I was on a catamaran in Boston Harbor on my way out to Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary to see whales. It was amazing to see a mother Humpback whale and her calf. The power of witnessing nature in such a setting is pretty incredible to be sure and a guaranteed way to put the impact of what we do into stark relief. We need to learn to live in harmony within the system that is Earth, not in conflict with it. However, this I not what I wanted to write about, though it is a lovey tangent. What I want to talk about relates to the trip out to Stellwagen Bank on what you first feel is a rather large and powerful ship.
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There are dangers to the contemplation of emptiness. I am not talking about the emptiness of my tea mug right now, which clearly needs to be filled with more Earle Grey (be right back). Ah, now that’s better. Anyway, where was I? Oh, so emptiness is an interesting concept to explore. It is an instigator of Vastness. It also has the benefit of being something you can set up to experience yourself.
From The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson I felt totally insignificant, meaningless, standing there. My life was the tiniest ripple on the sea of time. I felt the alienness of the world around me, the indifference of the universe, and a kind of wonder at the absurd persistency of human beings whose delusions of grandeur are incurable. Suddenly it seemed that life was no more than a dream. Yes, I read and re-read this particular work, along with The Philosopher’s Stone. I find them full of small nuggets that really make you think about your place in the grand scheme of things. I don’t always agree, but that is the point. It makes me think.
The light of awareness displays many varied characteristics. Like the Sun, it has a brilliant and beautiful harshness that burns away everything before it leaving behind only the nakedness of the Earth. However, it can be beautiful in other ways. When the clouds cover the sky with the exception of a break, you see the sunlight filtered down to the Earth in a golden spotlight. While walking through the forest, the light trickling down through the canopy of leaves is a gorgeous sprinkling of warm rain. It dances on our skin and we tilt our face to it to be bathed, our bodies inherently knowing it to be needed for health and wellness. Then there are the blistering days, where the Sun unfailingly attempts to provide you with the excitement of heat stroke and it unrelentingly pours itself forth. In my neck of the woods, it likes to combine with high humidity so it might have its rays of light stick to my skin like glue, making it feel ten to twenty degrees hotter. It is a lover with an exquisitely soft touch one day and a rogue bastard the next. So it is with awareness.
Ah, the inspired piece of writing. I do so love when I am inundated with gorgeous pieces of writing that have me stewing in my thoughts, raging in my dreams, and trying to find the intersections between the concepts I currently hold and the notions put forth that make sense and resonate. What’s more challenging are those thoughts that directly stand in opposition to thoughts I presently hold to be true. This is where the real value stands. Taking your own assumptions and weighing their merits and seeing if they fall before the newly considered notion. So, I owe a debt of gratitude to Antti and Lloyd. For those who are interested in the concept of Vastness, of which I have written in the past, I am going back to it. It is a rather intriguing topic that I could consider indefinitely. It is a horrifying notion. Read any Lovecraft story revolving around the Old Ones, watch early Hellraiser films or perhaps grab some popcorn and have a viewing of Event Horizon. On second thought, you might want to skip the eats.
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Lasciel AnnwynnI am one of those. Yes, that kind. I poke around in the corners and lesser explored paths of life looking for it's mysteries. There is so much magic in the world when you open your perception to it. Look with eyes of wonder. Archives
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