It's a Triptych

A triptych or am i just another narcissistic modern aquatic ape ?

Its Gonna Be Okay!

Self Portrait : shadow on faded wood

How long after self reflexive consciousness had dawned on man did it take for the first human to do a self portrait?
A hand on a cave wall, an image in ochre, a line in the sand. Somewhere, sometime, someone stepped back and said

"This is me"

I did it this morning with my IXUS 860 ,-)

Modern Aquatic Ape Artifacts

Some Anthropologists think that we went through a phase of evolution that centered around life by the ocean. Our love for swimming and floating, the streamlined direction of the hairs on our back are testament to this theory. So like many Aquatic Apes before me this morning i paid a visit to Reef Town. How beautiful that underwater world is.

"Morning has Broken " Cat Stevens

Statue POV of the sky

Intimacy & Solitude

In my life it seems that intimacy and solitude have been two very distinct states of being IN the world. Poles apart for me, as in times of solitude i have been totally alone often living in remote locations, and in times of intimacy, living almost 24/7 with my partner. These separate experiences bring different insights.

We all need to be by ourselves from time to time to simply catch up with our self without having to relate to someone else, the other self in a partnership. So many people especially with families don't have any time by themselves and i think that is a pity because solitude brings many unresolved relationship matters into clarity. Solitude allows intimacy with oneself. When you cease having to relate through your personality, your persona (latin : mask) which we use constantly with others, you can be just you. Have you ever met just YOU? it can be a liberating discovery. When you do there is a possibility that you can realise that your inner happiness doesn't absolutely depend on another, that other being in your life. No matter how much you love them, and they love you. This experience brings an independence back into the relationship. It can end co dependancy. When two people are doing this it strengthens the bond you do have with your partner. It adds another dimension to intimacy because you create SPACE to grow and expand. So now you don't get bored with your partner.

What is really wonderful to feel with another person is HARMONY. That effortless flow of being in step with each other, of being aligned in mind, body & spirit, of being totally relaxed in each others presence without having to project your shadow side onto them. The intimacy that comes with this is simply profound. There is a chance that Love with a big L can radiate and enlighten you both. There is a possibility of really relating, of being open, of trusting and not just hiding inside a relationship. On balance finding true harmony with another for me is preferable to absolute solitude. But if i can't find that with another i am happy to remain alone.

I admit being alone, without becoming lonely is a challenge, particularly when you miss someone. But we all should realise the difference between alone & lonely. If we did i think we would be a healthier species for it. Because being alone begins with finding inner contentment. Till then you will be lonely. Contentment is so lacking in this world. It is the heart seed of peace. Being ALONE has the possibility once you go deeper into that contentment & peace of being an AL-ONE experience. All One with everything. No separation. Imagine being in a relationship where you already felt totally complete.

I think if you can be happily by yourself in solitude, there is a real chance of deep intimacy with another. But marry your self first, then you will never be lonely even when intimacy with someone else ends.

The pic. Figurative Sculptures have always conveyed a sense of solitude to me, but often of the contented peaceful kind as they often seem happy to be where they are. This figure is a welcome recent addition to the Peace Garden.

Wabi Sabi Drift Wood

Since i have been here this last 10 days i have become quite absorbed in the colors pulsing with life force in the tropical garden, particularly with the infinate shades of green, so it is quite illuminating to find a big piece of lifeless drift wood on the beach and photograph it. Japanese natural design aesthetic would say very Wabi Sabi. This too is life.

Harbor House

Right in the middle of Nassau harbor (which has one of the cleanest harbors waters i have seen in the world, due to the open ended tidal influence) is an interesting dwelling owned by a couple i know. Made of a kind of old wooden shingle it stands at the end of a long jetty. Quite a unique location with great views of the ocean liners coming into port.

HAPPENNESS Part 1: What Is

Something i am deepening my understanding of these days is that in order to be content, you have to be aware of, and then accept what ever happens. You can only respond to WHAT IS. Trying to change something before you fully accept it leads to suffering. Allowing what will be to be, brings the possibility of peace, and peace when you feel it is contentment. It is Happiness. Happiness is found in what happens. But the degree of happiness is not really dependent on WHAT happens , it resides in the acceptance of it. The acceptance of AS IT IS.

This is important for 2 reasons.

Because things that we want to happen don't happen, and things that we don't want to happen, do happen. Its called life. And its called suffering when we resist either one. So life happens, we have all noticed that, what is important to notice is the way you accept or reject what happens.

When things happen the way you want, thats cool, when things that you don't want to happen don't happen thats cool. But here the trick is the same don't get attached because if you do your happiness will be short lived. Everything changes. Nothing stays the same.

Happenings are happening everywhere, so you have noticed, i am finding that practicing contentment with what ever is, is a step in the direction of happiness. A happiness that is not dependent on the happening.

It is not easy especially with confronting things, like relationships, so practice with small things first.

