do yoga (and teach it). If I am doing a pose and I am starting from the ground upwards, I work my awareness upwards from my feet, adjusting my feet, my legs, my hips, spine and then my arms and then my neck, making adjustments, changes to each joint as I go. And then because all of that affects my whole body, I go back to my feet and start again, each time going a little bit deeper, finding my way into the pose.
1.5 I work in synch with my breath so that each inhale I move my awareness upwards or outwards through my body. If I move my awareness slowly I have the opportunity to see more but scanning quickly, I see less, but I also notice changes a lot quicker and so can act on them sooner.
1.6 Feeling our body one section at a time we can take action, adjusting each point, each joint so it is balanced. However, when we change one joint we affect all of the others. It’s one of the challenges of yoga (of life). Every time we change one aspect of a pose, it affects everything else. And so scanning, we can see how one change affects the whole body.
1.7 Scanning our body while doing yoga, we can learn to feel our entire body and adjust it, without missing anything. Eventually, we learn to feel our entire body at once, in a single sweep as it were.
1.8 And likewise driving, we learn to open our eyes in such a way that we see everything at once. We may need to turn our head from time to time, but as we do we keep our eyes wide open seeing as much as we can. It’s like finding the ease in a pose instead of fighting or using strength. In the same way it’s allowing the eyes to see rather than focusing.
1.9 Scanning the pieces, the parts, the relationships, we are training ourselves to notice those things one at a time, then, once we’ve trained ourselves we move on to notice another type of little thing, another detail. Then once we’ve trained ourselves to notice all the little things that matter it is easier to notice in a single glance all the little things at once, and it is easier to notice when one of those things is out of place or different in such a way that it requires more of our attention.
1.10 Eventually when we are able to feel our entire body at once, we can go into the pose instantaneously. Not just bit by bit, but all at once, the whole body unified. It’s like riding a bike and acting as one, turning as one, the bike and our body an extension of one mind. Like a group of skaters all aware of the leader, accelerating as one simultaneously, staying together, working together, one.
1.11 Seeing everything at once, it’s like looking at the center point of a circle and seeing the edge of the circle at the same time.
1.1 Trying to notice what is around us it’s difficult to notice everything at once. We can learn to see everything at once, but in the beginning it’s helpful to notice one thing at a time and so that we see everything one at a time it’s helpful to scan.
1.2 Scanning, I like to think of radar screens where the beam of light sweeps around in a circle and as it passes over objects those objects get momentarily brighter on the screen then slowly fade till the beam passes over them again. It smoothly scans an area looking at one section while staying aware of the others.
1.3 Scanning our body, we can smoothly move the focus of our awareness from point to point, perhaps from joint to joint, while staying aware of our whole body, what we are doing. Or we can scan the world around us keeping our eyes open but moving the focus of our attention around our field of vision. In either case as we shift our gaze we stay aware of the residual image of what we have just seen, like a blip that slowly fades until it is refreshed again.
1.4 I scan my body when I do yoga (and teach it). If I am doing a pose and I am starting from the ground upwards, I work my awareness upwards from my feet, adjusting my feet, my legs, my hips, spine and then my arms and then my neck, making adjustments, changes to each joint as I go. And then because all of that affects my whole body, I go back to my feet and start again, each time going a little bit deeper, finding my way into the pose.
1.5 I work in synch with my breath so that each inhale I move my awareness upwards or outwards through my body. If I move my awareness slowly I have the opportunity to see more but scanning quickly, I see less, but I also notice changes a lot quicker and so can act on them sooner.
1.6 Feeling our body one section at a time we can take action, adjusting each point, each joint so it is balanced. However, when we change one joint we affect all of the others. It’s one of the challenges of yoga (of life). Every time we change one aspect of a pose, it affects everything else. And so scanning, we can see how one change affects the whole body.
1.7 Scanning our body while doing yoga, we can learn to feel our entire body and adjust it, without missing anything. Eventually, we learn to feel our entire body at once, in a single sweep as it were.
1.8 And likewise driving, we learn to open our eyes in such a way that we see everything at once. We may need to turn our head from time to time, but as we do we keep our eyes wide open seeing as much as we can. It’s like finding the ease in a pose instead of fighting or using strength. In the same way it’s allowing the eyes to see rather than focusing.
1.9 Scanning the pieces, the parts, the relationships, we are training ourselves to notice those things one at a time, then, once we’ve trained ourselves we move on to notice another type of little thing, another detail. Then once we’ve trained ourselves to notice all the little things that matter it is easier to notice in a single glance all the little things at once, and it is easier to notice when one of those things is out of place or different in such a way that it requires more of our attention.
1.10 Eventually when we are able to feel our entire body at once, we can go into the pose instantaneously. Not just bit by bit, but all at once, the whole body unified. It’s like riding a bike and acting as one, turning as one, the bike and our body an extension of one mind. Like a group of skaters all aware of the leader, accelerating as one simultaneously, staying together, working together, one.
1.11 Seeing everything at once, it’s like looking at the center point of a circle and seeing the edge of the circle at the same time.
An Idea is a Relationship between Consciousness and Energyo
At the most basic level an idea is a relationship between conscious and energy. Consciousness and energy have many forms so to understand ideas we can look at ideas and choose which aspect of an idea is its “consciousness” part and which part is the “energy.”
Consciousness tends to have the following quantities: mass, form, heaviness, pulls inwards, straight lines, focus, sensitivity/sensing, the ability to sense relationships, limits and limitation, choice, decision, decider, awareness
Energy is light, tends towards formlessness and expansion, curved lines, expression.
When these are looked at as aspects of an idea, they will probably rarely be completely energy or completely consciousness. They will have flavors of both but one will dominate and that dominate feature determines whether it is more consciousness or more energy.
When two people dance together we can label the person leading as the person playing the roll of consciousness because they look around to sense the limits within which they can move on the dance floor. They also sense their partner and where they are (relationship) and they choose at any moment in time the movement they will do next. Meanwhile the follower expresses them. She may have the more complicated footwork. But usually she is the center of attention, what draws the viewer’s eye. But really they are both consciousness and both energy, it’s just at in the context of the bigger idea, one is more conscious and one more energy. In the end they become the dance.
A rider and their motorcycle, the motorcycle can be energy because it is expression guided by the consciousness of the rider. Or together the are expression guided by the limits of the road they are on. Or the bike is consciousness (form) and the gas that fuels it is energy.
So really, consciousness and energy in all of these contexts depends on the way in which we view the idea. They are relative to each other. So how is that useful?
It is a way of looking at ideas that can help us understand them more. Looking at the rider and a bike, because the rider is consciousness, they become the one responsible for making the decisions. Nothing can be the bikes fault, not really, so it is all up to the rider. Dancing, the lead is responsible for making decisions, and choosing where to go, but here it is important to realize that the lady has to be conscious as well. She has to be consciousness enough to realize what the lead is telling her. A bike is limited, there is not choice for it to think by itself but she has that ability and so for two people to dance well together they both have to be consciousness and energy its just that one is a little bit more of one and less of the other.
We all know that now adays light is viewed as both a particle and a wave. In some situations it is a particle and in others it is better viewed as a wave. We could say that the wave aspect is the energy part while the particle aspect is the consciousness part. And that they are both aspects of the same thing. Before this model came about people argued about whether light is a particle or whether it is a wave. Now that we understand light better, that it is both, and that this model also applies to sub-atomic particles, the door has been opened to the world of silicon technology as we know it today. All those fancy cars with the cool lighting affects are possible because scientists realized that light acts as both a particle and a wave, they found a way of modeling light as both.
So why look at an idea as consciousness or energy, why try to understand ideas as having both, because it opens the door to more possibilities. Because the more we understand, the more we can see the more potential we can realize.
And failing that, it’s another way of seeing the world and enjoying it, especially when the two aspects come together.
We become light when we realize that two opposing views are actually different views of the same thing.
Consciousness tends to have the following quantities: mass, form, heaviness, pulls inwards, straight lines, focus, sensitivity/sensing, the ability to sense relationships, limits and limitation, choice, decision, decider, awareness
Energy is light, tends towards formlessness and expansion, curved lines, expression.
When these are looked at as aspects of an idea, they will probably rarely be completely energy or completely consciousness. They will have flavors of both but one will dominate and that dominate feature determines whether it is more consciousness or more energy.
When two people dance together we can label the person leading as the person playing the roll of consciousness because they look around to sense the limits within which they can move on the dance floor. They also sense their partner and where they are (relationship) and they choose at any moment in time the movement they will do next. Meanwhile the follower expresses them. She may have the more complicated footwork. But usually she is the center of attention, what draws the viewer’s eye. But really they are both consciousness and both energy, it’s just at in the context of the bigger idea, one is more conscious and one more energy. In the end they become the dance.
A rider and their motorcycle, the motorcycle can be energy because it is expression guided by the consciousness of the rider. Or together the are expression guided by the limits of the road they are on. Or the bike is consciousness (form) and the gas that fuels it is energy.
So really, consciousness and energy in all of these contexts depends on the way in which we view the idea. They are relative to each other. So how is that useful?
It is a way of looking at ideas that can help us understand them more. Looking at the rider and a bike, because the rider is consciousness, they become the one responsible for making the decisions. Nothing can be the bikes fault, not really, so it is all up to the rider. Dancing, the lead is responsible for making decisions, and choosing where to go, but here it is important to realize that the lady has to be conscious as well. She has to be consciousness enough to realize what the lead is telling her. A bike is limited, there is not choice for it to think by itself but she has that ability and so for two people to dance well together they both have to be consciousness and energy its just that one is a little bit more of one and less of the other.
We all know that now adays light is viewed as both a particle and a wave. In some situations it is a particle and in others it is better viewed as a wave. We could say that the wave aspect is the energy part while the particle aspect is the consciousness part. And that they are both aspects of the same thing. Before this model came about people argued about whether light is a particle or whether it is a wave. Now that we understand light better, that it is both, and that this model also applies to sub-atomic particles, the door has been opened to the world of silicon technology as we know it today. All those fancy cars with the cool lighting affects are possible because scientists realized that light acts as both a particle and a wave, they found a way of modeling light as both.
So why look at an idea as consciousness or energy, why try to understand ideas as having both, because it opens the door to more possibilities. Because the more we understand, the more we can see the more potential we can realize.
And failing that, it’s another way of seeing the world and enjoying it, especially when the two aspects come together.
We become light when we realize that two opposing views are actually different views of the same thing.
Frameworks Guiding Expression
FRAMEWORK FOR EXPRESSION
1.1 A long time ago I took improv lessons as part of my design to become an actor. It was one of the things I enjoyed the most while acting. Like living life but knowing that it was all a game at the same time.
1.2 We were given some guidelines for our skits as the do in the show “Whose Line is it Anyway.” In one scenario three of us would do a scene together, and we would come in one at a time. The first person was given a basic setting, the kitchen. He started of tidying up or making breakfast. Then the second person enters with a given agenda, then the third person, me.
1.3 As first one actor and then the other set the scene I wondered what I was going to do. The minute I stepped on stage I knew what to do by seeing what was around me.
1.4 Luigi’s character sarcastically mentioned me and my whole grain bread. I sidestepped and mentioned the girl I’d met last night who given me her phone number. But Doug had thrown it out, and the garbage truck had already been by and picked up the garbage and we carried on from there.
1.5 “Why did you throw it out?”
1.6 “Because I felt like it...”
1.7 Once we were in the scene it carried us. And we expressed it, simply from being given a few simple instructions, frameworks within which to express ourselves. In this case the framework was quite open. A kitchen. It didn’t say what kind of kitchen. And oh, we were housemates, that was the assumption. And I was looking for something, a girl’s phone number. It was enough to give us room to express ourselves.
1.8 Because we were given a setting and a set of relationships we had a framework within which to express ourselves. We were all relating or creating relationships with each other. Each of us an idea connecting to other ideas in different ways, three housemates arguing over a lost phone number and a loaf of whole grain bread. When each of us understood the ideas that we were portraying and the relationships between them, when we understood the limits within which we were working, then we were free to express ourselves within them.
1.9 Frameworks, guiding expression.
1.1 A long time ago I took improv lessons as part of my design to become an actor. It was one of the things I enjoyed the most while acting. Like living life but knowing that it was all a game at the same time.
1.2 We were given some guidelines for our skits as the do in the show “Whose Line is it Anyway.” In one scenario three of us would do a scene together, and we would come in one at a time. The first person was given a basic setting, the kitchen. He started of tidying up or making breakfast. Then the second person enters with a given agenda, then the third person, me.
1.3 As first one actor and then the other set the scene I wondered what I was going to do. The minute I stepped on stage I knew what to do by seeing what was around me.
1.4 Luigi’s character sarcastically mentioned me and my whole grain bread. I sidestepped and mentioned the girl I’d met last night who given me her phone number. But Doug had thrown it out, and the garbage truck had already been by and picked up the garbage and we carried on from there.
1.5 “Why did you throw it out?”
1.6 “Because I felt like it...”
1.7 Once we were in the scene it carried us. And we expressed it, simply from being given a few simple instructions, frameworks within which to express ourselves. In this case the framework was quite open. A kitchen. It didn’t say what kind of kitchen. And oh, we were housemates, that was the assumption. And I was looking for something, a girl’s phone number. It was enough to give us room to express ourselves.
1.8 Because we were given a setting and a set of relationships we had a framework within which to express ourselves. We were all relating or creating relationships with each other. Each of us an idea connecting to other ideas in different ways, three housemates arguing over a lost phone number and a loaf of whole grain bread. When each of us understood the ideas that we were portraying and the relationships between them, when we understood the limits within which we were working, then we were free to express ourselves within them.
1.9 Frameworks, guiding expression.
Frameworks for Seeing, Frameworks for Expression,
RATIO, ANOTHER WORD FOR RELATIONSHIP
1.1 Before I joined the army one of my favorite past times was hanging out in bookstores. I normally hung out in the Sci Fi/Fantasy Section but on one occasion I was in the art section.
1.2 I came across a book called “Dynamic Figure Drawing” by a man named Burne Hogarth. It was filled with sketches of human figures drawn without using models. They’d been drawn instead from an understanding of the relationships within the human body. The author used his understanding of these “ratios” (relationships) as a framework for drawing basic human figures.
1.2.1 They served as a framework for drawing non-ideal, real figures.
1.3 The book discussed the ratios that related all the parts of the body to each other using the head as the basic unit of measurement. From the front the torso from the pubic bone to the base of the neck was three heads tall. The legs, from the crests of the pelvis down to the soles of the feet, were four heads tall. From the back view the torso measured from the bottom crease of the buttocks was three and a half heads tall.
1.4 Testing some of the ratios on my own body I noticed that when I was kneeling that my sitting bones did indeed rest on my heels. That meant the distance from my heels to the knees was about the same as the distance from my knees to my sitting bones.
1.5 Hugging my knees I saw that they came up to about the top of my chest, so that meant the distance from my knees to the hips was approximately the same as the distance from my hips to my collarbones. And sure enough my face from my chin to my hairline was just about the length of my hand. That ratio can change with age.
1.6 My parents also had a lot of fun testing these ratios. One in particular was interesting. Our arms when stretched out from finger to finger measure the same as our height. So in Leonardo’s sketch the use of a square is appropriate. With arms outstretched we are as wide as we are tall.
1.7 Buying “Dynamic Anatomy” I started to study and learn the relationships between the different parts of the body so I could see how its parts relate. Dynamic Anatomy taught me a particular “Cannon of Proportion” for relating parts of the body by length.
1.8 A cannon of proportion is a way of noticing the relationships within the human body. It’s a starting point both for seeing the body and being able to portray it. And because it is a starting point it doesn’t really matter which cannon of proportion we use. We can vary from them to suit our needs.
1.9 In dynamic anatomy I learned a cannon of proportion where the basic body was eight and a half heads tall. Other cannons might have slightly different proportions or starting points. Perhaps a body that is seven heads tall. What mattered was that I became aware of the relationships between the parts of the body, whatever those relationships were. Then I could adjust the relative ratios of the legs and body to give a figure either a long legged look or a short-legged look. I could do the same with the arms and the body.
1.10 So that the body could draw be drawn in any position and from any viewing angle Dynamic Anatomy showed how the relationships between parts of the body changed depending on the way we were viewing the body. The head appears wider the more side onwards we view it. The upper body becomes thinner the more we view it from the side, unless we’re drawing or looking at someone with a generous abdomen. The limbs appear relatively longer or shorter depending on how we view them but their width remains the same.
1.11 I learned to see how the parts of the body related to each other and also how they related to the person who was viewing them. I was learning how to draw any figure in any pose from any viewing angle. Dynamic anatomy was teaching me to draw the human figure without needing a model but the same tools enabled me to see people as well.
1.12 Painting or drawing or just plain seeing someone I could look at them and see how all of their parts related. I could look at them and understand that because I was viewing them from a particular angle certain relationships appeared different. I could see how I related to that person.
1.13 Teaching yoga, some of the poses use the leg as a fulcrum but if a person has a long torso and shorter legs then such a pose won’t work very well for them because their legs are too short for their arms to cross their thighs easily. Understanding this if I noticed someone with legs a lot shorter than their torso I could modify the pose to suit the person, using blocks or other means of changing relationships so that the pose did suit them.
1.14 Learning a cannon of proportion I learned how to see freely, I learned how to see why someone may not be able to do a pose or why someone looked different. I began to be able to see how people were different and how they were beautiful.
1.1 Before I joined the army one of my favorite past times was hanging out in bookstores. I normally hung out in the Sci Fi/Fantasy Section but on one occasion I was in the art section.
1.2 I came across a book called “Dynamic Figure Drawing” by a man named Burne Hogarth. It was filled with sketches of human figures drawn without using models. They’d been drawn instead from an understanding of the relationships within the human body. The author used his understanding of these “ratios” (relationships) as a framework for drawing basic human figures.
1.2.1 They served as a framework for drawing non-ideal, real figures.
1.3 The book discussed the ratios that related all the parts of the body to each other using the head as the basic unit of measurement. From the front the torso from the pubic bone to the base of the neck was three heads tall. The legs, from the crests of the pelvis down to the soles of the feet, were four heads tall. From the back view the torso measured from the bottom crease of the buttocks was three and a half heads tall.
1.4 Testing some of the ratios on my own body I noticed that when I was kneeling that my sitting bones did indeed rest on my heels. That meant the distance from my heels to the knees was about the same as the distance from my knees to my sitting bones.
