2011.07.24 13:00 - Aimless Wandering

The Guardian for this meeting was Bruce Mowbray. The comments and photos are by Bruce Mowbray.

Korel Laloix: heay
Korel Laloix: Heya even.
Bruce Mowbray: Hi, Korel.
Bruce Mowbray: Hi, Ewan.
Korel Laloix: How is your weekend?

Bruce Mowbray looks around for Ewan but doesn't see him.
Bruce Mowbray: mine? Good - I'm unwinding from the retreat in Halifax -- aimlessly wandering around the town.
Bruce Mowbray: How is your weekend?

--BELL--

Korel Laloix: Halifax?
Korel Laloix: Canada?
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Korel Laloix: Way way way way toooo faaaar North for me.
Bruce Mowbray: Hi, Pema.
Bruce Mowbray: Hi, Arch.
Korel Laloix: Hey all.
Pema Pera: Hi Arch, Bruce, Korel!
Bruce Mowbray: ;-)
Pema Pera: Nice to see you again, Bruce!
Korel Laloix: What?
Pema Pera: hi Zon!
Bruce Mowbray: ty, Pema --
Bruce Mowbray: Hey, Zon.
Zon Kwan: hi pema, all
Archmage Atlantis: Hallelujah
Zon Kwan: i wonder
Pema Pera: We had a great week in our RL retreat in Nova Scotia; just ended yesterday
Korel Laloix: Do tell please.
Archmage Atlantis: vg Pila
Pema Pera: Bruce, Wol, Eos, Eliza, Stim and me
Zon Kwan: where is nova scotia..somewhere north ?
Bruce Mowbray: NS is one of the Maritime provinces in extreme eastern Canada.
Archmage Atlantis: north of me for sure, Zon
Pema Pera: Southeast of Canada, hence north for most of us
Zon Kwan: is it cold ?
Bruce Mowbray: almost on the same latitude as Maine.
Pema Pera: just perfect temperature this time of the year
Korel Laloix: You mean 104f?
Pema Pera: :-)
Pema Pera: not New York, no
Archmage Atlantis: Hallejulah *g*
Bruce Mowbray: We were only hot for one day - - - but still more comfortable than those south of us.
Zon Kwan: gtg, see ya
Korel Laloix: Ciao
Bruce Mowbray: Bye for now, Zon.
Pema Pera: thank you, Bruce!
Pema Pera: I guess nobody volunteered to replace Maxine for this slot this week
Dash Earthboy: hey y'all
Pema Pera: hi Dash!
Bruce Mowbray: Hey, Dash.
Archmage Atlantis: So Pema, I will take the log....or you will take it
Archmage Atlantis: your call
Dash Earthboy: hey Fc
Bruce Mowbray: Hey, Fc.
Pema Pera: Bruce already did, Arch
Pema Pera: hi Fc
Pema Pera: that's why I thanked him :)
Korel Laloix: Wrestle for it.
FcSeeker Resident: Hello Korel Pema Bruce Archmage Dash
Korel Laloix waves
Archmage Atlantis: Namaste, Blessings, Shalom, Allah Akbar
Dash Earthboy: :)
Dash Earthboy: so we're just settling in for a session now huh?
Bruce Mowbray: just began, yes.
Dash Earthboy: kk
Korel Laloix: More about the retreat?
Archmage Atlantis: Some have sons they miss
Pema Pera: it's hard to know where to start, Korel, after a full week . . . :-)
Archmage Atlantis: Some need proof
Pema Pera: many hours of talking and sitting and walking each day
Korel Laloix: Start from Wednesday evening....a good tie of the week.
Korel Laloix: Not that I can type today.
Pema Pera: Wednesday was our silent day
Bruce Mowbray agrees with Pema – not knowing where to begin -- is still letting feelings/thoughts/intuitions settle.

