Meditation

Tranquility

An invasion of privacy

Not everyone enjoys being in the spotlight.  Finding a peaceful spot away from the hassle of the modern world  –  somewhere to quietly reflect, meditate and generally sort things out  –  can help soothe the troubled mind.  But too often sounds, lights, schedules etc intrude.  As the poet William Wordsworth wrote, ‘The world is too much with us.’

The figure in the photograph is a small  sculpture of the Weeping Buddha. It is believed by some that the Weeping Buddha takes away the grief and troubles of the world. In return, he bestow peace and provides strength to those who rub his back.

Abstract 311 ‘Fleeting dreams’

For meditation

Stay with this image for a while.  Hear the gentle lapping of the water at the sea’s edge.  Feel it  playing around your toes.  Notice the glow of the late afternoon sun on the groynes  –  feel its warmth.  Taste the salt on your lips.  Sense the soothing rhythm of the calm, blue sea.  Relax.

That was my holiday!

 

 

Simply Blue

Far from the madding crowd

A quiet corner

Summer evening

Abstract 179

After the activity of the festive season,  a little quietness and calm seems appropriate.

 

 

Abstract 213

Finding a quiet corner

Spring sunshine on the Solent

Click to enlarge

Meditation for the New Year

Click to enlarge

Just reflecting

It is extraordinary how therapeutic a short time by the sea can be.  The whirligig of everyday life is temporarily stilled.  The vastness of the sea, the soothing ripple of the waves, the plaintive calling of the gulls, the awareness of unaccustomed space combine to induce personal reflection and meditation.

Seaweed abstract ‘The Mystic’

Seaweed pattern as found  –  nothing added, nothing taken away (except the sand), merely rotated  90 degrees!

 

After the showers

Yesterday was a day of heavy showers, punctuated by occasional brief spells of sunshine.  It was mischievous weather  –  the sort that lulled you into a false sense of security and then soaked you to the skin!

But by early evening the showers had ceased and the rays of the sinking sun produced a range of soft pinks and blues in the passing clouds.  The only sounds were bird songs, the occasional bleating of lambs in the sheep field and the apologetic hourly chime from the clock in the church tower.  It was a magical time.

 

 

Where shall I place him?

Where to crop and where to place the focal point are decisions crucial to the effectiveness of every photograph, and I readily confess that I am often disappointed with my own previous  choices.

In the case of the Weeping Buddha, below, I have chosen to place the figure towards the lower left corner.  Freed from background clutter and noise, I hope the space behind enhances the atmosphere of meditation, quiet and solitude.

Interestingly, if the figure is transferred to the lower right corner he seems to be facing the world rather than isolating himself  –  praying for a wider community.

A meditation

I first posted this poem in May of last year but, according to WordPress.stats, it has not had a single visitor!  I believe that its aspirations are too important to be ignored and allowed to drift off into cyberspace or wherever.  It is for this reason that I am republishing it  –  in the hope that its theme and thoughts might resonate in the mind and heart of the thinking reader.

Yes, the poet happens to be my wife, but this is not an act of nepotism.  I find the simple verse inspirational and challenging.  I hope you do too.

May I always be open to

New ways of seeing,

To the simple, the fresh, the innocent,

To children’s prattle and ingenuous gaze,

For their truth is nearer the secret of living

Than talk in high places or learned tomes.

 

May I always be open to

New ways of hearing.

May I roam freely in new avenues of listening

And, whatever my passions are,

May I hear caution, may I hear balance,

And may I mistrust my need to be right.

 

But may I trust in the open heart,

In my own inner truth,

Unabashed, unashamed,

Not caring what a fool you think I am.

Margaret Gill

Apologies to ee cummins

See http://www.margaretgill.co.uk and I hear music and there’s no-one there

Tranquility

When the weather is being obnoxious  –  as during the past two weeks  –  I sometimes take comfort from pictures taken last summer, such as this simple scene from Carbis Bay.  It exudes peace and quiet as the blue sky reflects in the wet sand.