1.5 Hugging my knees I saw that they came up to about the top of my chest, so that meant the distance from my knees to the hips was approximately the same as the distance from my hips to my collarbones. And sure enough my face from my chin to my hairline was just about the length of my hand. That ratio can change with age.
1.6 My parents also had a lot of fun testing these ratios. One in particular was interesting. Our arms when stretched out from finger to finger measure the same as our height. So in Leonardo’s sketch the use of a square is appropriate. With arms outstretched we are as wide as we are tall.
1.7 Buying “Dynamic Anatomy” I started to study and learn the relationships between the different parts of the body so I could see how its parts relate. Dynamic Anatomy taught me a particular “Cannon of Proportion” for relating parts of the body by length.
1.8 A cannon of proportion is a way of noticing the relationships within the human body. It’s a starting point both for seeing the body and being able to portray it. And because it is a starting point it doesn’t really matter which cannon of proportion we use. We can vary from them to suit our needs.
1.9 In dynamic anatomy I learned a cannon of proportion where the basic body was eight and a half heads tall. Other cannons might have slightly different proportions or starting points. Perhaps a body that is seven heads tall. What mattered was that I became aware of the relationships between the parts of the body, whatever those relationships were. Then I could adjust the relative ratios of the legs and body to give a figure either a long legged look or a short-legged look. I could do the same with the arms and the body.
1.10 So that the body could draw be drawn in any position and from any viewing angle Dynamic Anatomy showed how the relationships between parts of the body changed depending on the way we were viewing the body. The head appears wider the more side onwards we view it. The upper body becomes thinner the more we view it from the side, unless we’re drawing or looking at someone with a generous abdomen. The limbs appear relatively longer or shorter depending on how we view them but their width remains the same.
1.11 I learned to see how the parts of the body related to each other and also how they related to the person who was viewing them. I was learning how to draw any figure in any pose from any viewing angle. Dynamic anatomy was teaching me to draw the human figure without needing a model but the same tools enabled me to see people as well.
1.12 Painting or drawing or just plain seeing someone I could look at them and see how all of their parts related. I could look at them and understand that because I was viewing them from a particular angle certain relationships appeared different. I could see how I related to that person.
1.13 Teaching yoga, some of the poses use the leg as a fulcrum but if a person has a long torso and shorter legs then such a pose won’t work very well for them because their legs are too short for their arms to cross their thighs easily. Understanding this if I noticed someone with legs a lot shorter than their torso I could modify the pose to suit the person, using blocks or other means of changing relationships so that the pose did suit them.
1.14 Learning a cannon of proportion I learned how to see freely, I learned how to see why someone may not be able to do a pose or why someone looked different. I began to be able to see how people were different and how they were beautiful.
Training the Brain
Training the Brain
1.1 On a recent holiday I picked up a book called “training the brain” while I was at the airport. It was a reasonably pricey book for what it was, a bunch of worksheets filled with simple math problems. I bought it anyway, thinking that somehow it might be worth it to help exercise my brain. I was remembering the feeling I used to get when I solved math problems as a kid. Perhaps this would help me get it back again.
The “Brain Training” involved solving very simple math problems as quickly as possible. That was the goal, to solve them as quickly as possible. After each timed session we could then check our answers to see how many we got right. Then after every five sessions we had a special quiz to test our brain’s prowess.
1.2 Doing my brain training every morning I noticed that sometimes I was into it and sometimes not. Sometimes I’d do miserably and on other times I’d be in the flow and steadily and slowly my times began to improve.
1.3 One day it occurred to me that I needed a better way practice and the thing that I needed to practice wasn’t getting the numbers right but flowing. The problems were pretty simple. I knew most if not all of the answers because I’d learned as a kid. So instead of worrying about correct answers started to practice trying to write with a smooth flow, doing each test over and over again but focusing on writing something, whether right or wrong. It’s a challenge when you want to make sure everything is right. Actually, just writing fast was a challenge. You really do have to be on the ball. There is not time for thinking, at least not if you want to get the “Gold” level time standard.
1.4 So that I could flow and maximize my chance of getting the answer right I started to preview the next question. I’d look at the next question while writing the answer to the previous question and the flow was making myself move my eyes the moment I’d finished the previous question. I had my eyes lead my hands by one question.
1.5 Doing those math equations, once I’ve looked at a question and finished the previous question, even if it is one that I am finding difficult at the time, I moved on anyway, and let my brain take care of figuring it out, and sure enough it did. It’s like my brain and hands already knew the answers I just have to let them know what we were doing so that they can get on and do it.
1.6 That was the answer for flowing. Leading with my mind and letting another part of me take care of the details. In a way it is very much like looking to the horizon while riding a bike. There I was looking for the furthest point ahead that I could see so that I could go there. Here I was looking at the next question so that I could answer it. It’s not so much looking ahead in time as it is looking ahead in space to see the immediate future.
1.1 On a recent holiday I picked up a book called “training the brain” while I was at the airport. It was a reasonably pricey book for what it was, a bunch of worksheets filled with simple math problems. I bought it anyway, thinking that somehow it might be worth it to help exercise my brain. I was remembering the feeling I used to get when I solved math problems as a kid. Perhaps this would help me get it back again.
The “Brain Training” involved solving very simple math problems as quickly as possible. That was the goal, to solve them as quickly as possible. After each timed session we could then check our answers to see how many we got right. Then after every five sessions we had a special quiz to test our brain’s prowess.
1.2 Doing my brain training every morning I noticed that sometimes I was into it and sometimes not. Sometimes I’d do miserably and on other times I’d be in the flow and steadily and slowly my times began to improve.
1.3 One day it occurred to me that I needed a better way practice and the thing that I needed to practice wasn’t getting the numbers right but flowing. The problems were pretty simple. I knew most if not all of the answers because I’d learned as a kid. So instead of worrying about correct answers started to practice trying to write with a smooth flow, doing each test over and over again but focusing on writing something, whether right or wrong. It’s a challenge when you want to make sure everything is right. Actually, just writing fast was a challenge. You really do have to be on the ball. There is not time for thinking, at least not if you want to get the “Gold” level time standard.
1.4 So that I could flow and maximize my chance of getting the answer right I started to preview the next question. I’d look at the next question while writing the answer to the previous question and the flow was making myself move my eyes the moment I’d finished the previous question. I had my eyes lead my hands by one question.
1.5 Doing those math equations, once I’ve looked at a question and finished the previous question, even if it is one that I am finding difficult at the time, I moved on anyway, and let my brain take care of figuring it out, and sure enough it did. It’s like my brain and hands already knew the answers I just have to let them know what we were doing so that they can get on and do it.
1.6 That was the answer for flowing. Leading with my mind and letting another part of me take care of the details. In a way it is very much like looking to the horizon while riding a bike. There I was looking for the furthest point ahead that I could see so that I could go there. Here I was looking at the next question so that I could answer it. It’s not so much looking ahead in time as it is looking ahead in space to see the immediate future.
Monday, June 23, 2008
A break and checking the answers, making an idea a part of us
A BREAK AND CHECKING THE ANSWERS
1.1 While I was in the army I loved studying mathematics. Whenever I had time to spare I’d find a place to sit and then get pleasantly lost in the process of solving problems. I found it soothing, like a form of self-hypnosis. But it wasn’t easy, at least not straight away.
1.2 I remember that the first time I looked at Binomial Coefficients, they looked so challenging that I put the book down after barely a quick glance. The next day I read the instructions again and was surprised because even though my first look at the new material had been quick, it was enough that while I rested I somehow began to open up it. Then the problems seemed easier, more understandable and so I began to try to solve them. A lot of my solutions were incorrect but I had the answers in the back so that I could see afterwards straight away where I went wrong. I didn’t have to wait for the teacher to correct my work. Instead, looking back over my attempted solutions, I saw for myself where I went wrong, and then carried on practicing.
1.3 While I was doing the problem I was “in it.” Afterwards, when I was checking the answer, I was resting and looking at the problem from another point of view, from the outside. The more regularly I changed my view of the problems, from being in them to looking at them from the outside the quicker I learned, and the quicker I was able to make the idea of what I was learning a part of me. And then I rested from it for a while and did something else.
1.4 After a while I got to a stage so that as I practiced the solutions would flow from my pen, and they were correct, as if the idea of what I was doing was a part of me and I was able to express it. I was able to check the answer as I was doing the problem. Those were the times when time seemed to stand still.
1.5 Learning a new idea, resting we get a chance to see that idea from another point of view, so that we can make the idea a part of ourselves. When have we learned the idea? When we can express it freely, when we can check our answers as we answer the problem, when we can watch ourselves doing what we are doing. Expressing an idea freely it’s like we are riding a wave, and the wave is time and because we are on the wave of time, time stands still.
1.1 While I was in the army I loved studying mathematics. Whenever I had time to spare I’d find a place to sit and then get pleasantly lost in the process of solving problems. I found it soothing, like a form of self-hypnosis. But it wasn’t easy, at least not straight away.
1.2 I remember that the first time I looked at Binomial Coefficients, they looked so challenging that I put the book down after barely a quick glance. The next day I read the instructions again and was surprised because even though my first look at the new material had been quick, it was enough that while I rested I somehow began to open up it. Then the problems seemed easier, more understandable and so I began to try to solve them. A lot of my solutions were incorrect but I had the answers in the back so that I could see afterwards straight away where I went wrong. I didn’t have to wait for the teacher to correct my work. Instead, looking back over my attempted solutions, I saw for myself where I went wrong, and then carried on practicing.
1.3 While I was doing the problem I was “in it.” Afterwards, when I was checking the answer, I was resting and looking at the problem from another point of view, from the outside. The more regularly I changed my view of the problems, from being in them to looking at them from the outside the quicker I learned, and the quicker I was able to make the idea of what I was learning a part of me. And then I rested from it for a while and did something else.
1.4 After a while I got to a stage so that as I practiced the solutions would flow from my pen, and they were correct, as if the idea of what I was doing was a part of me and I was able to express it. I was able to check the answer as I was doing the problem. Those were the times when time seemed to stand still.
1.5 Learning a new idea, resting we get a chance to see that idea from another point of view, so that we can make the idea a part of ourselves. When have we learned the idea? When we can express it freely, when we can check our answers as we answer the problem, when we can watch ourselves doing what we are doing. Expressing an idea freely it’s like we are riding a wave, and the wave is time and because we are on the wave of time, time stands still.
The Name of the Thing and the Thing Itself
THE NAME OF THE THING AND THE THING ITSELF
1.1 Driving a land rover on an exercise while I was in the army, my co-driver taught me about rally driving.
1.2 He told me how in rally driving corners are graded according to how tight or open they are. If a corner had a higher number it meant that it was tighter, a lower number meant that the corner was more open. The lower the number the faster we could go around it. Other information that the navigator gave the driver was the direction of the turn, left or right, and the time to the turn, a countdown.
1.3 Looking ahead he told me the direction and the grade of each turn and gave me a countdown to it. I focused on listening and adjusting my speed appropriately. As we rounded each corner I found that his grading felt very natural so that it was easy to trust his assessment of each corner.
1.4 I think part of the comfort level was the way he described each turn. It was unambiguous and natural and direct. Because he was describing exactly what he was seeing, he was providing me a direct view of the way ahead. And I was allowing him to give me that view. Neither one of us second-guessed the other. He focused on navigating and I focused on driving and together with the vehicle we were in we made the idea of driving real. And even though we weren’t actually rallying, all we were doing was that he was seeing and I was doing, it felt good to work with him in this way and I got a sense of what actual rallying and teamwork could be like.
1.5 I had a similar experience with another friend. Chatting on the phone with her as she drove to a race track, she described the route to me as she experienced it. I wrote the details down and the next day was able to follow it without a problem. This was in direct contrast to the previous morning when trying to pick her up I got lost five times and a trip that should have taken 40 minutes took 2 hours.
1.6 A long time ago as one of my oriental calligraphy projects I tried to come up with my own translation of the first verse of “The Dao De Ching.” One line in particular I found troublesome and interesting. “The name of a thing is not the thing.”
1.7 Thinking back to the time I was rallying with Taff I began to understand one possible translation of that verse. When we know what it is we are talking about, if we say what we see, plainly and clearly, so that the person listening can see what we mean then the name becomes the thing. If we express our truth so that the person is listening can see our true selves, the words become the thing we are talking about. When we understand something completely, so that it is a part of our experience, then the name becomes the thing.
1.8 So how is this relevant here? When Taff told me exactly what he saw and I understood him it was so easy to connect to him and trust him, easy to let go. And I imagine that with a good lead that is how a partner feels when they are dancing, like she can let go. And perhaps it is a letting go on both parties parts, the navigator relaxing enough, trusting that their driver will understand and so saying what they see without modification, the driver relaxing enough to trust implicitly what his or her copilot is saying.
1.9 Zero parallax, words reflecting their meaning for both the person saying the words and the person listening to them.
1.1 Driving a land rover on an exercise while I was in the army, my co-driver taught me about rally driving.
1.2 He told me how in rally driving corners are graded according to how tight or open they are. If a corner had a higher number it meant that it was tighter, a lower number meant that the corner was more open. The lower the number the faster we could go around it. Other information that the navigator gave the driver was the direction of the turn, left or right, and the time to the turn, a countdown.
1.3 Looking ahead he told me the direction and the grade of each turn and gave me a countdown to it. I focused on listening and adjusting my speed appropriately. As we rounded each corner I found that his grading felt very natural so that it was easy to trust his assessment of each corner.
1.4 I think part of the comfort level was the way he described each turn. It was unambiguous and natural and direct. Because he was describing exactly what he was seeing, he was providing me a direct view of the way ahead. And I was allowing him to give me that view. Neither one of us second-guessed the other. He focused on navigating and I focused on driving and together with the vehicle we were in we made the idea of driving real. And even though we weren’t actually rallying, all we were doing was that he was seeing and I was doing, it felt good to work with him in this way and I got a sense of what actual rallying and teamwork could be like.
1.5 I had a similar experience with another friend. Chatting on the phone with her as she drove to a race track, she described the route to me as she experienced it. I wrote the details down and the next day was able to follow it without a problem. This was in direct contrast to the previous morning when trying to pick her up I got lost five times and a trip that should have taken 40 minutes took 2 hours.
1.6 A long time ago as one of my oriental calligraphy projects I tried to come up with my own translation of the first verse of “The Dao De Ching.” One line in particular I found troublesome and interesting. “The name of a thing is not the thing.”
1.7 Thinking back to the time I was rallying with Taff I began to understand one possible translation of that verse. When we know what it is we are talking about, if we say what we see, plainly and clearly, so that the person listening can see what we mean then the name becomes the thing. If we express our truth so that the person is listening can see our true selves, the words become the thing we are talking about. When we understand something completely, so that it is a part of our experience, then the name becomes the thing.
1.8 So how is this relevant here? When Taff told me exactly what he saw and I understood him it was so easy to connect to him and trust him, easy to let go. And I imagine that with a good lead that is how a partner feels when they are dancing, like she can let go. And perhaps it is a letting go on both parties parts, the navigator relaxing enough, trusting that their driver will understand and so saying what they see without modification, the driver relaxing enough to trust implicitly what his or her copilot is saying.
1.9 Zero parallax, words reflecting their meaning for both the person saying the words and the person listening to them.
Maximizing Possibility
MAXIMIZING POSSIBILITY
1.1 Flying a plane and not understanding that we are sitting to one side in a plane we will have difficulty flying the plane straight, or trying to land along the center of the runway. We could be flying the plane so that it is skewed, and landing like that would be like skidding it on the tarmac instead of rolling along and using the brakes to stop.
1.2 If we are conscious of where we are in relationship to the plane, then we can fly it straight. We know where we are in relationship to it and the earth and we can make it go exactly where we are looking. We can make the plane do what we want safely without it bumping into the earth.
1.3 Fishing with a spear, not understanding that light refracts we won’t catch any fish unless the fish is a very big fish. Conscious that light refracts when it moves from water to air we can look straight down at the surface of the water so the image of a fish lines up with the actual fish and we can hit what we are aiming at.
1.4 Sometimes we have no choice but to be off center, but then being conscious of our relative position we can make allowances so that we can act centered even if physically we are not.
1.1 Flying a plane and not understanding that we are sitting to one side in a plane we will have difficulty flying the plane straight, or trying to land along the center of the runway. We could be flying the plane so that it is skewed, and landing like that would be like skidding it on the tarmac instead of rolling along and using the brakes to stop.
1.2 If we are conscious of where we are in relationship to the plane, then we can fly it straight. We know where we are in relationship to it and the earth and we can make it go exactly where we are looking. We can make the plane do what we want safely without it bumping into the earth.
1.3 Fishing with a spear, not understanding that light refracts we won’t catch any fish unless the fish is a very big fish. Conscious that light refracts when it moves from water to air we can look straight down at the surface of the water so the image of a fish lines up with the actual fish and we can hit what we are aiming at.
1.4 Sometimes we have no choice but to be off center, but then being conscious of our relative position we can make allowances so that we can act centered even if physically we are not.
Words Matching Meaning
WORDS MATCHING MEANING
1.1 If two people are flying or driving together, one flies, working the controls of the plane; connected to the plane, the other does the navigating; connected to the earth. And they connect to each other by working out a means of communicating so that they can share information, when it is needed. If the connection, the language they use, is good, then they can communicate with zero parallax, zero error. The words match the same meaning for both the sender and the receiver. The words become their meaning. So that when the navigator tells the pilot where they are or which direction they need to go, the pilot has an image of what is coming up as if they are seeing it with their own eyes. And when the pilot asks the navigator for a specific piece of information, the navigator knows, exactly what the pilot needs.
1.2 If we want to communicate with zero parallax then we shape our words to suit the receiver. At the same time if we are listening then we shape our listening according to who is sending the information. It’s like devices in a computing system that talk to each other and understand each other because the device sensing the information also sends the receive information on how to decode the information. At the same time the receiver reads this decoding information so that it knows how to read what it receives.
1.3 Zeroparallax is sending information in such a way that it can be understood, and it is understanding how to decode information that we receive.
1.4 Understanding a clock, the old fashioned kind with hands that stand proud of the clock face, we know that for the most accurate time telling we have to stand directly in front of the clock and level with it to eliminate parallax. But understanding the clock and knowing where we are in relation to it, if we are standing to the side we can take our position into account when we check the time. As so standing to the side even though the clock looks like it says 12pm from our point of view we know that it really is about 12:05.