The Happeness Practice:

1. See what is.... AS IT IS
2. Accept what is....AS IT IS
3.Don't get attached.... TO WHAT IT IS

and then see what happens to you ,-)

The 3 Mentors : Don Quixote, Hamlet & Faust

There is an absolutely wonderful series of books by Robert A.Johnson that i have been reading over the years, which deal with the workings of the psyche of man & woman. Johnston is a Jungian analyst but his books are less about Jungian psychology and more about the relevance of myth, art & literature as an entertaining aid to understanding your inner life. Transformations the book i am re reading now is about the 3 stages of evolution of conscious in a man. Using quintessential figures from classical literature - 1st Cervante's Don Quixote, who represents 2 dimensional man, a simple happy figure, living in his imagination but unable to integrate external reality - 2nd Shakespeare's Hamlet, who represents 3 dimensional man, a complex self conscious figure, existentially divided, over thinking, and unable to act decisively on the information he has access to, leads of course to tragedy - and 3rd Goethe's Faust, representing 4 dimensional man. A teacher who has explored discipline & self consciousness to no avail but has become wise enough to know he knows nothing, is now ripe for the final quickening. After making a pack with Mephistopheles, his dark side, is able to pass in part 2 of the play through a suicidal mid life crisis, the integration of his feminine & inner child aspects, and achieve a redemption of sorts, which ultimately leads to an enlightened conciousness. A much sort after inner peace.

Marvelous books, inspiring, easy to read and if nothing else will put you in touch if not with your soul, then with a body of classical literature that you might have otherwise missed.

Electric Jazzy

Natures Color Combos

Another example of natures color combinations.Here the top side of the leaf is green and the underside purple, i have never seen that before, but again the green and the purple have a harmonious match.

Leaf Art 2

Wide angle shots of leaves, blown up and framed, i think they would be visually striking on a white wall.

More Leaf Art

Early Mornings

I am a morning person. Have been since i was a teenager in the army, sleeping in isn't an option in the military and so your body clock is set for intense activity very early in the day. Over the years i have come to love the pre dawn hours and the routine that usually goes with it. Here I am up at 0600 hrs, at that time 3 or 4 big cruise liners are on the horizon edging their way into dock at Nassau harbor. I go to the beach in front of the house and find a spot to do my daily Breath Flex. 6 / Tension / Breathing / Movement exercises that wake up my body and refresh it with a vitalising dose of prana / chi. I sit still for awhile and take in the new day with what ever is happening down there , waves on the water, birds flying , palm trees in the wind, coconuts on the grass.This is planet earth and i am here. I give thanks to the sun for keeping the whole show going. Then back to the house to make coffee. Made on a stove top, i am useing a Starbucks bold expresso blend here which ain't at all bad even though i am not a fan of the Brand. Then i usually meditate.These days its a bit of a mix, depending on how i feel i might do Vipassana, Zen or even a little Mantra, finishing off with an affirmation or two * If its a training day i will hit the weights. These last months in Playa i have returned to pumping iron 4 mornings a week as my chief exercise, there is a great little gym under the house which i will be painting soon. In the coming weeks here I will slot in a couple of yoga sessions at the Sivananda Yoga Camp on Paradise Island , which has to be one of the most beautiful Yoga locations in the world... After exercise / meditation i take a refreshing swim in the ocean, for me thats the greatest simple joy that comes with this tropical beach life. On Isla Mujeres in Mexico there is a great calm water swimming beach i go to , El Norte. If i did nothing else swimming would be my main exercise. When i am done working out i take that shower, then its fruit for breakfast as i am following Fit For Life. I am not taking much in the way of supplements these days, a swig of Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil for its Omega content & 6 grams of L Glutamine aminos post weight work out to assist muscle recovery. Once i am done with the physical activity, i feel very mentally awake and intuitively ready to create.This is my most creatively productive time of the day. My body and brain is a pumped with natural opiates and positively zinging with neurotransmitters. Now i usually read something stimulating, these mornings its the musings of Osho, but over the years its been Wilber, a Zen Haiku or two, Alan Watts, Stuart Wilde, Rumi, ACIM...things that challenge my perspective and keep me awake. I begin writing, planning or researching once i have checked the Inbox and Skyped friends who are on different time zones.
In various places i live it might be slightly different with the training i do but the early morning for me is a time i really enjoy. The feeling you get with a pre dawn start is that by 0900hrs you have already lived a whole day. Time for another expresso.
*future post

How to Splash Color

If you want to learn how to combine color, look at birds, fish & plants. In plants i have notice the shade of green is always the perfect vibration of light to match with the color of the flower. On the leaves of this plant a splash of yellow & red is matched by yet another shade of chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll-ed Geometry

I am so inspired here by the variations in the geometry of the Green

Lone Palm & Jungle Garden

2 images i like of the flora here, a lone Palm tree near the beach and the lush tropical vegetation in the Peace Garden

The Subterraneans

There is a reef right outside the house, figure i should pay a visit soon to my subterranean neighbors, better find a mask and some fins.

Degrees of Difficulty

On the wall of one of the classrooms in the school where i teach in Mexico, hangs a photo of Albert, with a message for us all.

Lost & Found in Space & Time

For awhile now i have been working with the feelings that come with this transient lifestyle i lead. It is so easy to get lost when you travel like this, i don't mean not knowing where you are, rather not having a sense of where home is. I have recently moved through an interesting state of angst around the image of the packed bag on the floor and experience of being airborne once more. What tends to come with that it is the question "Well where do i belong?" Maybe i suffer from too much mobility perhaps, I don't know, to many people who feel trapped i am in an envious position, a symbol of freedom. But this kind of freedom comes with its own unique orientation challenges. What helped me move through this feeling was letting go of where i was living and allowing myself to flow with this freedom to move, and not get caught up in the disorientation of being adrift. Being present with where ever you are is the key. Its all flow which ever way you go. Finding yourself depends on what map you are following. If you do get lost you can always change maps.

Mans best friend

Malinki the dog i am looking after says hello.

Grateful to be where i am.

In front of where i am living the Caribbean, behind me a beautiful garden of peace. I am grateful.