Toby and I were talking a little while ago about ’Spore’ the game. I’ve seen it advertised and haven’t given it much thought. That’d be because I’m kind of selective about what I am mindful about, about what I retain in my consciousness. Well we all are aren’t we?

And this process of selectivity got me thinking of  ’self’ and ‘non-self’. The way I see it, I create, maintain and develop my self through that which I choose to be aware of. That which I choose to ignore (and by that I do not mean things I am aware of and disregard, but rather those things I am simply unaware of), these things DO NOT EXIST for me. These non-existent things make up my non-self.

Simple really.

These things that make up my non-self do not exist. They are nothing to me. Yet at anytime something can move from my non-self to my self, in fact things are constantly moving between the two.  When I was younger  stuff was mostly transferred from non-self to self.  My self grew and grew. And this did not cause any noticeable shrinking to my non-self - well it couldn’t could it, as I (my self) am totally unaware of what constitutes my non-self. Although I think of it as vast, infinite in it’s nothingness.  As I was growing I just kept drawing things from it (as we do).

And then a time came when I noticed I was giving stuff back. Stuff that had been part of me was jettisoning off. My self seemed to be shrinking. Things I could no longer remember, and things I simply chose to forget. There came a time when I consciously stopped growing, I had accumulated enough stuff, now it was time to let some go. And the edges between self and non-self became blurred. The border between what I was aware of and what I was unaware of swelled, like a limb asleep and numb. And it was this borderland between self and non-self that increasingly became my comfort zone. Albeit a very numb comfort zone!

And where does all this fit with Spore and the god delusion and genes? Hmmm who knows? Though I think it does some how, because it seems to me that Spore provides an opportunity for us all to play god, which of course we are. We are gods of our own universes. We are. We are the centre of our own universes. No one else is. No one else can be.  We see things, we create things as we want things to be seen and be created. Spore it seems to me just gives practical expression to this truth.

Spore lets us create our selves and create our non-selves, perhaps. Ha who knows, that’s the joy of it. So I hope someone is keeping track.  Because what we have here is one great social experiment. As far as I understand it, sometime in the not too distant future, we, us, you and me, are all going to take part in recreating the world. I mean, its not that far-fetched is it?

Some day soon a game will begin. There will be enough of us playing to make it meaningful, as meaningful as anything else.  And in this game we are god and do whatever we want, and as more and more people play, the characters they create, the traits they emphasise and de-emphasise will aggregate. And then a forgotten dream will come true.

There will come a time when the technology we have created will give all a voice. An identity free from judgement and discrimination. All will have the opportunity to be present. As individuals. As gods of their own worlds.

Represent

Righteous!

x bhavatu sabbe mangalum x

how would we feel

if whatever happened to us

was wonderful?

how would we feel if we accepted, understood, and looked forward to the wonder of;

• the death of a loved one
• a relationship’s end
• the loss of livelihood

If everything that was ever to happen to us was not just ok, it was bloody fantastic. Exciting. Full of opportunities to experience the wonder and joy of the world. Full of moments in which we could excel, expand, be huge!  What if, we KNEW this without any doubt.

How would we feel?

Where would we be?

x bhavatu sabbe mangalum x

Everything is of the same importance.  Everything, every little thing, everything that comes across any of the senses- anything I see, anything I hear, anything I touch. The most trivial comment about a tv show that was on last night, or someone expousing quantum meta-philosophy, or perhaps the end of the most wonderful, intense love relationship of my life.

It is all of equal importance- all very important. 

What does that mean in terms of the way I live my life? 

Oscar Wilde ( I love you Oscar!) said life is too important to take seriously. 

Of course! Now, I realise.  As everything is of equal importance, I can CHOOSE whether I take it all seriously or not.  My ’seriousness’ or ‘playfulness’ [is that the opposite of 'seriousness'?] has no influence on how important something is.  