1.1 If two people are flying or driving together, one flies, working the controls of the plane; connected to the plane, the other does the navigating; connected to the earth. And they connect to each other by working out a means of communicating so that they can share information, when it is needed. If the connection, the language they use, is good, then they can communicate with zero parallax, zero error. The words match the same meaning for both the sender and the receiver. The words become their meaning. So that when the navigator tells the pilot where they are or which direction they need to go, the pilot has an image of what is coming up as if they are seeing it with their own eyes. And when the pilot asks the navigator for a specific piece of information, the navigator knows, exactly what the pilot needs.
1.2 If we want to communicate with zero parallax then we shape our words to suit the receiver. At the same time if we are listening then we shape our listening according to who is sending the information. It’s like devices in a computing system that talk to each other and understand each other because the device sensing the information also sends the receive information on how to decode the information. At the same time the receiver reads this decoding information so that it knows how to read what it receives.
1.3 Zeroparallax is sending information in such a way that it can be understood, and it is understanding how to decode information that we receive.
1.4 Understanding a clock, the old fashioned kind with hands that stand proud of the clock face, we know that for the most accurate time telling we have to stand directly in front of the clock and level with it to eliminate parallax. But understanding the clock and knowing where we are in relation to it, if we are standing to the side we can take our position into account when we check the time. As so standing to the side even though the clock looks like it says 12pm from our point of view we know that it really is about 12:05.
What is the Want?
WHAT IS THE WANT
1.1 Soon after taking a career course I started to take acting lessons to see if it was an option that I would like. Doing scene work, we were taught that in any scene we had to know what it was we were trying to do or trying to get. Rather than just saying words that we had memorized, we needed a reason to drive those words. The “Want,” and idea, drove the words and it drove the emotions, and then the acting became more like real life.
1.2 Practicing a scene with one partner she constantly questioned me about what my character wanted. Each time she asked me I got better at knowing. I began to learn the desire that was driving my lines. I got to the point where I no longer had to think about my lines or what it was that I wanted. The lines came out of my mouth like they would in real life driven by what I was trying to get. And the emotions, they were a result of my situation, trying to get what I wanted while my partner was trying to get what she wanted.
1.3 When it came time for us to perform in front of our classmates, I was so into my task, focused on what I wanted, that when I looked around the set that was “our living room” I was actually surprised to see people watching. I’d forgotten that I was acting.
1.4 I think that is when acting becomes believable, and that is when it is easier to take the audience away, when we know what we want as actors. And that’s what makes acting interesting, figuring out what is driving the character that we are playing. What do they want, how will they get it? Then we practice, and if it’s not quite right that’s alright, we adjust the desire, each time a little closer, a little more refined, until we are able to express the character.
1.5 It’s like life, trying to figure out what it is we are looking for and the more we live it the more we get to know what it is we want. Ah that’s not it, ah but that is it, a part of it. Each time a little bit closer to the truth, learning till what we have learned is a part of us. How do we know it’s a part of us, when we can express it freely, without doubt or thought, as if it’s a part of us and then we rest. Then we learn the next thing, continually learning, continually experiencing, continually expressing, continually growing. Dancing from scene to scene, from idea to idea, each of them ideas that we love. Eventually we get so into life the flow just takes us and all of a sudden there we are living the life we love, dancing with all the ideas that we love, helping to make them real.
1.6 And that’s a way of looking at life, part of it a practice, learning what we want. And then knowing what we want, knowing the idea we want to make real, we allow it to pull us towards it.
1.7 The closer to the idea we get, the clearer it gets. Like getting closer and closer to a planet we see more and more details. And the closer we get the stronger the idea pulls us towards it as if clarity and attraction are directly related.
1.8 Imagine that each of us is here to serve a purpose that only we can achieve. Like we are all part of a giant jigsaw, each one of us unique in coloring shape and size. The jigsaw may be constantly changing but so are we. It’s like each part of our life gives us a different view of ourselves, a different view of our truth.
1.9 By knowing what we like and seeing what is around us we can see how we can fit into the bigger picture. It’s like a heart realizing that it is designed to pump blood and then it finds a body to pump blood for so that it’s purpose is realized. And even as it is part of something bigger it is also still a heart.
1.10 “This is where I fit.”
1.1 Soon after taking a career course I started to take acting lessons to see if it was an option that I would like. Doing scene work, we were taught that in any scene we had to know what it was we were trying to do or trying to get. Rather than just saying words that we had memorized, we needed a reason to drive those words. The “Want,” and idea, drove the words and it drove the emotions, and then the acting became more like real life.
1.2 Practicing a scene with one partner she constantly questioned me about what my character wanted. Each time she asked me I got better at knowing. I began to learn the desire that was driving my lines. I got to the point where I no longer had to think about my lines or what it was that I wanted. The lines came out of my mouth like they would in real life driven by what I was trying to get. And the emotions, they were a result of my situation, trying to get what I wanted while my partner was trying to get what she wanted.
1.3 When it came time for us to perform in front of our classmates, I was so into my task, focused on what I wanted, that when I looked around the set that was “our living room” I was actually surprised to see people watching. I’d forgotten that I was acting.
1.4 I think that is when acting becomes believable, and that is when it is easier to take the audience away, when we know what we want as actors. And that’s what makes acting interesting, figuring out what is driving the character that we are playing. What do they want, how will they get it? Then we practice, and if it’s not quite right that’s alright, we adjust the desire, each time a little closer, a little more refined, until we are able to express the character.
1.5 It’s like life, trying to figure out what it is we are looking for and the more we live it the more we get to know what it is we want. Ah that’s not it, ah but that is it, a part of it. Each time a little bit closer to the truth, learning till what we have learned is a part of us. How do we know it’s a part of us, when we can express it freely, without doubt or thought, as if it’s a part of us and then we rest. Then we learn the next thing, continually learning, continually experiencing, continually expressing, continually growing. Dancing from scene to scene, from idea to idea, each of them ideas that we love. Eventually we get so into life the flow just takes us and all of a sudden there we are living the life we love, dancing with all the ideas that we love, helping to make them real.
1.6 And that’s a way of looking at life, part of it a practice, learning what we want. And then knowing what we want, knowing the idea we want to make real, we allow it to pull us towards it.
1.7 The closer to the idea we get, the clearer it gets. Like getting closer and closer to a planet we see more and more details. And the closer we get the stronger the idea pulls us towards it as if clarity and attraction are directly related.
1.8 Imagine that each of us is here to serve a purpose that only we can achieve. Like we are all part of a giant jigsaw, each one of us unique in coloring shape and size. The jigsaw may be constantly changing but so are we. It’s like each part of our life gives us a different view of ourselves, a different view of our truth.
1.9 By knowing what we like and seeing what is around us we can see how we can fit into the bigger picture. It’s like a heart realizing that it is designed to pump blood and then it finds a body to pump blood for so that it’s purpose is realized. And even as it is part of something bigger it is also still a heart.
1.10 “This is where I fit.”
Acting on what we sense
ACTING ON WHAT WE SENSE
1.1 When we sense ourselves it is that much easier to put ourselves in a position where it as easy as possible to do what we are trying to do, assuming we know what it is that we are trying to do. Sensing all the parts of ourselves and what we are connected to we can organize everything so that given what we are trying to do every part of ourselves is in the best position possible to do it.
1.2 Doing yoga I sense where all the parts of my body are relative to the earth and the pose I am trying to do. So that I can sense my body easier I move my awareness through it one part at a feeling my feet, are they far enough apart, are they pressing down, then I feel my knees, is the back one straight? Is the front one at 90 degrees? Then I feel my hips. Are they square to the front, am I pulling my pubic bone up. If not then I square them and I pull my pubic bone up more so that my lower back feels straighter. Then I feel my back and my chest. Are they both open? If not then I try to open them more. Is my neck long? Can it be longer? Are my shoulders feeling open as I reach my arms up? I sense all the parts of my body relative to what I am trying to do and I act on what I sense.
1.1 When we sense ourselves it is that much easier to put ourselves in a position where it as easy as possible to do what we are trying to do, assuming we know what it is that we are trying to do. Sensing all the parts of ourselves and what we are connected to we can organize everything so that given what we are trying to do every part of ourselves is in the best position possible to do it.
1.2 Doing yoga I sense where all the parts of my body are relative to the earth and the pose I am trying to do. So that I can sense my body easier I move my awareness through it one part at a feeling my feet, are they far enough apart, are they pressing down, then I feel my knees, is the back one straight? Is the front one at 90 degrees? Then I feel my hips. Are they square to the front, am I pulling my pubic bone up. If not then I square them and I pull my pubic bone up more so that my lower back feels straighter. Then I feel my back and my chest. Are they both open? If not then I try to open them more. Is my neck long? Can it be longer? Are my shoulders feeling open as I reach my arms up? I sense all the parts of my body relative to what I am trying to do and I act on what I sense.
Ideas, Parts and Pieces
Parts and Pieces
1.1 After I left the army I went to university and while I was there my dad decided to buy a partially assembled motorcycle frame from a friend. The idea was that he and I, with some help from my uncle and various others were going to build a motorcycle, a custom Harley.
1.2 We thought we were getting a deal when we bought the partially assemble bike even though there was still a lot we didn’t have, an engine, transmission, controls and experience.
1.3 As the bike got built we found out that building a bike piece by piece is actually a very expensive proposition, more so than buying one ready assembled. Buying a bike partially assembled is even more expensive, especially as we undid a lot of the work the previous owner had already done, such as the paintwork. And because we had only part of an idea for the finished product there were quite a few learning experiences to be had. It was like me getting on my first bike and not realizing that steering a bike and stopping it were a special skill, a necessary skill.
1.4 We slowly bought the pieces we needed. Well actually, my dad slowly bought the things we needed while my uncle and I put the thing together. Some of the parts where brand new and some parts had probably seen the insides of several bikes. Several parts had to be modified to fit. But we got it together eventually and the day came when we tried to fire her up. We put fuel in the tank and pressed the start button. The starter motor turned but there was a noticeable lack of thunder. Though the starter motor was turning it wasn’t turning the engine and so the engine didn’t start. We wondered what was going wrong.
1.5 The problem was that the starter motor wasn’t turning the clutch.
1.6 There’s a little gear that slides out of the starter motor when the starter motor turns. It catches the teeth of a gear wheel on the outside of the clutch basket. When everything is working perfectly the starter gear is supposed to engage the teeth on the clutch basket, which then turns the motor and ideally starts it.
1.7 After scratching our heads my dad and I realized that whoever had the clutch basket before us had modified it so that the ring gear was in a different location. The starter gear popped out to a position where the clutch basket gear was supposed to be but wasn’t.
1.8 We took the clutch basket to a mechanic who re-welded the gear on to the clutch basket at the correct location. Excitedly we took it home and put the bike back together again.
1.9 Alas the bike still would not start.
1.10 Now the starter gear was engaging with the gear wheel on the clutch basket but while the starter was turning the clutch basket still wasn’t.
1.11 The starter motor was also second hand. We discovered that its magnets were switched so it was spinning the wrong way. We took it apart and reversed the magnets so that the starter spun the right way. Now when we tried to start the bike the engine turned over but the wires from the battery to the starter smoked. So we had to put thicker wires on the starter so it could get enough juice. After repeated test runs the bike again wouldn’t start. It took us a while to figure out that the bike had run out of gas.
1.12 I learned a lot working on that bike. I became conscious of the smaller ideas of a motorcycle and how those ideas relate. The starter gear comes out a set distance so it meshes with the clutch basket. The starter has to turn a certain way. I also learned that it’s fun figuring out how things work, but more so when I am not endangering my life.
1.13 Now that we know what it’s like to build a bike my dad and I agreed we could do much better if we ever do it again. We understood the pieces of a bike and how they go together so that now we can make another one if we choose. Now all I had to do is learn how to ride one.
1.1 After I left the army I went to university and while I was there my dad decided to buy a partially assembled motorcycle frame from a friend. The idea was that he and I, with some help from my uncle and various others were going to build a motorcycle, a custom Harley.
1.2 We thought we were getting a deal when we bought the partially assemble bike even though there was still a lot we didn’t have, an engine, transmission, controls and experience.
1.3 As the bike got built we found out that building a bike piece by piece is actually a very expensive proposition, more so than buying one ready assembled. Buying a bike partially assembled is even more expensive, especially as we undid a lot of the work the previous owner had already done, such as the paintwork. And because we had only part of an idea for the finished product there were quite a few learning experiences to be had. It was like me getting on my first bike and not realizing that steering a bike and stopping it were a special skill, a necessary skill.
1.4 We slowly bought the pieces we needed. Well actually, my dad slowly bought the things we needed while my uncle and I put the thing together. Some of the parts where brand new and some parts had probably seen the insides of several bikes. Several parts had to be modified to fit. But we got it together eventually and the day came when we tried to fire her up. We put fuel in the tank and pressed the start button. The starter motor turned but there was a noticeable lack of thunder. Though the starter motor was turning it wasn’t turning the engine and so the engine didn’t start. We wondered what was going wrong.
1.5 The problem was that the starter motor wasn’t turning the clutch.
1.6 There’s a little gear that slides out of the starter motor when the starter motor turns. It catches the teeth of a gear wheel on the outside of the clutch basket. When everything is working perfectly the starter gear is supposed to engage the teeth on the clutch basket, which then turns the motor and ideally starts it.
1.7 After scratching our heads my dad and I realized that whoever had the clutch basket before us had modified it so that the ring gear was in a different location. The starter gear popped out to a position where the clutch basket gear was supposed to be but wasn’t.
1.8 We took the clutch basket to a mechanic who re-welded the gear on to the clutch basket at the correct location. Excitedly we took it home and put the bike back together again.
1.9 Alas the bike still would not start.
1.10 Now the starter gear was engaging with the gear wheel on the clutch basket but while the starter was turning the clutch basket still wasn’t.
1.11 The starter motor was also second hand. We discovered that its magnets were switched so it was spinning the wrong way. We took it apart and reversed the magnets so that the starter spun the right way. Now when we tried to start the bike the engine turned over but the wires from the battery to the starter smoked. So we had to put thicker wires on the starter so it could get enough juice. After repeated test runs the bike again wouldn’t start. It took us a while to figure out that the bike had run out of gas.
1.12 I learned a lot working on that bike. I became conscious of the smaller ideas of a motorcycle and how those ideas relate. The starter gear comes out a set distance so it meshes with the clutch basket. The starter has to turn a certain way. I also learned that it’s fun figuring out how things work, but more so when I am not endangering my life.
1.13 Now that we know what it’s like to build a bike my dad and I agreed we could do much better if we ever do it again. We understood the pieces of a bike and how they go together so that now we can make another one if we choose. Now all I had to do is learn how to ride one.
Parts of an Idea-going up the gears
GOING UP THE GEARS
1.1 I’ve always loved motorcycles. Well maybe not always, but for a long time. One of my regrets was turning down the opportunity to buy my first bike. I was in the British Army at the time and I’d just finished basic training and was waiting to start my trade training. A fellow soldier had just completed his own trade training and was being sent to a different country so he wanted to sell his bike. It was perfect for learning on, only 100cc. Good condition too and cheap. The trouble was, that I’d never ridden before and I didn’t have a clue about taking lessons or getting licensed. Too difficult I thought, and so I passed it up, missing a fine opportunity to ride around in Europe.
1.2 Perhaps because of that missed opportunity I began to want to ride more and more, and perhaps because of that I also programmed myself to jump at the next opportunity to ride. That happened in Germany. I’d just been posted there and as soon as I arrived had been sent on an exercise in the south.
1.3 The guys who let me ride the bike didn’t know I’d never ridden before. Because I’d never ridden before the one thing I wanted to do was move up through the gears. I thought that would be the most difficult thing to do. I didn’t think about how to steer the bike and how to stop it. I assumed those things were easy and natural. Actually, I didn’t even assume, I just didn’t think about them. I also didn’t pay much attention to the idea of coming off the bike with both the bike and me in one piece. All I thought about was getting on the bike and taking it up through the gears. That was the challenge.
1.4 Riding a bike for the first time I got to second gear with a marvel of hand foot clutch lever gear shifting coordination. From second I went to third and then all the way to forth gear. Shifting gears wasn’t that hard after all! And it was exciting to be riding so fast.
1.5 The road I was riding went slightly uphill and gradually swept to the right. As I got to fourth gear the straight road began to run out. I tried turning the bike with my mind but the bike continued going straight while the road went right. There was a ditch beside the road and I went into it. My friends observed a cloud of dust. I quickly got up to wave and show that I was okay even though I wasn’t. The bike wasn’t in very good shape either. I was told later that I had bent the frame beyond repair.
1.6 A quick cover up ensued and several years after I left the army my dad sent me on a motorcycle course where I modified my idea of what I wanted to do on a bike.
1.7 I wanted to learn all of the smaller ideas that went into making the big idea of riding safe and fun to do. Ideas like how to steer and how to stop the bike while keeping it in one piece. I wanted to have fun riding and I wanted to keep on riding, a continuing action as opposed to one that ends abruptly.
1.1 I’ve always loved motorcycles. Well maybe not always, but for a long time. One of my regrets was turning down the opportunity to buy my first bike. I was in the British Army at the time and I’d just finished basic training and was waiting to start my trade training. A fellow soldier had just completed his own trade training and was being sent to a different country so he wanted to sell his bike. It was perfect for learning on, only 100cc. Good condition too and cheap. The trouble was, that I’d never ridden before and I didn’t have a clue about taking lessons or getting licensed. Too difficult I thought, and so I passed it up, missing a fine opportunity to ride around in Europe.
1.2 Perhaps because of that missed opportunity I began to want to ride more and more, and perhaps because of that I also programmed myself to jump at the next opportunity to ride. That happened in Germany. I’d just been posted there and as soon as I arrived had been sent on an exercise in the south.
1.3 The guys who let me ride the bike didn’t know I’d never ridden before. Because I’d never ridden before the one thing I wanted to do was move up through the gears. I thought that would be the most difficult thing to do. I didn’t think about how to steer the bike and how to stop it. I assumed those things were easy and natural. Actually, I didn’t even assume, I just didn’t think about them. I also didn’t pay much attention to the idea of coming off the bike with both the bike and me in one piece. All I thought about was getting on the bike and taking it up through the gears. That was the challenge.
1.4 Riding a bike for the first time I got to second gear with a marvel of hand foot clutch lever gear shifting coordination. From second I went to third and then all the way to forth gear. Shifting gears wasn’t that hard after all! And it was exciting to be riding so fast.