--BELL--

Korel Laloix: Why we sitting three on a side? Looks like a confrontation.
Pema Pera: silent through dinner -- and then we talked for three hours :-)
Pema Pera: that evening we talked about the various forest walks we had done
Pema Pera: and compared connecting with the forest out there with the way we connect with our mind, or with all that appears
Pema Pera: hi Eos!
FcSeeker Resident: hello Eos
Dash Earthboy: hey Eos
Bruce Mowbray: Hello, Eos.
Pema Pera: Just started talking about last Wednesday
Eos Amaterasu: Hello good company!
Pema Pera: Korel asked to talk about the mid day of the retreat
Korel Laloix: Heya.
Pema Pera: :-)
Eos Amaterasu observes symmetry seeking (perhaps)
Korel Laloix: For another time question.... why forests?
Pema Pera: the retreat took place in a forest
Korel Laloix: Lots of people seem to like forests... I prefer open fields.
Bruce Mowbray ponders PaB mandala and societal mandala.
Korel Laloix: A topic for later I think.
Korel Laloix: Keep going please.
Eos Amaterasu: forests tend to be where the wildlife is
Eos Amaterasu: both plant and animal
Pema Pera: everything entangled
Dash Earthboy: albeit i've seen plenty of wildlife in open fields even on such blistering hot days :)
Pema Pera: this particular forest was unusual, it was left in its original state for the last 150 years
Pema Pera: tended to, but not planned
Eos Amaterasu: clearings, meadows, in the forest, are also special
Dash Earthboy: sounds good :)
Pema Pera: a carpet of moss over layers of rotting logs
Archmage Atlantis: 50 years, unusual.......10,000 years is unusual
Archmage Atlantis: 1,000,000 is normal
Pema Pera: very different from most forest I've seen
Eos Amaterasu: very springy earth
Eos Amaterasu: both on the paths and off
Pema Pera: the forester suggested to us a practice of "aimless wandering"
Archmage Atlantis: Astrophysicists.......know nothing of biology
Pema Pera: go in the direction of whatever pulls you
Pema Pera: but then whenever you feel pulled by something else, change direction to that new something
Pema Pera: I don't know whether any of you have tried something like that?
Dash Earthboy: yes, while hunting :)
FcSeeker Resident: <3
Korel Laloix: I do like to just wander yes.
FcSeeker Resident: much
Bruce Mowbray: Fc has requested a change of position to assist the quest for symmetry . . . so I am moving the tiny cushion now.
Archmage Atlantis: Fc may do as pleased
Bruce Mowbray: How's that, Fc?
FcSeeker Resident: thank you Bruce
Dash Earthboy: :)
Archmage Atlantis: If brave enuf
FcSeeker Resident: <3<3<3
Bruce Mowbray: you're welcome.
Bruce Mowbray: The forest welcomed us, watched us, even spoke to us.
Bruce Mowbray: In our wanderings through the forest – as just described by Pema - we allowed the forest to call us in new directions.
Bruce Mowbray: always a surprise to discover myself going in "unplanned" places . . .
Dash Earthboy: hey mila
FcSeeker Resident: hi mila
Eos Amaterasu: Hi Mila
Bruce Mowbray: Hi, Mila.
Pema Pera: hi Mila!
milakel Resident: hi :)

--BELL--

Eos Amaterasu: aimless wandering in the 90 seconds?
Archmage Atlantis: I have a story to tell Humans pass, imho, pass information by telling stories 4me, passing of information is being So, this is the story.. well, it is still playing out so
milakel Resident: pema, can you comment on the recent finding of insane amount of water in space? :)
Archmage Atlantis: Go go be and play
Pema Pera: haven't heard about one yet, Mila :)
milakel Resident: archy, makes sense
milakel Resident: pema, ok, now you know it :)
Dash Earthboy: *learning
Dash Earthboy: what was the rationale for foregoing regular sessions here while on retreat?
milakel Resident: pema, you only follow the star news? :)
milakel Resident: dash?
Bruce Mowbray: ?
Eos Amaterasu: Dash, retreats are their own "container" (like the alchemical idea of "hermetically" sealed "alembic" within which transformation may happen)
Eos Amaterasu: also, internet access not directly on site
Dash Earthboy: the sessions I attended here were not joined by those on retreat, mila
Bruce Mowbray thinks that Arch's stories are also a sort of container.
milakel Resident: btw, re water: www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/universe20110722.html
Dash Earthboy: ty :)
milakel Resident: dash, ah. makes sense. they were busy with rl retreats :)
Eos Amaterasu: I was able to GC my own session Tuesday night because it was past the normal hours (11 pm Atlantic time)
Bruce Mowbray: I'm trusting that my substitute (Aph) was here for Tuesday's 1 p.m. session - since I could not be here.
milakel Resident thinks pema is taking a nap :)
Dash Earthboy: yes bruce
Bruce Mowbray: good -- Thanks, Dash.
Pema Pera is wondering why Mila wants him to talk so much . . . .
Pema Pera: about insane topics :-)
milakel Resident: eos, ouch. i first read "GC" as "garbage collect" :)
Pema Pera: (or was it insane amounts?)
milakel Resident: cause we don't see you often, pema :)
Eos Amaterasu: sometimes the GC has to GC :-)
Eos Amaterasu: GoC: Guardian on Call, or Guardian of the Conversation, ....
milakel Resident: hey, you're an astronomer, after all, pema :)
Eos Amaterasu: biology is grateful to astrophysics for all its constituents
Bruce Mowbray: "One cannot pick a flower without troubling a star."
Eos Amaterasu: shall we do/ observer "aimless wandering" in the upcoming 90 seconds?
Eos Amaterasu: [13:23] Pema Pera: the forester suggested to us a practice of "aimless wandering" [13:23] Pema Pera: go in the direction of whatever pulls you [13:23] Pema Pera: but then whenever you feel pulled by something else, change direction to that new something
Pema Pera: good idea, Eos!
Bruce Mowbray: good suggestion, Eos. I will do it for my "drop."