FANTASTIC!  To help me recognise the equal importance of all I:

• relax as to understand that everything is of equal importance does in effect relieve me of the need to try and work out what something is worth, or its value in any way.
• practice trying to be more and more aware of everything- obviously the dog crap on the sidewalk –  and everything else.  I try and hear as well as listen. To recognise what someone is saying. And not simply what they are simply saying also how they are saying it. How they are saying it, what they look when they are saying it.  What do they feel like as they are saying it?

And I guess I could have read Allan Pease and Body Language (or something similar) and learnt the signs, and then if someone looks like that, that means this or that. This grimace means they are lying or not lying or stressed or not stressed. I can learn it like that- that is one way of learning it.  It is a good way of learning it. I think I may actually have read an Allan Pease book.

Another way to learn it is to simply practice. Practice being mindful.  Keep practising a one-mind focus. 

We all have this ability- we CAN all recognise each other. 

This is primal.

We can all do this without having to know what little twitches or sideways glances mean, in any rational analytical sense. 

We can all recognise

we can all feel

we all have the ability to feel connection

to trust. 

It is a connection to the importance of our life- that’s what it is- it is about recognising how special and fortunate we are, and being grateful for that every moment of every moment.  

It is about our lives. 

our gifts

the privilege and the blessing of being

x bhavatu sabbe mangalum x

Wow, I came across a business card between the pages of ”The Hero with a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell. That in itself proffers the humble card-cum-bookmark some mythological significance. And as for the page and the point it was marking, those will be in a later korero called ‘decay, disease and death’, so keep your eye out for that one.

The card, which in itself is a work of art,  I was given a couple of months ago when I visited Greenwich Village with Cari, her son James and his partner Helen. Greenwich is a very nice place, the boat trip up the Thames was enjoyable as much for the commentary as anything else, and we walked to the top of the hill and straddled the mean time. We stood with one foot in the East and one in the West.

I have been unable to use the terms ‘East’ and ‘West’ so readily since that day.  If this is it, I thought, then what the hell is all the fuss about. They aint so different after all, East appears very similar to West, when you look at it up close.

I loved the Market, it reminded me of Victoria Street Market back in Auckland, Aotearoa, with more art and more street culture and a little less large commercialism, more an arts and crafts feel, but a quality arts and crafts, if you know what I mean. Crickey I’m articulate!

Does anyone remember Cook Street Market? Anyone?

I digress.  At the Market (Greenwich that it) there was this AMAZING stand with fabulous artwork on it. .. no not the one below, and isn’t that way cool though? I think I might buy a picture like that for Cari if I ever manage to get a job, ever…

This other stall was even more AMAZING.  Just jaw-dropping stuff.  And I briefly spoke to the young woman there (who may have been Claire) -she was very nice and gave me this card that I found today in Joseph’s book.

I had forgotten it, I had forgotten what it signified.  It has come back. This time  I followed it to a website. Clare Rollet is the artist.

Clare your work is magnificient. The detail and the colour are perfect.  The choice of subject, the angle – magic. It inspires me, it takes my breath away.  It is exquisite, almost difficult to look at.  I hope that one day you will visit Auckland, New Zealand.

And I love cities too. I love walking through them, through all the varied and various parts of them. Along roads and paths, past shops and houses, across parks and commons, around in circles and in particular around the corners. I love the colours and the noise and the smell. I love the wabi-sabi.

I love the people who inhabit them. I love those who see the magic surrounds them. I love those who do not see the magic surrounding them.  The magic that is in them. The magic that is them. The magic that is.

So my friends I recommend you all follow the link below for some absolutely stunning pieces of art.  Clare could be coming to a city near you, or even a city all around you – but for now let’s start with London -

inkcities

Thanks Clare.

May you be liberated, may you be happy, may you always share in my dharma.

x bhavatu sabbe mangalum x

What grace taught me. She taught me not to fear, that she was always there. Grace. Is always there.

Throughout my life you are always there. Forever. Like the air I breathe, for the breath I am. Yet, I doubt

This you tell me is not a flaw, no crack

This is life, to exist is to be two

Inbreath and outbreath, light and shadow, one and the same. Different.

Fractured, split

Yet, you say, this is not a flaw, no crack.

I am Grace

I am your gift.