1.5 The road I was riding went slightly uphill and gradually swept to the right. As I got to fourth gear the straight road began to run out. I tried turning the bike with my mind but the bike continued going straight while the road went right. There was a ditch beside the road and I went into it. My friends observed a cloud of dust. I quickly got up to wave and show that I was okay even though I wasn’t. The bike wasn’t in very good shape either. I was told later that I had bent the frame beyond repair.
1.6 A quick cover up ensued and several years after I left the army my dad sent me on a motorcycle course where I modified my idea of what I wanted to do on a bike.
1.7 I wanted to learn all of the smaller ideas that went into making the big idea of riding safe and fun to do. Ideas like how to steer and how to stop the bike while keeping it in one piece. I wanted to have fun riding and I wanted to keep on riding, a continuing action as opposed to one that ends abruptly.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Lessons from a Geisha, letting go
LESSONS FROM A GEISHA
1.1 I always thought it sad that I could be with someone, think that I love them and then afterwards not ever be able to talk to them again, as if that love had been a lie. After reading “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Goldman I was introduced to another way of looking at relationship and life. In this excerpt, Sayori, the Geisha of the title, is telling us about the man she loved:
1.1.1 “… an elderly man who was explaining to me that his wife, whom he’d cared for deeply, wasn’t really dead because the pleasure of their time together lived on inside him… I understood that he left me at the end of his long life just as naturally as the leaves fall from the trees. Even now that he is gone I have him still, in the richness of my memories. I’ve lived my life again just telling it to you.”
1.2 I understood this to mean that there is nothing to fear in letting go because we’re not really letting go. The people who leave us become a part of us as we become a part of them. The experience of people we love just moves from the world outside of us to the world that is inside. Helping us to experience love.
1.3 And perhaps in love it doesn’t matter that one day we may have to say goodbye, what matters is that we are with the person while we are with them, being grateful, enjoying the journey as well as “getting there.”
1.4 And getting there, somewhere, then we get a chance to look back at our trip, to enjoy it in retrospect, make it a part of us and then, perhaps after a rest, it’s time for a new journey, with the same partner or a different one but being with whoever we are with.
1.5 I realized that as much as we look out and recognize who and what is around us, as much as we experience life across space, part of life is taking what we experience within and looking back at it across the span of time.
1.6 Expanding across time we get another look at our lives the way Sayori did by looking back at her life with the man that she loved... And it’s the way I interpreted what my friend taught me about sorrow. In sorrow we look back across time and recognize the efforts of the people who have affected us directly or indirectly. Sorrow, looking back so that we can learn, and make those learnings a part of us. But we don’t need sorrow to go within, it’s just one of the ways of getting there. Perhaps it’s a signal that we haven’t looked within in a long time.
1.7 Going inwards we can recognize the parts of our body. But then we can go inwards deeper still. We can pull in from all that is around us. We pull inwards from space, and we expand outwards across time.
1.8 Going within and seeing back across time we can see where we’ve been and enjoy it from another point of view.
1.9 And this is another aspect of rhythm, taking turns to expand across space, being present, and then across time, being nothing.
1.10 Looking back we get to experience life again, but from another viewpoint, across time instead of space. We see ourselves and our experiences from another point of view and just as our view is transformed so do we ourselves become transformed. Looking back, it’s as if each experience is a chance for us to learn ourselves, a chance for us to better know the idea of ourselves, a chance for us to grow.
1.1 I always thought it sad that I could be with someone, think that I love them and then afterwards not ever be able to talk to them again, as if that love had been a lie. After reading “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Goldman I was introduced to another way of looking at relationship and life. In this excerpt, Sayori, the Geisha of the title, is telling us about the man she loved:
1.1.1 “… an elderly man who was explaining to me that his wife, whom he’d cared for deeply, wasn’t really dead because the pleasure of their time together lived on inside him… I understood that he left me at the end of his long life just as naturally as the leaves fall from the trees. Even now that he is gone I have him still, in the richness of my memories. I’ve lived my life again just telling it to you.”
1.2 I understood this to mean that there is nothing to fear in letting go because we’re not really letting go. The people who leave us become a part of us as we become a part of them. The experience of people we love just moves from the world outside of us to the world that is inside. Helping us to experience love.
1.3 And perhaps in love it doesn’t matter that one day we may have to say goodbye, what matters is that we are with the person while we are with them, being grateful, enjoying the journey as well as “getting there.”
1.4 And getting there, somewhere, then we get a chance to look back at our trip, to enjoy it in retrospect, make it a part of us and then, perhaps after a rest, it’s time for a new journey, with the same partner or a different one but being with whoever we are with.
1.5 I realized that as much as we look out and recognize who and what is around us, as much as we experience life across space, part of life is taking what we experience within and looking back at it across the span of time.
1.6 Expanding across time we get another look at our lives the way Sayori did by looking back at her life with the man that she loved... And it’s the way I interpreted what my friend taught me about sorrow. In sorrow we look back across time and recognize the efforts of the people who have affected us directly or indirectly. Sorrow, looking back so that we can learn, and make those learnings a part of us. But we don’t need sorrow to go within, it’s just one of the ways of getting there. Perhaps it’s a signal that we haven’t looked within in a long time.
1.7 Going inwards we can recognize the parts of our body. But then we can go inwards deeper still. We can pull in from all that is around us. We pull inwards from space, and we expand outwards across time.
1.8 Going within and seeing back across time we can see where we’ve been and enjoy it from another point of view.
1.9 And this is another aspect of rhythm, taking turns to expand across space, being present, and then across time, being nothing.
1.10 Looking back we get to experience life again, but from another viewpoint, across time instead of space. We see ourselves and our experiences from another point of view and just as our view is transformed so do we ourselves become transformed. Looking back, it’s as if each experience is a chance for us to learn ourselves, a chance for us to better know the idea of ourselves, a chance for us to grow.
Sorrow
SORROW
1.1 A long while ago I was deeply interested in figuring out how muscles worked. This was part of my research into becoming a better yoga teacher. One of the things I noticed was that a lot of texts described the mechanism through which muscles contracted but they mentioned very little about how muscles relax. Did muscle tissue or some of the surrounding fiber have some sort of elasticity that pulled the muscles back to length after they had contracted?
1.2 Waiting in line at a coffee shop I mentioned to a friend what I was studying, trying to figure out how muscles let go. She suggested that it was like a relationship, looking back at it and going into it so that we can let it go.
1.3 That was how I felt when I copied my friends gesture of sorrow, it took me into myself, so that I was no longer giving or receiving, I was pulling in from space and looking back across time to see what I’d done as well as those around me from a different point of view. Recognizing what I’d done so that I could expand out into space again and express myself again, but differently if I chose.
1.4 Sorrow, going within so that we can look back across time and recognize when we don’t recognize the gifts that those around us have given us. Going within so that we can learn from those experiences and grow and then expand outwards back into time to live life in a new way, expanding out further from our roots in the past.
1.5 Sorrow pulling us into ourselves exactly so that at our center we can let sadness go.
1.1 A long while ago I was deeply interested in figuring out how muscles worked. This was part of my research into becoming a better yoga teacher. One of the things I noticed was that a lot of texts described the mechanism through which muscles contracted but they mentioned very little about how muscles relax. Did muscle tissue or some of the surrounding fiber have some sort of elasticity that pulled the muscles back to length after they had contracted?
1.2 Waiting in line at a coffee shop I mentioned to a friend what I was studying, trying to figure out how muscles let go. She suggested that it was like a relationship, looking back at it and going into it so that we can let it go.
1.3 That was how I felt when I copied my friends gesture of sorrow, it took me into myself, so that I was no longer giving or receiving, I was pulling in from space and looking back across time to see what I’d done as well as those around me from a different point of view. Recognizing what I’d done so that I could expand out into space again and express myself again, but differently if I chose.
1.4 Sorrow, going within so that we can look back across time and recognize when we don’t recognize the gifts that those around us have given us. Going within so that we can learn from those experiences and grow and then expand outwards back into time to live life in a new way, expanding out further from our roots in the past.
1.5 Sorrow pulling us into ourselves exactly so that at our center we can let sadness go.
Gratitute, Recognizing what is around us and within ourselves
GRATITUDE
1.1 Meeting up with a friend for dinner one night (Talk about rhythm, we were friends and then we weren’t and then we were again!) when she arrived she started talking about gratitude and sorrow and then she showed me what they were. Cupping her hands upwards in-front of her heart like a flower with her elbows slightly bent and her heart open she showed me how to her gratitude was an outwards flow of energy, taking her out of herself. Then she showed me sorrow. She bowed her head forwards slightly with her hands clasped over her heart, the energy taking her inwards.
1.2 I was surprised. While I had spent a lot of time thinking about gratitude, I’d never before seen it expressed as a gesture and I’d never thought of sorrow in such a way, as if the two complemented each other.
1.3 I copied her gesture of gratitude and as I did I felt as if energy was entering me from the world around me, but it was moving inwards as opposed to outwards. As I sat there enjoying the feeling of energy flowing into me I realized that gratitude is recognizing what is around us, seeing its expression and allowing it inwards. It’s a way of being present, being with the people we are with or seeing what is around us. Recognizing the people we are with, we allow the energy of their expression inwards into our center. And then we return the energy by expressing ourselves.
1.4 But gratitude is more than just seeing what is around us, it’s recognizing what is within us too. It is learning to feel, to recognize our bodies and the parts of our bodies.
1.5 One of the most beautiful visualizations I’ve read and learned about is called the Inner Smile. I first learned about it in a book by Eric Steven Yudelove called “Taoist Yoga and Sexual Energy.” In this practice we smile to each of our organs, recognizing what it does for us. And it’s funny because even though they give us their function, in a way by recognizing, by being grateful, we are giving in return, by allowing them to give as if one is not better than the other, instead two parts of the same whole, like a teacher cannot teach without students nor can a student learn without a teacher. And so recognizing our organs, being grateful, we give energy to them and they give it back to us.
1.6 And it is the same when we recognize the expression of those around us, recognizing the gifts that those around us are giving. It’s as if by opening ourselves up to their expression we give them a direction for their expression, a place for their energy to flow so that when they give out energy they are able to receive it again just as we in receiving energy are then able to give out.
1.7 Gratitude, witnessing the expression of those around us. Gratitude, resting from the idea that we are expressing so that other ideas around us can express themselves. Resting so that we can enjoy the expression of other ideas and perhaps see how next we might like to express ourselves. Resting, doing nothing, we can see what is around us and allow their expression into our hearts.
1.8 And giving the people around us room to express themselves, we do the same for ourselves we give ourselves room and we also give ourselves energy which we can then give back out again so that those around us can learn themselves too.
1.9 And just as every inhale is followed or led by and exhale, so is gratitude as much giving out as it is taking in. It’s is recognizing what people give us, what is around us and in turn it is expressing ourselves so that they can see us.
1.1 Meeting up with a friend for dinner one night (Talk about rhythm, we were friends and then we weren’t and then we were again!) when she arrived she started talking about gratitude and sorrow and then she showed me what they were. Cupping her hands upwards in-front of her heart like a flower with her elbows slightly bent and her heart open she showed me how to her gratitude was an outwards flow of energy, taking her out of herself. Then she showed me sorrow. She bowed her head forwards slightly with her hands clasped over her heart, the energy taking her inwards.
1.2 I was surprised. While I had spent a lot of time thinking about gratitude, I’d never before seen it expressed as a gesture and I’d never thought of sorrow in such a way, as if the two complemented each other.
1.3 I copied her gesture of gratitude and as I did I felt as if energy was entering me from the world around me, but it was moving inwards as opposed to outwards. As I sat there enjoying the feeling of energy flowing into me I realized that gratitude is recognizing what is around us, seeing its expression and allowing it inwards. It’s a way of being present, being with the people we are with or seeing what is around us. Recognizing the people we are with, we allow the energy of their expression inwards into our center. And then we return the energy by expressing ourselves.
1.4 But gratitude is more than just seeing what is around us, it’s recognizing what is within us too. It is learning to feel, to recognize our bodies and the parts of our bodies.
1.5 One of the most beautiful visualizations I’ve read and learned about is called the Inner Smile. I first learned about it in a book by Eric Steven Yudelove called “Taoist Yoga and Sexual Energy.” In this practice we smile to each of our organs, recognizing what it does for us. And it’s funny because even though they give us their function, in a way by recognizing, by being grateful, we are giving in return, by allowing them to give as if one is not better than the other, instead two parts of the same whole, like a teacher cannot teach without students nor can a student learn without a teacher. And so recognizing our organs, being grateful, we give energy to them and they give it back to us.
1.6 And it is the same when we recognize the expression of those around us, recognizing the gifts that those around us are giving. It’s as if by opening ourselves up to their expression we give them a direction for their expression, a place for their energy to flow so that when they give out energy they are able to receive it again just as we in receiving energy are then able to give out.
1.7 Gratitude, witnessing the expression of those around us. Gratitude, resting from the idea that we are expressing so that other ideas around us can express themselves. Resting so that we can enjoy the expression of other ideas and perhaps see how next we might like to express ourselves. Resting, doing nothing, we can see what is around us and allow their expression into our hearts.
1.8 And giving the people around us room to express themselves, we do the same for ourselves we give ourselves room and we also give ourselves energy which we can then give back out again so that those around us can learn themselves too.
1.9 And just as every inhale is followed or led by and exhale, so is gratitude as much giving out as it is taking in. It’s is recognizing what people give us, what is around us and in turn it is expressing ourselves so that they can see us.
The Idea of Anger
ANGER AND OTHER IDEAS THAT BEND THE PATH OF LIGHT
1.1 If the space and time continuum bends or curves, light bends with it. But what bends space and time? Things with gravity bend space and time. Things with spin too. If ideas have gravity and spin then can they too bend space and time and thus the path of light? If anger is an idea can it bend the path of light around us and distort what we see?
1.2 How do different people see the same things differently? Perhaps one of the reasons is because we all attach to different ideas of how the world is, and those ideas shape the lenses through which we view the world.
1.3 I used to be affected by the idea of anger and the more attention I gave it the more real it became. My anger gained weight and heaviness and it bent my perception to the point where I noticed that pictures I’d looked at while angry actually looked different when I looked at them again while calm.
1.4 Knowing that water refracts light we can position ourselves ninety degrees to its surface so that the image of what we are viewing is in line with the thing itself. And if we go into the water, then not only are we in line with the truth we see the truth.
1.5 Imagine if we know we are angry and that our anger is distorting what we say and see. Then imagine that if we go into our anger so that we see what is really there, so that what we see is not longer distorted. Perhaps then we can let go. (or we step outside of our anger to see what is really outside of ourselves.)
1.6 For myself there is a feeling of tightness when I get angry, a clear demarcation between myself and what is around me and where all I can feel is myself and the object of my ire. There’s also a sense that I have energy to discharge and the only way I can do that is to aim it at what I am angry at. But when I do that there is no sense of joy afterwards, more a feeling of depletion and emptiness. If instead of taking out my anger in the way I want to I find a way to move beyond the tightness...
1.7 Knowing when I am angry, I am getting better at realizing that I am not at my best and that my vision is skewed and that I am hardly being conscious, that I’m not giving myself the best view of the way ahead. So I work at becoming conscious again. Sometimes I put myself in the other person’s shoes. Sometimes, I think bigger imagining my senses pushing outwards. Sometimes I just start being more conscious and thus bigger, and thus able to handle and even enjoy what is going on around me.
1.8 While driving a bob sled I’m more likely to keep the sled running true, giving it plenty of room so that it doesn’t bang into the sides of the track if I am conscious. If I haven’t practiced or aren’t conscious of where we are and what we are doing, I keep bumping the sled into the sides of the track. Anger is like the friction caused by bumping into the track. Becoming conscious, I can get the sled to run true, a little bit harder than having it run true right from the beginning of the run, but it is still possible.
1.9 Becoming conscious we give ourselves and the people around us room. Conscious we can find ways to allow energy to flow in a way that benefits everyone involved, a way that allows us all to feel refreshed and energized as opposed to drained and lifeless.
1.10 Conscious, there is no room for anger, for separation, we see from everyone’s point of view. Or we have a positive focus for our awareness. Rather than what the people around us are doing what we want to do that is positive and light, what we want to do that has the maximum benefit for ourselves and everyone around us.
1.1 If the space and time continuum bends or curves, light bends with it. But what bends space and time? Things with gravity bend space and time. Things with spin too. If ideas have gravity and spin then can they too bend space and time and thus the path of light? If anger is an idea can it bend the path of light around us and distort what we see?
1.2 How do different people see the same things differently? Perhaps one of the reasons is because we all attach to different ideas of how the world is, and those ideas shape the lenses through which we view the world.
1.3 I used to be affected by the idea of anger and the more attention I gave it the more real it became. My anger gained weight and heaviness and it bent my perception to the point where I noticed that pictures I’d looked at while angry actually looked different when I looked at them again while calm.
1.4 Knowing that water refracts light we can position ourselves ninety degrees to its surface so that the image of what we are viewing is in line with the thing itself. And if we go into the water, then not only are we in line with the truth we see the truth.
1.5 Imagine if we know we are angry and that our anger is distorting what we say and see. Then imagine that if we go into our anger so that we see what is really there, so that what we see is not longer distorted. Perhaps then we can let go. (or we step outside of our anger to see what is really outside of ourselves.)
1.6 For myself there is a feeling of tightness when I get angry, a clear demarcation between myself and what is around me and where all I can feel is myself and the object of my ire. There’s also a sense that I have energy to discharge and the only way I can do that is to aim it at what I am angry at. But when I do that there is no sense of joy afterwards, more a feeling of depletion and emptiness. If instead of taking out my anger in the way I want to I find a way to move beyond the tightness...
1.7 Knowing when I am angry, I am getting better at realizing that I am not at my best and that my vision is skewed and that I am hardly being conscious, that I’m not giving myself the best view of the way ahead. So I work at becoming conscious again. Sometimes I put myself in the other person’s shoes. Sometimes, I think bigger imagining my senses pushing outwards. Sometimes I just start being more conscious and thus bigger, and thus able to handle and even enjoy what is going on around me.