--BELL--

milakel Resident: pema, what if you're being pulled to a negative thought which keeps persisting?
Dash Earthboy: *how to handle an itch you can't reach :)
Pema Pera: for me, it was great to aimlessly follow my memories of the retreat, during these 90 seconds
milakel Resident: unpersist it :)
Pema Pera: and I thought about the two ways of viewing the world, that we talked about
Pema Pera: one view centered on biological evolution
milakel Resident: yes, sounds lovely, pema. that farm is so beautiful.
Pema Pera: and another was less focused on competition and selection, but more on Being
Pema Pera: what did others find, aimlessly?
Bruce Mowbray listens.
Dash Earthboy: hey Zen
Bruce Mowbray: Hi, Zen.
Pema Pera: hi Zen
milakel Resident: new zen! :)
Eos Amaterasu noticed things in his room he hadn't noticed before :-)
Zen Arado: Hi all
FcSeeker Resident: Hello Zen
milakel Resident: eos, tell more please :)
Zen Arado: Zen mark 2
milakel Resident: zen 2.0 :)
Eos Amaterasu: plus there are many bird sounds here just as in the forest we were in

I up-loaded a photo of the forest we’d been referring to and was giving everyone a copy when Milakel asked her next question.

milakel Resident: did you bring any pics?
milakel Resident: that are safe to share
Bruce Mowbray: :)   http://hermitdog.com/Forest_Threshold.JPG
Eos Amaterasu: Dash, re persisting negative thoughts, just letting them be gives them more space (ie, rather than pushing them). They will still come back, but the gaps between them may be more visible, and you might fall into one such :-)
Dash Earthboy: yep Eos, been there, done that
Bruce Mowbray: ty.
Eos Amaterasu: my need to repeatedly do that (as repeatedly as the persistence....)
Korel Laloix: Stil rezzing. but nice and green at least..
Dash Earthboy: i had just tried to re-phrase mila's question
Dash Earthboy: from another perspective
Eos Amaterasu: (thnx bruce)

--BELL--

Bruce Mowbray: Mila, my practice with "negatives" (once I become aware there's emotional reactivity going on) is to rest in them - - and, as Eos says, changes happen.
Eos Amaterasu needs to go -bye (quietly)
Bruce Mowbray: Bye, Eos.
Zen Arado slips away to Bert's meditation session
Bruce Mowbray: Bye, Zen.
Korel Laloix: Ciao all... off to SL Church service.... take care.
FcSeeker Resident: waves
Bruce Mowbray: Bye, Korel.
Pema Pera slipping away too
Bruce Mowbray: Bye, Pema.
FcSeeker Resident: waves
Bruce Mowbray: and thanks to all of you.
Pema Pera: bye everybody
Bruce Mowbray: Hey, Fc, Can you help me locate the previous position of your cushion?
FcSeeker Resident: beside Dash
FcSeeker Resident: on his right side
FcSeeker Resident: smiles
Dash Earthboy: right between the brown and blue cushions :)
FcSeeker Resident: <3

Bruce deftly scoots the tiny's cushion -- with Fc aboard -- across the fountain and into position beside Dash.
Bruce Mowbray: Is that all right, Fc?
FcSeeker Resident: this is perfect thank you
Bruce Mowbray smiles with delight.
Bruce Mowbray: I also need to go.  It's my supper time . . .
Dash Earthboy: bye Bruce
Bruce Mowbray: any parting remarks from Fc and/or Dash and/or Korel?
Dash Earthboy: gtsy
Bruce Mowbray: May the spirit of all love and peace be with you, each and all.
Dash Earthboy: Hey!