2012.01.09 _ 21

Standing meditation first thing in the morning. I quite like getting back to the everyday rhythm after the holidays.

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Waking up in the middle of the night, an abstract image floating in my consciousness: white on off-white, some ivory lines, space divided in virtual squares, symmetry a bit off balance, natural, a texture between ice and what is called "creme anglaise" in French cuisine, sugary and liquid or is it topaze quartz, a very light clear yellow chartreuse melting as I work on the structure of the snapshot, capturing the back white light pouring into it and making the whole image lustrous and shining, a glimpse of the 5th dimension maybe? #timestamp

Wester's suggestion, to try to catch what your upcoming thought is before you put it into words, was new for me as well, so I tried it right away. Interesting indeed! First I tried it with images. That was quite easy. Whether looking at sights around me, or while imagining things and letting memory images come up, I could see that the running commentary in terms of words appeared with a time lag. Waiting for actual thoughts to pop up was more tricky. In how far is a thought a thought before it is put into words? Good question.
It reminded me of a sudden insight I had when I was fifteen or so, and suddenly, while walking on the street at night, realized that when talking or thinking, I typically don't know how a `train of thought' will end even after starting it. The obviously conclusion is that we don't know what we're doing when we are thinking or talking: we seem to be in control, but at the same time things just develop out of nowhere. Today, too, while doing Wester's practice, I felt again how to wording and phrasing are such late comers . . . edited 12:23, 9 Jan 2012

Ah...thoughts.... I think thoughts think me. I watched a Ted video by Tyler Cowen. He says that though our lives tend to be a mess, we often simplify them into nice simple stories. Getting comfortable with the idea that I'm not here for any particular reason and that life is just a big unexplainable mess :) edited 21:56, 9 Jan 2012

So interesting to read Eden's post. I spent yesterday at a wonderful spot as I mentioned, lingering in a few galleries of hanging scrolls and ceramics. Out of the entire day, I scribbled only a few little notes, and one of them was a description of "Plique-a-Jour' which is described on wikipedia as:

Plique-à-jour (French for "letting in daylight") is a vitreous enamelling technique where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonné, but with no backing in the final product, so light can shine through the transparent or translucent enamel. It is in effect a miniature version of stained-glass and is considered very challenging technically: high time consumption (up to 4 months per item), high failure rate, requires psychological strength to start over.

The technique is similar to that of cloisonné, but using a temporary backing that after firing is dissolved by acid or rubbed away.[1] A different technique relies solely on surface tension, for smaller areas.[2] In Japan the technique is known as shotai-jippo(shotai shippo), and is found from the 19th century on.[3]

In other reporting, I continue to lay down/nap when necessary, finding it a very nice practice, and have wanted to see Tree of Life for a while... must do so. :)

Being away from this only makes me realize how much I miss every one's posts. I have not been avoiding my daily practice of Tai Chi, I have been avoiding the practice of posting to this list. Not avoiding actually, just refocusing elsewhere for the past week or two. Now I realize we are all on the same train, just different cars and when reading this list it is like a walk from car to car, picking up familiar themes from each other. Thank you, I have missed all of you, only just realized it today.

The idea of practice had a new light shown on it last weekend when my Tai Chi teacher invited a number of her students to her house for dinner and to watch a movie about Tai Chi Daoist practitioners in China today. What I do for 20 or so minutes a day, others spend years and 10 hours a day doing with great intensity. Luckily I am good with what I have and where it is taking me. But it's nice to know there is both the fast train and the long train available to make the journey enjoyable in a multitude of ways.

Think I need a rest - but from what? Sometimes things seem to dis-integrate. Let the yarrow stalks scatter.

This day seems like two. Time has extended and wrapped around each emotion, discovery. new awarenes,surprise, disappointment, encounter, or conversation until they all pack together, without order or hierarchy - not like a cars along a track, but like marbles in a jar. Each experience has been unique and has provided plenty of material - with its own crevices and nuances to wrap a short 24 hours around. I too need a rest. edited 06:35, 10 Jan 2012