1.8 While driving a bob sled I’m more likely to keep the sled running true, giving it plenty of room so that it doesn’t bang into the sides of the track if I am conscious. If I haven’t practiced or aren’t conscious of where we are and what we are doing, I keep bumping the sled into the sides of the track. Anger is like the friction caused by bumping into the track. Becoming conscious, I can get the sled to run true, a little bit harder than having it run true right from the beginning of the run, but it is still possible.
1.9 Becoming conscious we give ourselves and the people around us room. Conscious we can find ways to allow energy to flow in a way that benefits everyone involved, a way that allows us all to feel refreshed and energized as opposed to drained and lifeless.
1.10 Conscious, there is no room for anger, for separation, we see from everyone’s point of view. Or we have a positive focus for our awareness. Rather than what the people around us are doing what we want to do that is positive and light, what we want to do that has the maximum benefit for ourselves and everyone around us.
Ideas, Growth and Expression
1.1 We are ideas. And we are made up of other ideas, things we have learned. As our consciousness radiates outwards from our center we express ourselves. We dance, we write, we sing, we talk, we sew we cook. Any of the ideas that are already apart of us we express. We share our true nature and others see this expression and enjoy it and perhaps are even inspired or energized by it or they get another view of all that is, a view that they haven’t got time to experience themselves.
1.2 Expressing ourselves we send energy outwards from our center so that other centers of consciousness can pull that energy inwards.
1.3 Resting for a moment while still expanding outwards, we see the expression of other ideas around us, and as a result we are inspired, and we see the world in a way that we aren’t able to directly experience. Energy flows from out of us and then into us, and each cycle the expression of ourselves changes slightly, affected by what is around us.
1.4 Now imagine expressing ourselves while directly connected to someone else. At the same time they are expressing themselves and so we change, we both do. And even as we are expressing ourselves we are changed by what we are connected to. Sometimes we change more, or what we are connected to changes more. Sometimes change goes from one to the other sometimes the other way around. Or perhaps the change also originates from a center outside of the centers of the two connected ideas, like they are part of a bigger idea.
1.5 Now imagine that as well as happening across time this happens across space, that we allow energy in at the same time as we radiate it out. So we are changing even as we express ourselves because we are seeing what is around us and seeing how what is around us is changing too.
1.6 It’s like dancing with someone on a really crowded dance floor. We are expressing ourselves but the way we express ourselves is shaped by the expression of all the other dancers in the room. We express ourselves according to the room we have at the time. But at the same time everyone else is doing the same thing. So we all affect each other even as we express ourselves.
1.7 Over a slightly longer time period, as we expand outwards more we connect, with new ideas, new things to learn new people to experience and we change as a result of this connection. We learn new things and how to do them, we learn new people how to dance with them until the connection becomes firm (or we choose to let it go). When the connection is firm, the idea is a part of us, how to do a certain type of math problem, a new girlfriend or boy friend, knowing how to ride a bike. Or we are part of a new idea. And so we express the new idea, radiating outwards from its center as well as out own.
1.8 Resting, we pull inwards from all of the ideas into the idea of ourselves so that we can rest and look inwards across time at the way we have expressed ourselves.
1.2 Expressing ourselves we send energy outwards from our center so that other centers of consciousness can pull that energy inwards.
1.3 Resting for a moment while still expanding outwards, we see the expression of other ideas around us, and as a result we are inspired, and we see the world in a way that we aren’t able to directly experience. Energy flows from out of us and then into us, and each cycle the expression of ourselves changes slightly, affected by what is around us.
1.4 Now imagine expressing ourselves while directly connected to someone else. At the same time they are expressing themselves and so we change, we both do. And even as we are expressing ourselves we are changed by what we are connected to. Sometimes we change more, or what we are connected to changes more. Sometimes change goes from one to the other sometimes the other way around. Or perhaps the change also originates from a center outside of the centers of the two connected ideas, like they are part of a bigger idea.
1.5 Now imagine that as well as happening across time this happens across space, that we allow energy in at the same time as we radiate it out. So we are changing even as we express ourselves because we are seeing what is around us and seeing how what is around us is changing too.
1.6 It’s like dancing with someone on a really crowded dance floor. We are expressing ourselves but the way we express ourselves is shaped by the expression of all the other dancers in the room. We express ourselves according to the room we have at the time. But at the same time everyone else is doing the same thing. So we all affect each other even as we express ourselves.
1.7 Over a slightly longer time period, as we expand outwards more we connect, with new ideas, new things to learn new people to experience and we change as a result of this connection. We learn new things and how to do them, we learn new people how to dance with them until the connection becomes firm (or we choose to let it go). When the connection is firm, the idea is a part of us, how to do a certain type of math problem, a new girlfriend or boy friend, knowing how to ride a bike. Or we are part of a new idea. And so we express the new idea, radiating outwards from its center as well as out own.
1.8 Resting, we pull inwards from all of the ideas into the idea of ourselves so that we can rest and look inwards across time at the way we have expressed ourselves.
Zero Parallax, Knowing where we are in relation to Straight Ahead
STRAIGHT AHEAD
1.1 Flying a plane the pilot has to align it via instrumentation and using their eyes. In some planes their position is not centered. Because of that their view out of the window is skewed. They can’t just point the plane in the direction they want to go, they have to set up points of reference that take account of their position in the plane so that they can fly the plane straight.
1.2 Life is easier when we are actually centered instead of having to account for being off center. How much easier would it be to fly if the pilot sat along the center-line of the plane? How much more efficient and elegant not having to account for parallax. But learning to deal with being off center we attain a higher degree of freedom. Being conscious of when we are not centered we can take it into account and deal with situations effectively even when we are at a slight disadvantage.
1.3 Say we are learning to fly and we get comfortable flying from the left side of the plane. What happens when we have to learn how to fly from the other seat? Not only do we have to reverse for parallax but now we have to re-adjust reactions for our new position in the plane. We have to relearn the planes center and its orientation. But, with practice, flying from both sides becomes second nature. We expand our range of possibilities. No longer limited to flying from one seat, now we can fly from either effectively. And that’s freedom, being able to act no matter what the circumstances.
1.4 Aware of where we are in the plane, we get to see as if we are the plane, from the plane’s point of view, so that we know when the plane is aligned with it’s direction of travel and when it is not. So even when we are not physically centered, being aware of where we are in relation to center can allow us to fly as if we are.
1.5 Zero parallax, knowing what side of the plane we are flying from. Knowing where we are in relation to “Straight ahead.”
1.1 Flying a plane the pilot has to align it via instrumentation and using their eyes. In some planes their position is not centered. Because of that their view out of the window is skewed. They can’t just point the plane in the direction they want to go, they have to set up points of reference that take account of their position in the plane so that they can fly the plane straight.
1.2 Life is easier when we are actually centered instead of having to account for being off center. How much easier would it be to fly if the pilot sat along the center-line of the plane? How much more efficient and elegant not having to account for parallax. But learning to deal with being off center we attain a higher degree of freedom. Being conscious of when we are not centered we can take it into account and deal with situations effectively even when we are at a slight disadvantage.
1.3 Say we are learning to fly and we get comfortable flying from the left side of the plane. What happens when we have to learn how to fly from the other seat? Not only do we have to reverse for parallax but now we have to re-adjust reactions for our new position in the plane. We have to relearn the planes center and its orientation. But, with practice, flying from both sides becomes second nature. We expand our range of possibilities. No longer limited to flying from one seat, now we can fly from either effectively. And that’s freedom, being able to act no matter what the circumstances.
1.4 Aware of where we are in the plane, we get to see as if we are the plane, from the plane’s point of view, so that we know when the plane is aligned with it’s direction of travel and when it is not. So even when we are not physically centered, being aware of where we are in relation to center can allow us to fly as if we are.
1.5 Zero parallax, knowing what side of the plane we are flying from. Knowing where we are in relation to “Straight ahead.”
One With the Dance
ONE WITH THE DANCE
1.1 Dancing freely, we sense, as we dance, what the environment will allow us to do. At the same time we are sensing what the floor will allow us to do, we are also listening to our partner, feeling where she can go so that we can go there together. Choosing a path to take based on what is around us and what we can do together, we pass our decision on to our partner.
1.2 The floor gives us signals, tells us where we can go by opening up spaces so that the space to move and the signal are one. And we do the same with our partner, signaling them by opening up in a particular way so that they know where to go. And just as we are tuned in to the space around us, looking for where we can go, our partner tunes in to the space we provide them and sees where they can go.
1.3 As we get more attuned to what is around us we begin to move into the space as it opens up and our partner does the same. We reach a point there is no lag between the space opening up and ourselves moving into it. We tune into the idea of the dance, we become the dance, one with ourselves and our partner and all the people dancing around us.
1.4 Sensing what is around us and within ourselves, sensing the connections we tune into something bigger than ourselves. Like flying a kite and smoothly reeling out the string as the wind gets stronger or pulling it in as the wind dies, not too much or too little, just enough, and so tuned in that we pull or release the string in sync with the change of the wind. Instead of listening to the wind we are listening to the thing that drives the wind, feeling when it tells the wind to blow harder and when to blow softer. Tuned in we become one with the wind because we are listening not to the wind but to the same source that the wind is listening to.
1.1 Dancing freely, we sense, as we dance, what the environment will allow us to do. At the same time we are sensing what the floor will allow us to do, we are also listening to our partner, feeling where she can go so that we can go there together. Choosing a path to take based on what is around us and what we can do together, we pass our decision on to our partner.
1.2 The floor gives us signals, tells us where we can go by opening up spaces so that the space to move and the signal are one. And we do the same with our partner, signaling them by opening up in a particular way so that they know where to go. And just as we are tuned in to the space around us, looking for where we can go, our partner tunes in to the space we provide them and sees where they can go.
1.3 As we get more attuned to what is around us we begin to move into the space as it opens up and our partner does the same. We reach a point there is no lag between the space opening up and ourselves moving into it. We tune into the idea of the dance, we become the dance, one with ourselves and our partner and all the people dancing around us.
1.4 Sensing what is around us and within ourselves, sensing the connections we tune into something bigger than ourselves. Like flying a kite and smoothly reeling out the string as the wind gets stronger or pulling it in as the wind dies, not too much or too little, just enough, and so tuned in that we pull or release the string in sync with the change of the wind. Instead of listening to the wind we are listening to the thing that drives the wind, feeling when it tells the wind to blow harder and when to blow softer. Tuned in we become one with the wind because we are listening not to the wind but to the same source that the wind is listening to.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Consciousness and Energy, an Idea Made Real
1.1 What if when we are truly connected, we are moved by something bigger than ourselves. Like flying a kite and smoothly reeling out the string as the wind gets stronger or pulling it in as the wind dies, not too much or too little, just enough, and so tuned in that we pull or release the string in sync with the change of the wind. Instead of listening to the wind we are listening to the thing that drives the wind, feeling when it tells the wind to blow harder and when to blow softer. Tuned in we become one with the wind because we are listening not to the wind but to the same source that the wind is listening to.
1.2 To myself a dance seems like the perfect metaphor for two people who want to be together. It’s not so much that one is leading and the other follows, it’s more like we become a single entity, like two sides of a single brain where we take turns taking the lead depending on where we are and what we are doing.
1.3 Sometimes it takes practice, each of us learning ourselves so that we can come together, sometimes it takes learning to let go, but then sharing the same idea, we become part of the that idea.
1.3.1 It’s beyond trust and assumption. Once we know what we have to do we do it knowing that our partner will be doing what he or she has to do. It’s as if we’ve been practicing towards this moment. And it’s not assuming, or not recognizing, not being unconscious. Rather it is the opposite. We know exactly what our partner is doing and where they are and we know where we are. It’s like we’re being carried, or we are driving and at the same time as we are driving we are being driven, like a captain telling the helmsman, “First Star to the right” And that’s where they go. And when we are dancing with ourselves, expressing ourselves or perhaps leading others, the same feeling can be found, inside of us, trusting ourselves, our mind, our body, and our connection to something beyond ourselves. Allowing that “presence” to carry us.
1.4 We reach a point, whether through practice or just being present where instead of two people dancing together, one person leading and the other following, the two people become one. We are still ourselves, still two people but we are also something else, the dance, an idea outside of themselves made real. As if splitting up consciousness and energy is just a means of understanding, not so much too different parts as they are two different aspects of the same thing. Like looking at a circle and then a sin wave and realizing that really they are the same thing, two views of a spiral. Consciousness and energy, an idea made real.
1.2 To myself a dance seems like the perfect metaphor for two people who want to be together. It’s not so much that one is leading and the other follows, it’s more like we become a single entity, like two sides of a single brain where we take turns taking the lead depending on where we are and what we are doing.
1.3 Sometimes it takes practice, each of us learning ourselves so that we can come together, sometimes it takes learning to let go, but then sharing the same idea, we become part of the that idea.
1.3.1 It’s beyond trust and assumption. Once we know what we have to do we do it knowing that our partner will be doing what he or she has to do. It’s as if we’ve been practicing towards this moment. And it’s not assuming, or not recognizing, not being unconscious. Rather it is the opposite. We know exactly what our partner is doing and where they are and we know where we are. It’s like we’re being carried, or we are driving and at the same time as we are driving we are being driven, like a captain telling the helmsman, “First Star to the right” And that’s where they go. And when we are dancing with ourselves, expressing ourselves or perhaps leading others, the same feeling can be found, inside of us, trusting ourselves, our mind, our body, and our connection to something beyond ourselves. Allowing that “presence” to carry us.
1.4 We reach a point, whether through practice or just being present where instead of two people dancing together, one person leading and the other following, the two people become one. We are still ourselves, still two people but we are also something else, the dance, an idea outside of themselves made real. As if splitting up consciousness and energy is just a means of understanding, not so much too different parts as they are two different aspects of the same thing. Like looking at a circle and then a sin wave and realizing that really they are the same thing, two views of a spiral. Consciousness and energy, an idea made real.
Running with the Wind or Running to Create It
RUNNING WITH THE WIND OR RUNNING TO CREATE IT
1.1 A kite will stay aloft because of the string we use to pull it back against the wind. The wind pulls the kite one way while we pull it the other way. As the wind blows harder we let out the string as the wind dies down we pull it back in so the kite is always balanced between opposing forces.
1.2 If we don’t let out the string, what could happen? Lots of force on the string and extra work holding the string and if the string isn’t strong enough it could break.
1.3 If we don’t pull in the sting when the wind dies down what happens? The kite falls out of the sky.
1.4 Initially it’s trial and error, how much string to let out or pull back in, but as we gain more experience, we know how to keep just the right amount of tension on the string.
1.5 Flying a kite we learn that we can create the illusion of wind, by running and pulling the kite as we go. And that is sometimes what we have to do to get the kite up in the air, create wind.
1.6 We can also run with the wind to reduce some of its power.
1.7 Balance, if the forces aren’t present to keep the relationship stable, then we can create them. If the forces are too great then we can run with them to reduce their affect.
1.8 And we are not always flying a kite. We take a break and do something else, so that the idea of flying can rest. And sometimes the idea of us needs to rest to. And that is part of balance too, resting and knowing when to rest.
1.1 A kite will stay aloft because of the string we use to pull it back against the wind. The wind pulls the kite one way while we pull it the other way. As the wind blows harder we let out the string as the wind dies down we pull it back in so the kite is always balanced between opposing forces.
1.2 If we don’t let out the string, what could happen? Lots of force on the string and extra work holding the string and if the string isn’t strong enough it could break.
1.3 If we don’t pull in the sting when the wind dies down what happens? The kite falls out of the sky.
1.4 Initially it’s trial and error, how much string to let out or pull back in, but as we gain more experience, we know how to keep just the right amount of tension on the string.
1.5 Flying a kite we learn that we can create the illusion of wind, by running and pulling the kite as we go. And that is sometimes what we have to do to get the kite up in the air, create wind.
1.6 We can also run with the wind to reduce some of its power.
1.7 Balance, if the forces aren’t present to keep the relationship stable, then we can create them. If the forces are too great then we can run with them to reduce their affect.
1.8 And we are not always flying a kite. We take a break and do something else, so that the idea of flying can rest. And sometimes the idea of us needs to rest to. And that is part of balance too, resting and knowing when to rest.
Working with the Forces that are Acting On Us
BALANCING THE RELATIONSHIPS IN OUR LIVES
1.1 Riding a bike or skating, balance is easy when we are conscious of the forces acting on us because we can use those forces to our advantage, we find the easy way to stay aligned. We can do the same when balancing aspects of our lives through time. Feel the forces acting on us and use our moods, what we feel like doing to help us get things done. In the mood for studying, then study, in the mood for exercise, then its time to go to the gym. At the same time we stay aware of our relationship with each of these ideas. And so that we know what those ideas are we can ask ourselves “Why am I doing this?” Knowing the ideas in our life and why we are doing them, we can maintain a balanced relationship with each of them.
1.2 While I was at university I loved to exercise. At the same time I had to find time to study. Sometimes when I was studying I found that I was getting tired or unable to concentrate. So I used that as an excuse to go rollerblading or running. Generally, after I had exercised I was in a better mood to study. Meanwhile I couldn’t exercise so long that I didn’t have time to study, so the two kept each other in balance. Sometimes, going out for a run or a skate, I was able to figure out problems that I couldn’t figure out while staring at a book. And when I wasn’t in the mood for either I’d chat with my roommates or play video games or go out for a beer.
1.3 When I studied, I studied and I did it for long enough that I got into a groove and did something useful, learned something. Likewise, exercising, I gave myself enough time to warm up, exercise and cool down. When I wasn’t doing one thing I was doing another and I was enjoying myself.
1.4 That was the one term I did well enough to make it to the dean’s honors list.
1.5 Feeling the forces that act on us, the moods that take us, we can work on balance across time, taking turns one at a time with each of the ideas in our lives, feeling our relationship with each one and maintaining it and then moving on to the next one, cycling through them all continuously but paying attention to each one as we are with them.
1.6 Balance is maintaining a relationship with all of the ideas in our lives while working with the forces that act on us.
1.1 Riding a bike or skating, balance is easy when we are conscious of the forces acting on us because we can use those forces to our advantage, we find the easy way to stay aligned. We can do the same when balancing aspects of our lives through time. Feel the forces acting on us and use our moods, what we feel like doing to help us get things done. In the mood for studying, then study, in the mood for exercise, then its time to go to the gym. At the same time we stay aware of our relationship with each of these ideas. And so that we know what those ideas are we can ask ourselves “Why am I doing this?” Knowing the ideas in our life and why we are doing them, we can maintain a balanced relationship with each of them.
