2011.10.16 _ 45

Sat for ten minutes during this morning's PaB session, feeling the world outside, letting myself expand into it. The monkeys (and horses) were in a particularly expansive mood, I let them play (like children in a sandpit, only calling them back if they got to the edge). Reading Steven's last comment and feeling how vastly, undeservedly lucky I have been.

Meditated in the afternoon. Prostrations.

Tried to make the prostrations more allowing, less doing. Found this worked best when I synchronized them with my breathing: change posture on the inbreath, sinking into that posture on the outbreath.

So: Raise hands to breast on the inbreath - sink on the outbreath.
Raise hands to forehead on the inbreath - sink on the outbreath.
Mentally open on the inbreath - bow on the outbreath.
Relax into prostrate posture on inbreath and outbreath.
Sit up on inbreath - sink on the outbreath.
Repeat.

Recliner thoughts:

In yesterday’s color-test discussion, much talk of surfaces reflecting neighboring surfaces -- ambient occlusion.
In today’s 7:00 pavilion session, much talk of “choices” among too many options - how having to make fewer choices among fewer options might increase happiness.

After last week’s WoK session, Samuo’s perception of Cal’s perception:
“Calvino, omni-perspectivus, like a perspicacious panopticon, from which nothing can or need hide.”

Here’s a video I made recently of the Millennium Park “Bean” in Chicago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPIWLq_Bprk

It’s easily the most panopticonic sculpture I’ve ever seen.
In a contest for sculptures of God, “The Bean” takes first prize. edited 15:51, 16 Oct 2011

Welcome back, Steve! And yes, art viewing as meditation is an interesting connection. I had lunch with a few art historians recently, at my work place, who described the tension in renaissance art between trying to be realistic and yet inspiring and invocative. And it struck me how walking through town, we have a choice of seeing things `as they are' in a more objective way or `as they inspire us', which is yet another aspect of `what they also are'.

Twenty minutes, standing at the wall. No smoothe white sand but a cushy yoga mat. Very different sort of practice ... conversing with shadow then, ah, we can practice together. Shadow helps, lights centers... eye, throat, heart... hearing tones. Fall in line.

on forest walk
the imprint of a bicyclist on the path
whizzes by

::: A subtle lilac
::: For the sacred feminine
::: Essence of roses

tai chi in the yard, sun shining through the trees, wind moving the shadows, cat swimming beneath my feet confusing me

Preoccupations in the past few days has led me off this path.
Tonight I focused on painting tiny little purple dots on the petal of an orchid.
Like looking at art, making art comes very close to meditation.
There are now purple dots inside my eyelids.

A busy time
Remembering now
Deep breath