1.2 While I was at university I loved to exercise. At the same time I had to find time to study. Sometimes when I was studying I found that I was getting tired or unable to concentrate. So I used that as an excuse to go rollerblading or running. Generally, after I had exercised I was in a better mood to study. Meanwhile I couldn’t exercise so long that I didn’t have time to study, so the two kept each other in balance. Sometimes, going out for a run or a skate, I was able to figure out problems that I couldn’t figure out while staring at a book. And when I wasn’t in the mood for either I’d chat with my roommates or play video games or go out for a beer.
1.3 When I studied, I studied and I did it for long enough that I got into a groove and did something useful, learned something. Likewise, exercising, I gave myself enough time to warm up, exercise and cool down. When I wasn’t doing one thing I was doing another and I was enjoying myself.
1.4 That was the one term I did well enough to make it to the dean’s honors list.
1.5 Feeling the forces that act on us, the moods that take us, we can work on balance across time, taking turns one at a time with each of the ideas in our lives, feeling our relationship with each one and maintaining it and then moving on to the next one, cycling through them all continuously but paying attention to each one as we are with them.
1.6 Balance is maintaining a relationship with all of the ideas in our lives while working with the forces that act on us.
The Process of Maintaining A Relationship Despite The Forces Acting On It
MAINTAINING A RELATIONSHIP DESPITE THE FORCES ACTING ON IT
1.1 When I was in the army and living in England I used to go cycling with a friend after work. We’d often cycle one behind the other so that the person in back got to rest while the person in front did the work of blocking the wind. Because my friend was training to compete in triathlon’s I stayed in the back as often as possible, purely for his benefit.
1.2 Because I was in the back it was easy to speed up without any extra effort so I had to coast or if I did start to accelerate, then stick my head up into the wind to help me slow down so that I didn’t crash into my friend. Then, once I had matched speeds again I pulled my head back down into the draft.
1.3 When we were going straight and there was no wind then I’d position myself directly behind my partner for the best draught. If there was a wind blowing from the side then I would have to shift relative to my friend. We’d still be going straight ahead, but I’d be behind and slightly to the side, so that we were both pointing in the direction we were going but angled in line with the wind. We both had to lean to the side slightly to balance the push of the wind and keep on going straight.
1.4 Going around a bend something similar happened. We’d both lean inwards but to keep the draught the rider in the back, me again, would shift his line slightly outwards. If we were going around a bend to the left, I’d shift slightly to the right to stay in my friends slipstream.
1.5 Whether we were experiencing a side wind or going around a corner we maintained our relationship by lining up with the forces that acting on us. And if we slipped out of balance then the person behind would slow down or speed up until we were back in balance.
1.6 Balance, maintaining a relationship despite the forces that are acting on it. Balance, a process of maintaining the relationships we are in by monitoring the relationship and the forces acting on it and adjusting one or the other or both so that we continue to head in the direction we want to go.
1.7 It’s not that the relationship doesn’t change, it does, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot but the important thing is that the relationship is maintained. The idea is kept alive.
1.1 When I was in the army and living in England I used to go cycling with a friend after work. We’d often cycle one behind the other so that the person in back got to rest while the person in front did the work of blocking the wind. Because my friend was training to compete in triathlon’s I stayed in the back as often as possible, purely for his benefit.
1.2 Because I was in the back it was easy to speed up without any extra effort so I had to coast or if I did start to accelerate, then stick my head up into the wind to help me slow down so that I didn’t crash into my friend. Then, once I had matched speeds again I pulled my head back down into the draft.
1.3 When we were going straight and there was no wind then I’d position myself directly behind my partner for the best draught. If there was a wind blowing from the side then I would have to shift relative to my friend. We’d still be going straight ahead, but I’d be behind and slightly to the side, so that we were both pointing in the direction we were going but angled in line with the wind. We both had to lean to the side slightly to balance the push of the wind and keep on going straight.
1.4 Going around a bend something similar happened. We’d both lean inwards but to keep the draught the rider in the back, me again, would shift his line slightly outwards. If we were going around a bend to the left, I’d shift slightly to the right to stay in my friends slipstream.
1.5 Whether we were experiencing a side wind or going around a corner we maintained our relationship by lining up with the forces that acting on us. And if we slipped out of balance then the person behind would slow down or speed up until we were back in balance.
1.6 Balance, maintaining a relationship despite the forces that are acting on it. Balance, a process of maintaining the relationships we are in by monitoring the relationship and the forces acting on it and adjusting one or the other or both so that we continue to head in the direction we want to go.
1.7 It’s not that the relationship doesn’t change, it does, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot but the important thing is that the relationship is maintained. The idea is kept alive.
Balance Is A Process (Bombs and Rockets)
BALANCE IS A PROCESS
1.1 In physics class my professor taught us that missiles and bombs and arrows all have tail fins to create drag. Without fins, the back end would have the tendency to try and overtake the front end causing the missile to turn in mid air. Because the front end blocks the wind as the missile travels through the air the back end experiences less friction. With fins at the back end of the missile, friction is created which helps to slow the back end down enough that it stays behind the front end.
1.2 Imagine making a rocket. On our first attempt we don’t add fins and during the launch, it tips over at some point. So we add fins to the back end because we realize we have to slow the back end down. But then we find the fins slow it down too much because we made them too big. So we make them smaller. Now the rocket can achieve escape orbit and launch our satellite into space. (oops, sorry, did I forget to mention the payload?)
1.3 When we attempted our first launch the rocket tipped over. We could say it wasn’t balanced. Why? Because the back end didn’t line up with the front end. When we launched the second rocket the back end did line up with the front end but we didn’t achieve orbital altitude before our fuel ran out. So we had balance in one aspect but we needed to refine it. Finally, third attempt, success. Balanced, the front aligned with the back and we did what we wanted to, we got the thing into space.
1.4 Balance is maintaining a relationship, by adjusting the forces that affect that relationship and it is adjusting the relationship to minimize the unwanted affects of those forces. With the rocket balance was not eliminating drag, it was reducing drag just enough by making the fins small enough that they helped orient the rocket without slowing it down.
1.1 In physics class my professor taught us that missiles and bombs and arrows all have tail fins to create drag. Without fins, the back end would have the tendency to try and overtake the front end causing the missile to turn in mid air. Because the front end blocks the wind as the missile travels through the air the back end experiences less friction. With fins at the back end of the missile, friction is created which helps to slow the back end down enough that it stays behind the front end.
1.2 Imagine making a rocket. On our first attempt we don’t add fins and during the launch, it tips over at some point. So we add fins to the back end because we realize we have to slow the back end down. But then we find the fins slow it down too much because we made them too big. So we make them smaller. Now the rocket can achieve escape orbit and launch our satellite into space. (oops, sorry, did I forget to mention the payload?)
1.3 When we attempted our first launch the rocket tipped over. We could say it wasn’t balanced. Why? Because the back end didn’t line up with the front end. When we launched the second rocket the back end did line up with the front end but we didn’t achieve orbital altitude before our fuel ran out. So we had balance in one aspect but we needed to refine it. Finally, third attempt, success. Balanced, the front aligned with the back and we did what we wanted to, we got the thing into space.
1.4 Balance is maintaining a relationship, by adjusting the forces that affect that relationship and it is adjusting the relationship to minimize the unwanted affects of those forces. With the rocket balance was not eliminating drag, it was reducing drag just enough by making the fins small enough that they helped orient the rocket without slowing it down.
Balance
1 BALANCE
1.1 What is balance? It is maintaining the relationships we are in despite the forces acting on us. With respect to the earth that means aligning ourselves with gravity so that we can continue to stand (or sit, or do what it is that we are doing.)
1.2 Feeling where our center is by using our connection with the earth, we can tell if we are aligned with gravity. If we feel our center directly over our feet we know that we are aligned with gravity, and if not then we can use our legs to move our center so that it is. Aligning ourselves with gravity we balance. We maintain our relationship with the earth.
1.3 How do we know where our center is? By feeling the way our feet press into the ground. If we are standing on both feet and if we feel that one foot is pressing down more because of gravity, then our center is more over that foot. Feeling where our center is we can then we can use our legs to move it so that it is where we want it to be.
1.4 We can do the same whether we are standing on our hands or on our feet or sitting on our sitting bones. Feeling where our center is, we can shift it so that our weight is more centered or so that it is moving in the direction we want to move.
1.5 Riding a motorbike we can feel if we are balanced by feeling the way our sitting bones press down into the seat. When both our sitting bones press into the seat evenly we are aligned with the bike and together we are aligned with the forces acting on us. If we go around a corner then that action creates additional forces, but it we feel the way our sitting bones press down we can then align ourself and the bike with the combined force of gravity and turning. We maintain our relationship with the bike, the earth and the corner we are going around.
1.6 If we want to create more room for the bike to the inside of the corner (so we have room to lean more and turn more if we need to), we can push the bike outwards and lean ourselves inwards. As we do so we’ll feel the sitting bone to the inside press down while the sitting bone to the outside of the turn will lift up. Even though we then are out of balance with the bike, because we share a center with the bike, the bike and ourselves as a whole stay balanced. Out shared center of gravity lines up with our connection with the earth and the forces acting on us. Then as we come out of the turn we can align ourselves with the bike again, simply by repositioning ourselves so that both sitting bones are pressing down again.
1.7 Feeling the forces that act on a relationship we can maintain the relationship or change it the way we want to.
1.1 What is balance? It is maintaining the relationships we are in despite the forces acting on us. With respect to the earth that means aligning ourselves with gravity so that we can continue to stand (or sit, or do what it is that we are doing.)
1.2 Feeling where our center is by using our connection with the earth, we can tell if we are aligned with gravity. If we feel our center directly over our feet we know that we are aligned with gravity, and if not then we can use our legs to move our center so that it is. Aligning ourselves with gravity we balance. We maintain our relationship with the earth.
1.3 How do we know where our center is? By feeling the way our feet press into the ground. If we are standing on both feet and if we feel that one foot is pressing down more because of gravity, then our center is more over that foot. Feeling where our center is we can then we can use our legs to move it so that it is where we want it to be.
1.4 We can do the same whether we are standing on our hands or on our feet or sitting on our sitting bones. Feeling where our center is, we can shift it so that our weight is more centered or so that it is moving in the direction we want to move.
1.5 Riding a motorbike we can feel if we are balanced by feeling the way our sitting bones press down into the seat. When both our sitting bones press into the seat evenly we are aligned with the bike and together we are aligned with the forces acting on us. If we go around a corner then that action creates additional forces, but it we feel the way our sitting bones press down we can then align ourself and the bike with the combined force of gravity and turning. We maintain our relationship with the bike, the earth and the corner we are going around.
1.6 If we want to create more room for the bike to the inside of the corner (so we have room to lean more and turn more if we need to), we can push the bike outwards and lean ourselves inwards. As we do so we’ll feel the sitting bone to the inside press down while the sitting bone to the outside of the turn will lift up. Even though we then are out of balance with the bike, because we share a center with the bike, the bike and ourselves as a whole stay balanced. Out shared center of gravity lines up with our connection with the earth and the forces acting on us. Then as we come out of the turn we can align ourselves with the bike again, simply by repositioning ourselves so that both sitting bones are pressing down again.
1.7 Feeling the forces that act on a relationship we can maintain the relationship or change it the way we want to.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuned Connection, Moving as One
Tuned Connection, Moving as One
1.1 A partner was teaching me how to connect with her while doing the Cha Cha Cha. I had to hold my elbow at my side with my hand forwards, holding hers. Then with my elbow fixed at my side I leaned into my hand and she did the same, as if we were holding each other up by leaning against each other. Then when I moved forwards, or backwards, she felt me move through the change in pressure from my hand.
1.2 Leaning in to each other dance, we had to hold all of ourselves poised, so that we were pushing each other with all of our body, not just our hand. Our whole body was behind the push. And at the same time we both pulled inwards so that whether we were moving forwards or backwards, or to either side, we could move together, as one.
1.3 As I moved, whether forwards or backwards, my whole body moved. With my elbow fixed to my side as my body moved forwards, my elbow, and hand did too. Likewise when I moved back, in either case my partner was able to move with me.
1.4 Whenever I was not pressing, not leaning in, my teacher would remind me that we were not connected. I had to press inwards so that she could press back. Otherwise she would just fall into my arms.
1.5 Dancing with someone we pull them in a little and push them away at the same time. We both do this so that we create tension between us balancing firmness of the idea of ourselves with the ability to connect to ideas outside of ourselves. When we had the right amount of tension, she could feel me when I moved forwards or backwards and move with me as I did so. At the same time I could feel her and where she was able to go.
1.6 By being firm in our connection we both know what we want to do and are willing to share that knowing. Being soft in our connection we are willing to listen to our partner both so that we know where they are and where they are able to go.
1.7 Conscious, we tune our connection so that we can move together and at the same time feel each other, not too close, and not too far, connected but both of us with room to move, both of us centered on each other. Sensing and directing, we change ourselves and because we are connected we then change each other and so it is easier to move as one.
1.1 A partner was teaching me how to connect with her while doing the Cha Cha Cha. I had to hold my elbow at my side with my hand forwards, holding hers. Then with my elbow fixed at my side I leaned into my hand and she did the same, as if we were holding each other up by leaning against each other. Then when I moved forwards, or backwards, she felt me move through the change in pressure from my hand.
1.2 Leaning in to each other dance, we had to hold all of ourselves poised, so that we were pushing each other with all of our body, not just our hand. Our whole body was behind the push. And at the same time we both pulled inwards so that whether we were moving forwards or backwards, or to either side, we could move together, as one.
1.3 As I moved, whether forwards or backwards, my whole body moved. With my elbow fixed to my side as my body moved forwards, my elbow, and hand did too. Likewise when I moved back, in either case my partner was able to move with me.
1.4 Whenever I was not pressing, not leaning in, my teacher would remind me that we were not connected. I had to press inwards so that she could press back. Otherwise she would just fall into my arms.
1.5 Dancing with someone we pull them in a little and push them away at the same time. We both do this so that we create tension between us balancing firmness of the idea of ourselves with the ability to connect to ideas outside of ourselves. When we had the right amount of tension, she could feel me when I moved forwards or backwards and move with me as I did so. At the same time I could feel her and where she was able to go.
1.6 By being firm in our connection we both know what we want to do and are willing to share that knowing. Being soft in our connection we are willing to listen to our partner both so that we know where they are and where they are able to go.
1.7 Conscious, we tune our connection so that we can move together and at the same time feel each other, not too close, and not too far, connected but both of us with room to move, both of us centered on each other. Sensing and directing, we change ourselves and because we are connected we then change each other and so it is easier to move as one.
Links
Becoming Bigger, Brighter, Light
http://ideasrelate.zeroparallax.com/2008/06/becoming-bigger-brighter-light.html
Room to Move
http://ideasrelate.zeroparallax.com/2008/06/room-to-move.html
What is Looking to the Horizon
http://ideasrelate.zeroparallax.com/2008/06/what-is-looking-to-horizon.html
http://ideasrelate.zeroparallax.com/2008/06/becoming-bigger-brighter-light.html
Room to Move
http://ideasrelate.zeroparallax.com/2008/06/room-to-move.html
What is Looking to the Horizon
http://ideasrelate.zeroparallax.com/2008/06/what-is-looking-to-horizon.html
Becoming Bigger, Brighter, Light
BECOMING BIGGER, BRIGHTER, LIGHTER
1.1 A long time ago one of my dreams was to do a long road trip along the Pacific Coast on my motorbike. Having just quit my last engineering job I had the perfect opportunity to do a long ride from Calgary to San Francisco. I took three days to get there.
1.2 Riding through Oregon I encountered moments where it seemed like I hardly steered my bike at all. Instead I looked where I wanted to go and the bike went that way by itself. I’d see how the road turned and because I was looking my head would lead my body. My body would lead the bike and the next thing the bike and I would be leaning. It felt like I was simply thinking about where to go, and looking too, and the bike listened.
1.3 Looking where I wanted to go, the slight shift in position of my head was enough to shift the shared center of myself and the bike to the side so that it went where I wanted it to go, falling to the side. But in order for it to do that all the other connections within my body and between my body and the bike needed to be engaged. If my arms were too soft, too relaxed, then any movement of my head would not be transmitted through my arms to the handlebars of my bike, the movement would be lost. However, if my arms had just the right amount of tension then any changes in the position of my head, or even the position of my upper body with respect to my seat would be transmitted via my arms to the bike itself.
1.4 At a rest stop in Oregon along the I5, a man came up to me to tell me how much he enjoyed seeing someone in his element. He didn’t want to be like me, but he admired me for doing what I was doing and it moved him. He also said that as little as a few years ago if he’d have seen me riding the way I was he would have said “That’s guys going too fast!” Now he saw me and thought, “That guy’s doing what he loves!”
1.5 Looking to the horizon, expressing an idea or being pulled towards another we become bigger and brighter. And other people see our brightness.
1.1 A long time ago one of my dreams was to do a long road trip along the Pacific Coast on my motorbike. Having just quit my last engineering job I had the perfect opportunity to do a long ride from Calgary to San Francisco. I took three days to get there.
1.2 Riding through Oregon I encountered moments where it seemed like I hardly steered my bike at all. Instead I looked where I wanted to go and the bike went that way by itself. I’d see how the road turned and because I was looking my head would lead my body. My body would lead the bike and the next thing the bike and I would be leaning. It felt like I was simply thinking about where to go, and looking too, and the bike listened.
1.3 Looking where I wanted to go, the slight shift in position of my head was enough to shift the shared center of myself and the bike to the side so that it went where I wanted it to go, falling to the side. But in order for it to do that all the other connections within my body and between my body and the bike needed to be engaged. If my arms were too soft, too relaxed, then any movement of my head would not be transmitted through my arms to the handlebars of my bike, the movement would be lost. However, if my arms had just the right amount of tension then any changes in the position of my head, or even the position of my upper body with respect to my seat would be transmitted via my arms to the bike itself.
1.4 At a rest stop in Oregon along the I5, a man came up to me to tell me how much he enjoyed seeing someone in his element. He didn’t want to be like me, but he admired me for doing what I was doing and it moved him. He also said that as little as a few years ago if he’d have seen me riding the way I was he would have said “That’s guys going too fast!” Now he saw me and thought, “That guy’s doing what he loves!”
1.5 Looking to the horizon, expressing an idea or being pulled towards another we become bigger and brighter. And other people see our brightness.
Room To Move
Room to Move
When we know what it is that we are doing we are able to position our selves in the best way possible so that we have room to do what we are doing.
Riding a motorcycle what that means is that we are positioned on the bike so that we have room to steer it, and room to operate the controls. Also room enough to move ourselves relative to the bike when we need to. What that means is that we lean forwards enough or position ourselves forwards enough so that our elbows are bent so we have room to move the handlebars. It also means that our legs are bent enough that we can use them to shift our body from one side to the other or back to center.
Riding the bike itself room to move means positioning it while going around a corner so that we always have a little bit more room to lean it or turn it if we have to. Relative to the road itself and what is on it room to move means that we always have somewhere to go, a place of safety if we need to but it also means that we can also keep moving straight ahead, staying on the path.
Dancing with someone we give our body room to move, and we give our partner room to move too, whether we are leading or following we position ourselves relative to each other that we can both do what we have to do make the idea of dancing real. But we still stay connected. And we look for spaces on the dance floor where we can both do what we want to together.
Doing yoga while in a particular pose room to move is positioning each part of ourselves in the best position possible while still maintaining the shape of the pose. That means that each part of ourselves is involved in the pose so that then the pose becomes as easy as possible.
Room to move while driving is giving ourselves room to move but also everyone around us so that together we all flow. If one person gets into an accident because they don’t have room to move it can slow everyone down. And so room to move gives everyone room to flow so that we can all flow together.
When we know what it is that we are doing we are able to position our selves in the best way possible so that we have room to do what we are doing.
Riding a motorcycle what that means is that we are positioned on the bike so that we have room to steer it, and room to operate the controls. Also room enough to move ourselves relative to the bike when we need to. What that means is that we lean forwards enough or position ourselves forwards enough so that our elbows are bent so we have room to move the handlebars. It also means that our legs are bent enough that we can use them to shift our body from one side to the other or back to center.
Riding the bike itself room to move means positioning it while going around a corner so that we always have a little bit more room to lean it or turn it if we have to. Relative to the road itself and what is on it room to move means that we always have somewhere to go, a place of safety if we need to but it also means that we can also keep moving straight ahead, staying on the path.
Dancing with someone we give our body room to move, and we give our partner room to move too, whether we are leading or following we position ourselves relative to each other that we can both do what we have to do make the idea of dancing real. But we still stay connected. And we look for spaces on the dance floor where we can both do what we want to together.
Doing yoga while in a particular pose room to move is positioning each part of ourselves in the best position possible while still maintaining the shape of the pose. That means that each part of ourselves is involved in the pose so that then the pose becomes as easy as possible.
Room to move while driving is giving ourselves room to move but also everyone around us so that together we all flow. If one person gets into an accident because they don’t have room to move it can slow everyone down. And so room to move gives everyone room to flow so that we can all flow together.
Monday, June 16, 2008
What is "Looking to the Horizon?"
What is Looking to the Horizon? To answer that lets talk about what the horizon is. The horizon is the circle that marks the limits of what we can see of the earth. Standing in one spot and slowly turning around the horizon is all around us as far as we can see.
Where I am right now the horizon is pretty close. There’s a hill in front of me. To either side there are buildings and behind me is the coffee shop I am sitting at. But if I went to the countryside and found a hill to stand on then the horizon would be a lot further away. I’d be able to see a lot of the earth. But because of the curve of the earth I’d still be limited by what I can see.
Still in the countryside if we went for a walk the horizon would be changing, sometimes closer sometimes further away but always there in front of us (and behind us and around us). If we keep our eyes on the horizon we’ll see changes at the earliest opportunity, we’ll see hills as they come up, cities, townships. And we can use what we see to guide us. When we see spires and it’s a town that we want to head for then as soon as we see those spires we can adjust our course if we need to so that we get there sooner.
But we also notice what is between us and it. Maybe there are obstacles in the way. Maybe they only become apparent as we get closer. So as well as looking to the horizon to see what is coming up we also look within the horizon to see what our next steps might be. Ideally what we might do is look to the horizon to see where we want to go and at the same time see everything between ourselves and the horizon to see how to get there. And each moment as we continue to move forwards the horizon changes and so does the path towards it.
Picking a path towards where we want to go the questions we might ask ourself is which path will continue to give me the best view of the way ahead. Hills and high points give us the best perspective and even though they require some work to get up if in the end they give us the best view possible and show us obstacles which we might not be aware of until we got to them then perhaps the effort to get up those hills is not wasted. And then it can be easier coming back down them. And so part of looking to the horizon is seeing the possible paths we can take and choosing the best from among them.
And so Looking to the Horizon is also choosing the path we wish to take. And one of the ways we can make choices is asking ourselves which path will continue to give us the best view of the way ahead.
Looking to the horizon is continually looking ahead to see what choices we have and then choosing from among them and it is choosing in such a way that from wherever we go next our view of the horizon is as big as possible so that we always have lots to choose from.
Riding a motorcycle with the desire to go fast the definition of “horizon” is slightly different. Because we are on a predefined path when we look ahead what we are trying to see is where the road goes next. And so if the road dips and all we can see of the road is up to the point where it dips then that dip marks our horizon. If the road goes up a hill and we can’t see beyond the crest of the hill then the crest of the hill marks our horizon. If the road bends and we can’t see beyond the turn then furthest point we can see into the turn marks our horizon. If there is lots of traffic (other racers) on the road, then that traffic defines our path and our horizon is the furthest point ahead that we can see through the traffic.
How do we get a better view of the way ahead? By positioning ourselves as best as possible. If the road dips or goes up a hill then we can sit up taller so that we see what’s coming up at the earliest opportunity. If the road goes around a bend then we position ourselves to the outside of the bend as much as possible (given the chances of traffic coming the other way and enough room to move back to a position of safety) so that we can as far around the bend as possible. If there is lots of traffic, then we line ourselves up with the path that we want to take so we can see through the traffic. And even as the conditions change, whether it is the road or what is on the road, we adjust ourselves to handle those conditions, always looking for the position that gives us the best view of the way ahead (given the situation we are in).
The further we can see ahead the faster we can go if we choose. The further we can see ahead the earlier we can see change as it appears. The further we can see ahead the more choices we give ourselves. Looking to the horizon we continually look ahead to see what choices we can make, and we choose in such a way that we always have more choices along the road ahead.
And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is ahead of us it is also being aware of what is around us and behind us. What is the way we have come (if we have to back track) what is coming up from behind us or beside us that might affect my path. Driving slowly, what is around us that might be beautiful to look at.
Looking to the horizon we connect to the earth. But if we are riding a motorbike really fast it is also being aware of our connection to the bike so that we can make that connection as good as possible. And it is also being aware of the connections within ourselves. How each part of our body is related to every other part, how our mind is relating to our body and to what we are doing.
Being aware of what is within ourselves we sense the choices that our body gives us and we choose in such a way that we always have the possibility to move. And likewise sensing the connection between ourselves and the bike and the bike and the earth. What are the choices we can make that give all of those relationships the most room to move while keeping the relationship intact.
And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is around us it is also being aware of what is within us. And it is also being aware of what we are connected to.
Looking to the horizon our awareness radiates outwards from the center of our being so that we are aware of all that is within us and well what is outside of ourselves. And connecting it all is the path that we are trying to take.
Links Related to this Article
Riding a Motorbike and connecting to it
Sensing our body
Sensing our body’s center
Room to Move
Where I am right now the horizon is pretty close. There’s a hill in front of me. To either side there are buildings and behind me is the coffee shop I am sitting at. But if I went to the countryside and found a hill to stand on then the horizon would be a lot further away. I’d be able to see a lot of the earth. But because of the curve of the earth I’d still be limited by what I can see.
Still in the countryside if we went for a walk the horizon would be changing, sometimes closer sometimes further away but always there in front of us (and behind us and around us). If we keep our eyes on the horizon we’ll see changes at the earliest opportunity, we’ll see hills as they come up, cities, townships. And we can use what we see to guide us. When we see spires and it’s a town that we want to head for then as soon as we see those spires we can adjust our course if we need to so that we get there sooner.
But we also notice what is between us and it. Maybe there are obstacles in the way. Maybe they only become apparent as we get closer. So as well as looking to the horizon to see what is coming up we also look within the horizon to see what our next steps might be. Ideally what we might do is look to the horizon to see where we want to go and at the same time see everything between ourselves and the horizon to see how to get there. And each moment as we continue to move forwards the horizon changes and so does the path towards it.
Picking a path towards where we want to go the questions we might ask ourself is which path will continue to give me the best view of the way ahead. Hills and high points give us the best perspective and even though they require some work to get up if in the end they give us the best view possible and show us obstacles which we might not be aware of until we got to them then perhaps the effort to get up those hills is not wasted. And then it can be easier coming back down them. And so part of looking to the horizon is seeing the possible paths we can take and choosing the best from among them.
And so Looking to the Horizon is also choosing the path we wish to take. And one of the ways we can make choices is asking ourselves which path will continue to give us the best view of the way ahead.
Looking to the horizon is continually looking ahead to see what choices we have and then choosing from among them and it is choosing in such a way that from wherever we go next our view of the horizon is as big as possible so that we always have lots to choose from.
Riding a motorcycle with the desire to go fast the definition of “horizon” is slightly different. Because we are on a predefined path when we look ahead what we are trying to see is where the road goes next. And so if the road dips and all we can see of the road is up to the point where it dips then that dip marks our horizon. If the road goes up a hill and we can’t see beyond the crest of the hill then the crest of the hill marks our horizon. If the road bends and we can’t see beyond the turn then furthest point we can see into the turn marks our horizon. If there is lots of traffic (other racers) on the road, then that traffic defines our path and our horizon is the furthest point ahead that we can see through the traffic.
How do we get a better view of the way ahead? By positioning ourselves as best as possible. If the road dips or goes up a hill then we can sit up taller so that we see what’s coming up at the earliest opportunity. If the road goes around a bend then we position ourselves to the outside of the bend as much as possible (given the chances of traffic coming the other way and enough room to move back to a position of safety) so that we can as far around the bend as possible. If there is lots of traffic, then we line ourselves up with the path that we want to take so we can see through the traffic. And even as the conditions change, whether it is the road or what is on the road, we adjust ourselves to handle those conditions, always looking for the position that gives us the best view of the way ahead (given the situation we are in).
The further we can see ahead the faster we can go if we choose. The further we can see ahead the earlier we can see change as it appears. The further we can see ahead the more choices we give ourselves. Looking to the horizon we continually look ahead to see what choices we can make, and we choose in such a way that we always have more choices along the road ahead.
And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is ahead of us it is also being aware of what is around us and behind us. What is the way we have come (if we have to back track) what is coming up from behind us or beside us that might affect my path. Driving slowly, what is around us that might be beautiful to look at.
Looking to the horizon we connect to the earth. But if we are riding a motorbike really fast it is also being aware of our connection to the bike so that we can make that connection as good as possible. And it is also being aware of the connections within ourselves. How each part of our body is related to every other part, how our mind is relating to our body and to what we are doing.
Being aware of what is within ourselves we sense the choices that our body gives us and we choose in such a way that we always have the possibility to move. And likewise sensing the connection between ourselves and the bike and the bike and the earth. What are the choices we can make that give all of those relationships the most room to move while keeping the relationship intact.
And as much as looking to the horizon is being aware of what is around us it is also being aware of what is within us. And it is also being aware of what we are connected to.
Looking to the horizon our awareness radiates outwards from the center of our being so that we are aware of all that is within us and well what is outside of ourselves. And connecting it all is the path that we are trying to take.
Links Related to this Article
Riding a Motorbike and connecting to it
Sensing our body
Sensing our body’s center
Room to Move
Starting Slowly
STARTING SLOWLY
1.1 When we got on our bikes each morning on the racetrack, the first thing we did, after the mechanics had checked and refueled our machines, was go for a slow tour of the track. Riding slowly we had the opportunity to get to know ourselves as well as the bike as well as the track. Warming up we slowly expanded our consciousness outwards to the horizon.
1.2 I used to start running the same way, starting of slowly. Giving my body a chance to warm up, to wake up. I’d start of jogging slower than some people walk but by doing so I gave my whole body a chance to wake up, bit by bit, so that each bit woke up to itself and to it its connection with its neighbors so that my body as a whole could work well together.
1.3 I learned to do the same thing when I was skating. Starting of slow, I’d take my time, gliding from skate to skate but not really pushing, just feeling my body, the action I was doing. Eventually I’d get a signal, some sort of okay from my body, then I’d start to sink my weight down and use it to push through each skate, like my whole body was working together so that skating was easy and fun.
1.4 When we change activities, for example from talking to riding motorbikes, or from studying to exercising, we are taking part in a new idea and going slowly to begin with is a chance for all of those parts to wake up to the change and for the parts of our body to stay connected during it.
1.5 Running my first half marathon, I started off at the back of the pack taking nearly the first half of the race to warm up, slowly increasing my speed. As I did so I started to overtake more and more people right till the very end of the race. I could have kept on going I felt so good.
1.6 Starting slowly our consciousness gradually radiates outwards from our center, feeling each part of ourselves, each part of ourselves awake to what we are doing. Each part of ourselves able to take part and working with every other part so that our whole body together works well together. Starting of slowly running or skating or doing yoga, that is when I can seemingly go on forever because I am smoothly opening to the way ahead by becoming conscious of all the parts of myself and all the connections between them.
1.7 Warming up, we slowly connect to everything we can, slowly and steadily pushing the boundaries of our consciousness outwards. Warming up we smoothly handle change waking up to all that is around us and all that is within us. And with our consciousness radiating outwards, one of the things we keep our minds on is the point of what we are trying to do.
1.8 On that motorcycling riders course I was on an instructor had commented that I wasn’t preparing early enough for each corner. If I began to prepare as soon as I saw a corner I could make the transition smooth, following a nice line from where I was to where I wanted to be so that I was ready for the corner when I got to it. Warming up is the same, a smooth and gradual change that gets us ready for what’s coming up.
1.9 Eventually we get to a point where we don’t need to warm up quite so much because we are aware of what we are doing all of the time.
1.1 When we got on our bikes each morning on the racetrack, the first thing we did, after the mechanics had checked and refueled our machines, was go for a slow tour of the track. Riding slowly we had the opportunity to get to know ourselves as well as the bike as well as the track. Warming up we slowly expanded our consciousness outwards to the horizon.
1.2 I used to start running the same way, starting of slowly. Giving my body a chance to warm up, to wake up. I’d start of jogging slower than some people walk but by doing so I gave my whole body a chance to wake up, bit by bit, so that each bit woke up to itself and to it its connection with its neighbors so that my body as a whole could work well together.
1.3 I learned to do the same thing when I was skating. Starting of slow, I’d take my time, gliding from skate to skate but not really pushing, just feeling my body, the action I was doing. Eventually I’d get a signal, some sort of okay from my body, then I’d start to sink my weight down and use it to push through each skate, like my whole body was working together so that skating was easy and fun.
1.4 When we change activities, for example from talking to riding motorbikes, or from studying to exercising, we are taking part in a new idea and going slowly to begin with is a chance for all of those parts to wake up to the change and for the parts of our body to stay connected during it.
1.5 Running my first half marathon, I started off at the back of the pack taking nearly the first half of the race to warm up, slowly increasing my speed. As I did so I started to overtake more and more people right till the very end of the race. I could have kept on going I felt so good.
1.6 Starting slowly our consciousness gradually radiates outwards from our center, feeling each part of ourselves, each part of ourselves awake to what we are doing. Each part of ourselves able to take part and working with every other part so that our whole body together works well together. Starting of slowly running or skating or doing yoga, that is when I can seemingly go on forever because I am smoothly opening to the way ahead by becoming conscious of all the parts of myself and all the connections between them.
1.7 Warming up, we slowly connect to everything we can, slowly and steadily pushing the boundaries of our consciousness outwards. Warming up we smoothly handle change waking up to all that is around us and all that is within us. And with our consciousness radiating outwards, one of the things we keep our minds on is the point of what we are trying to do.
1.8 On that motorcycling riders course I was on an instructor had commented that I wasn’t preparing early enough for each corner. If I began to prepare as soon as I saw a corner I could make the transition smooth, following a nice line from where I was to where I wanted to be so that I was ready for the corner when I got to it. Warming up is the same, a smooth and gradual change that gets us ready for what’s coming up.
1.9 Eventually we get to a point where we don’t need to warm up quite so much because we are aware of what we are doing all of the time.
Foundation for Change (stopping safely)
Foundation for Change
1.1 When I first took motorcycle riding lessons I used to do emergency stops perfectly. Speeding along, when my instructor flagged me to stop I’d quickly and smoothly squeeze the brakes and the bike would slow like a spaceship coming out of hyperspace with the rear wheel lifting, pausing and then lowering at the end of the stop. My instructor enthusiastically told me that I was using the full stopping potential of my bike. I was applying pressure to the brakes at just the right rate without skidding.
1.2 Perhaps I became overconfident in my abilities but as I practiced again and again, I lost my ability to stop properly. I felt tight and nervous and instead of stopping smoothly I lost control of the bike as I braked and nearly dropped it. No longer poised and controlled as I braked, the bike would wiggle and I would scramble to get my feet on the ground as the bike settled down.
1.3 I was no longer stopping effectively or smoothly, elegantly or efficiently and I didn’t know what I had been doing to make my stops so smooth before. So I didn’t know what I had to do to make them better again.
1.4 I realized that my stops had gone bad because I’d been looking at the instructor waiting for him or her to flag me to stop. He became my focus point and he was too close for me to stay balanced when I stopped. When my stops had been good I’d been looking beyond the instructor to the horizon, so that it gave me the leverage to stay in control. The instructor was still in my field of vision but I didn’t focus on him, instead I included him as part of my visual panorama. I noticed when he flagged me but I kept my eyes open so that I saw everything that I could. Then I was able to use the brakes to maximum effect, stopping smoothly and staying balanced.
1.5 It is as if by seeing more of the earth I gave myself a broader foundation. Connecting to the earth and keeping that connection till I stopped gave me leverage to stay upright, a broad base on which to balance. In addition, as I braked it was like I was giving the energy of riding a means of bleeding off smoothly, directing it onwards by looking to the horizon. And I kept looking ahead until the bike settled down on to both wheels and all the energy of riding had dissipated.
1.6 And here’s the thing, talking to a friend I realized that stopping is changing, it’s one of the biggest changes we can experience, that and starting. And likewise so is a corner “A Change.” It is during change that looking to the horizon can be the most helpful. In all those cases, when I looked to the horizon, I stayed upright, poised balanced and connected to the machine I was riding because looking ahead I saw change at the earliest opportunity.
1.7 When we ride the horizon is constantly changing but smoothly changing, and when we keep our eyes on it we can change smoothly too. Stopping is one of the most extreme cases of change, but if we do it while looking at the horizon we can make our stops smooth and controlled.
1.8 Stopping normally in traffic the first thing we did after we had stopped was to check our mirrors, sometimes when we stop the world around us keeps on going forwards.
1.1 When I first took motorcycle riding lessons I used to do emergency stops perfectly. Speeding along, when my instructor flagged me to stop I’d quickly and smoothly squeeze the brakes and the bike would slow like a spaceship coming out of hyperspace with the rear wheel lifting, pausing and then lowering at the end of the stop. My instructor enthusiastically told me that I was using the full stopping potential of my bike. I was applying pressure to the brakes at just the right rate without skidding.
1.2 Perhaps I became overconfident in my abilities but as I practiced again and again, I lost my ability to stop properly. I felt tight and nervous and instead of stopping smoothly I lost control of the bike as I braked and nearly dropped it. No longer poised and controlled as I braked, the bike would wiggle and I would scramble to get my feet on the ground as the bike settled down.
1.3 I was no longer stopping effectively or smoothly, elegantly or efficiently and I didn’t know what I had been doing to make my stops so smooth before. So I didn’t know what I had to do to make them better again.
1.4 I realized that my stops had gone bad because I’d been looking at the instructor waiting for him or her to flag me to stop. He became my focus point and he was too close for me to stay balanced when I stopped. When my stops had been good I’d been looking beyond the instructor to the horizon, so that it gave me the leverage to stay in control. The instructor was still in my field of vision but I didn’t focus on him, instead I included him as part of my visual panorama. I noticed when he flagged me but I kept my eyes open so that I saw everything that I could. Then I was able to use the brakes to maximum effect, stopping smoothly and staying balanced.
1.5 It is as if by seeing more of the earth I gave myself a broader foundation. Connecting to the earth and keeping that connection till I stopped gave me leverage to stay upright, a broad base on which to balance. In addition, as I braked it was like I was giving the energy of riding a means of bleeding off smoothly, directing it onwards by looking to the horizon. And I kept looking ahead until the bike settled down on to both wheels and all the energy of riding had dissipated.
1.6 And here’s the thing, talking to a friend I realized that stopping is changing, it’s one of the biggest changes we can experience, that and starting. And likewise so is a corner “A Change.” It is during change that looking to the horizon can be the most helpful. In all those cases, when I looked to the horizon, I stayed upright, poised balanced and connected to the machine I was riding because looking ahead I saw change at the earliest opportunity.
1.7 When we ride the horizon is constantly changing but smoothly changing, and when we keep our eyes on it we can change smoothly too. Stopping is one of the most extreme cases of change, but if we do it while looking at the horizon we can make our stops smooth and controlled.
1.8 Stopping normally in traffic the first thing we did after we had stopped was to check our mirrors, sometimes when we stop the world around us keeps on going forwards.
Seeing Change When It Happens
SEEING CHANGE WHEN IT HAPPENS
1.1 When I lived in Ottawa I used to go skating every Sunday with a group of friends. Like cyclists we’d often skate in a pack, one behind the other with the leader blocking the wind so that those behind wouldn’t have to work as hard.
1.2 The challenge of skating in a group like this was that in order to get the benefit of the draught we had to stay really close to the skater in front of us. If we got too far behind we would lose the draught, the wind would catch us and then we’d quickly get left behind. So if the space between us and the person in front of us opened up a little, we skated a little bit harder to tighten the gap, and if it got too tight we poked our head up into the wind to slow us down. It was a balancing act.
1.3 As a beginner and not very fit at the time I would consistently get left behind. The reason I would get left behind is that as the speed of the group changed I wouldn’t realize it till the person in front of me started to accelerate. I’d try hard to keep up but I was to slow to match the increase in speed. The gap in front of me would open enough for the wind to catch me and then I’d get pulled back and I’d lose the group. The people behind me would suffer as well and have to skate around me to catch back up.
1.4 Eventually I realized that part of my problem was that I kept my eyes on the person in front of me. Anytime the leader speeded up, the change would ripple through the pack like a ripple through a slinky and I wouldn’t notice the change until the person in front of me started to accelerate. By the time I started to speed up it was too late, the group had accelerated away and I was left behind.
1.5 I started to keep my eyes on the leader of the pack so that I could see change as it happened and be ready for it by the time it got to me. Whenever she or he speeded up I watched the speed change ripple through the pack and I accelerated just as it got to me. I increased my speed in sync with the person in front of me and I stayed with the pack with little extra effort.
1.6 I also moved my awareness through the whole group so that if someone else in the group ahead of me lost the draught I was ready. I was looking to the horizon and seeing everything between me and it. By seeing everything that I could see, I saw what I was trying to be a part of. Acting on what I saw I became a better part of it.
1.7 Looking to the horizon, whether it’s the road ahead or the people in front of us, we see change and we handle it together. It’s not so much looking ahead in time as it is looking ahead in space to see the future.
1.8 We see change when it happens so we’re ready for it when it gets to us.
1.1 When I lived in Ottawa I used to go skating every Sunday with a group of friends. Like cyclists we’d often skate in a pack, one behind the other with the leader blocking the wind so that those behind wouldn’t have to work as hard.
1.2 The challenge of skating in a group like this was that in order to get the benefit of the draught we had to stay really close to the skater in front of us. If we got too far behind we would lose the draught, the wind would catch us and then we’d quickly get left behind. So if the space between us and the person in front of us opened up a little, we skated a little bit harder to tighten the gap, and if it got too tight we poked our head up into the wind to slow us down. It was a balancing act.
1.3 As a beginner and not very fit at the time I would consistently get left behind. The reason I would get left behind is that as the speed of the group changed I wouldn’t realize it till the person in front of me started to accelerate. I’d try hard to keep up but I was to slow to match the increase in speed. The gap in front of me would open enough for the wind to catch me and then I’d get pulled back and I’d lose the group. The people behind me would suffer as well and have to skate around me to catch back up.
1.4 Eventually I realized that part of my problem was that I kept my eyes on the person in front of me. Anytime the leader speeded up, the change would ripple through the pack like a ripple through a slinky and I wouldn’t notice the change until the person in front of me started to accelerate. By the time I started to speed up it was too late, the group had accelerated away and I was left behind.
1.5 I started to keep my eyes on the leader of the pack so that I could see change as it happened and be ready for it by the time it got to me. Whenever she or he speeded up I watched the speed change ripple through the pack and I accelerated just as it got to me. I increased my speed in sync with the person in front of me and I stayed with the pack with little extra effort.
1.6 I also moved my awareness through the whole group so that if someone else in the group ahead of me lost the draught I was ready. I was looking to the horizon and seeing everything between me and it. By seeing everything that I could see, I saw what I was trying to be a part of. Acting on what I saw I became a better part of it.
1.7 Looking to the horizon, whether it’s the road ahead or the people in front of us, we see change and we handle it together. It’s not so much looking ahead in time as it is looking ahead in space to see the future.
1.8 We see change when it happens so we’re ready for it when it gets to us.
Positioning Ourselves for the Best View of the Way Ahead
BEST VIEW OF THE WAY AHEAD
1.1 Riding home one day I found myself stuck behind a slowly moving City bus. Traffic was heavy and I was feeling lazy but I moved to the right anyway and saw that the bus wasn’t going quite as fast as I thought relative to the traffic around it and there was plenty of room between it and the car it was catching up to, enough room for me to sneak my bike through with room to spare.
1.2 I realized that the better I positioned myself the easier it was for me to see the way ahead because I saw where everyone else was going and how fast they were taking to get there. Seeing where everyone else was going sometimes I saw paths before they appeared as if I was seeing a little way into the future and all I had to do to get that view was position myself for the best view of the way ahead.
1.3 Riding in the country, because of the trees it is hard to see what is around each corner. When I stayed close to the inside edge of a turn they blocked the view of the way ahead. Inspired by my experience with the bus I decided to change the way I rode. I positioned myself to the outside of a turn as I rode it and I found that I could see further ahead.
1.4 When I positioned myself wide (as opposed to going wide because I am looking to the outside of the corner) I felt safer because I could see so much further ahead. As a result I could go faster if I wanted to. The funny thing is, I used to limit myself before because of what I thought was good riding. I thought that I had to stay close to the inside lane. As a result I limited view of the way ahead and I felt very scared on twisty roads just because I couldn’t see that far ahead. Once I started to use the road, positioning myself for the best view of the way ahead, then riding became fun again. I could see where I wanted to go.
1.1 Riding home one day I found myself stuck behind a slowly moving City bus. Traffic was heavy and I was feeling lazy but I moved to the right anyway and saw that the bus wasn’t going quite as fast as I thought relative to the traffic around it and there was plenty of room between it and the car it was catching up to, enough room for me to sneak my bike through with room to spare.
1.2 I realized that the better I positioned myself the easier it was for me to see the way ahead because I saw where everyone else was going and how fast they were taking to get there. Seeing where everyone else was going sometimes I saw paths before they appeared as if I was seeing a little way into the future and all I had to do to get that view was position myself for the best view of the way ahead.
1.3 Riding in the country, because of the trees it is hard to see what is around each corner. When I stayed close to the inside edge of a turn they blocked the view of the way ahead. Inspired by my experience with the bus I decided to change the way I rode. I positioned myself to the outside of a turn as I rode it and I found that I could see further ahead.
1.4 When I positioned myself wide (as opposed to going wide because I am looking to the outside of the corner) I felt safer because I could see so much further ahead. As a result I could go faster if I wanted to. The funny thing is, I used to limit myself before because of what I thought was good riding. I thought that I had to stay close to the inside lane. As a result I limited view of the way ahead and I felt very scared on twisty roads just because I couldn’t see that far ahead. Once I started to use the road, positioning myself for the best view of the way ahead, then riding became fun again. I could see where I wanted to go.
Consciousness and Energy, Dancing Together
CONSCIOUSNESS AND ENERGY, DANCING TOGETHER
1.1 In Indian folklore Shiva is the personification of Consciousness. One depiction has Shiva dancing across the universe and the purpose of this dance is to stamp out ignorance. And that is perhaps the negative way of looking at it. What he is doing as he dances across the universe is spreading consciousness.
1.2 Consciousness and being conscious has many aspects but perhaps the most basic and fundamental of these is the ability to sense limits so that we can freely move within them.
1.3 Imagine driving on a road while it is foggy. Because of the fog we can’t see the edges of the road and it is also difficult to see other traffic. As a result we have to drive slower to keep ourselves safe. In this case being conscious would be driving only as fast as we would be able to stop safely should we see something up ahead.
1.4 Now imagine driving that way even if the weather is clear. Imagine driving like it is foggy but there is no fog. Or imagine driving quickly when there is fog. That is a little like ignorance. That’s not to say that just because it is clear we have to drive fast, it’s that being conscious we see the road and what is on it and we know how fast we can drive, while staying safe, and we choose to drive as fast or as slow as we like up to within those limits.
1.5 Staying with the theme of driving, our vehicles have readouts to give us information. There’s a speedometer, sometimes a rev counter. There’s also warning lights and a gas meter. An example of being conscious would be knowing what the readouts are for and actually using them. That’s the speedometer and right now I am going 90 mph... oops, no, 90 kmh.”
1.6 In both of the above cases we are becoming conscious of relationships, in one case our relationship with the road and in the other our relationship with the vehicle we are driving and since the road and the car are both ideas we can also say that being conscious is noticing the ideas we are in a relationship with.
1.7 Lets say that we were in a conversation with someone, the purpose, so that we could get to know each other better. Knowing each other we might be better able to connect and together create the idea of a friendship or an intimate relationship. Being conscious during the course of the conversation we would know what it is we are trying to say and use words that match our meaning. We would also be conscious of our partner as we speak so that we can see if they understand our meaning. If not we can modify or correct what we said. Likewise while listening, we would be conscious of what our partner was saying and thus understand the meaning behind the words, and if not we could ask for clarification.
1.8 Dancing with someone, consciousness would apply to feeling ourselves, knowing where we are in space, knowing or feeling all of the relevant relationships within ourselves, and also feeling where our center was in relation to the earth. But at the same time, we would also be conscious of our connection to our partner and through that connection feel where he or she is. And if we are leading, we would be conscious of what our partner can do so we can pick movements that are appropriate. Or knowing in advance what we want to do, position ourselves appropriately. And then when it is time to do the movement, signal it appropriately so that our partner can actually act on the information.
1.9 If we are the follower then being conscious we would feel where our partner was and what he wanted us to do, then we do the move, being conscious of ourselves and what is around us and the movement itself. Following we have the benefit of not having to choose, instead we can just concentrate on doing whatever our lead chooses. And as a result within those constraints we are free to express ourselves.
1.10 Shiva is also often depicted as a lingam and in this guise he is partnered with Shakti. Where Shiva is the divine masculine shakti is the divine feminine representing energy. Shiva is form, and as such the symbol of the upright penis is appropriate but it is Shakti that animates that form, one could say that it is Shakti (or the thought thereof) that makes Shiva erect. Consciousness is form and energy animates that form, together they become aspects of the same thing, life.
1.11 We could look at a motorcycle, and without a rider, it is just a motorcycle. However, with a rider, and the engine running, it becomes part of the idea of riding. In the same way Shiva and Shakti are separate ideas but together they are part of a bigger idea, that of life.
1.12 Going back to the dance, the dance where we are dancing with a partner, when we are leading and choose a movement, then our partner executes this movement it is like we are Shiva and Shakti together. Leading we represent consciousness while following we represent energy but we are both conscious. We both hold ourselves upright, and we both move, but it is just in the context of the dance itself that one of us chooses and the other follows. But in some cases both of us are choosing and both of us are following. It depends on which way you look at it.
1.13 Ultimately, when two people have danced together long enough they become part of a new idea, they become the dance and here they truly do become two parts of one idea, still themselves but also part of something bigger than themselves. And rather than one leading and the other following, at the level of the dance, it is the dance, the idea of the dance itself which leads them both and changes them both, and they express it.
Shiva and Shakti together, aspects of the same thing.
1.1 In Indian folklore Shiva is the personification of Consciousness. One depiction has Shiva dancing across the universe and the purpose of this dance is to stamp out ignorance. And that is perhaps the negative way of looking at it. What he is doing as he dances across the universe is spreading consciousness.
1.2 Consciousness and being conscious has many aspects but perhaps the most basic and fundamental of these is the ability to sense limits so that we can freely move within them.
1.3 Imagine driving on a road while it is foggy. Because of the fog we can’t see the edges of the road and it is also difficult to see other traffic. As a result we have to drive slower to keep ourselves safe. In this case being conscious would be driving only as fast as we would be able to stop safely should we see something up ahead.
1.4 Now imagine driving that way even if the weather is clear. Imagine driving like it is foggy but there is no fog. Or imagine driving quickly when there is fog. That is a little like ignorance. That’s not to say that just because it is clear we have to drive fast, it’s that being conscious we see the road and what is on it and we know how fast we can drive, while staying safe, and we choose to drive as fast or as slow as we like up to within those limits.
1.5 Staying with the theme of driving, our vehicles have readouts to give us information. There’s a speedometer, sometimes a rev counter. There’s also warning lights and a gas meter. An example of being conscious would be knowing what the readouts are for and actually using them. That’s the speedometer and right now I am going 90 mph... oops, no, 90 kmh.”
1.6 In both of the above cases we are becoming conscious of relationships, in one case our relationship with the road and in the other our relationship with the vehicle we are driving and since the road and the car are both ideas we can also say that being conscious is noticing the ideas we are in a relationship with.
1.7 Lets say that we were in a conversation with someone, the purpose, so that we could get to know each other better. Knowing each other we might be better able to connect and together create the idea of a friendship or an intimate relationship. Being conscious during the course of the conversation we would know what it is we are trying to say and use words that match our meaning. We would also be conscious of our partner as we speak so that we can see if they understand our meaning. If not we can modify or correct what we said. Likewise while listening, we would be conscious of what our partner was saying and thus understand the meaning behind the words, and if not we could ask for clarification.
1.8 Dancing with someone, consciousness would apply to feeling ourselves, knowing where we are in space, knowing or feeling all of the relevant relationships within ourselves, and also feeling where our center was in relation to the earth. But at the same time, we would also be conscious of our connection to our partner and through that connection feel where he or she is. And if we are leading, we would be conscious of what our partner can do so we can pick movements that are appropriate. Or knowing in advance what we want to do, position ourselves appropriately. And then when it is time to do the movement, signal it appropriately so that our partner can actually act on the information.
1.9 If we are the follower then being conscious we would feel where our partner was and what he wanted us to do, then we do the move, being conscious of ourselves and what is around us and the movement itself. Following we have the benefit of not having to choose, instead we can just concentrate on doing whatever our lead chooses. And as a result within those constraints we are free to express ourselves.
1.10 Shiva is also often depicted as a lingam and in this guise he is partnered with Shakti. Where Shiva is the divine masculine shakti is the divine feminine representing energy. Shiva is form, and as such the symbol of the upright penis is appropriate but it is Shakti that animates that form, one could say that it is Shakti (or the thought thereof) that makes Shiva erect. Consciousness is form and energy animates that form, together they become aspects of the same thing, life.
1.11 We could look at a motorcycle, and without a rider, it is just a motorcycle. However, with a rider, and the engine running, it becomes part of the idea of riding. In the same way Shiva and Shakti are separate ideas but together they are part of a bigger idea, that of life.
1.12 Going back to the dance, the dance where we are dancing with a partner, when we are leading and choose a movement, then our partner executes this movement it is like we are Shiva and Shakti together. Leading we represent consciousness while following we represent energy but we are both conscious. We both hold ourselves upright, and we both move, but it is just in the context of the dance itself that one of us chooses and the other follows. But in some cases both of us are choosing and both of us are following. It depends on which way you look at it.
1.13 Ultimately, when two people have danced together long enough they become part of a new idea, they become the dance and here they truly do become two parts of one idea, still themselves but also part of something bigger than themselves. And rather than one leading and the other following, at the level of the dance, it is the dance, the idea of the dance itself which leads them both and changes them both, and they express it.
Shiva and Shakti together, aspects of the same thing.
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