a day in the life

As before I have decided to capture the mundane and banal from a typical working day.

Taking public transport to work is not an option as I work in the country side, so each morning it is into the car to drive over the flint.

My way to work takes me through the village we live in

and past the fields that will be full of rapeseed come next summer.

We live in East Anglia which is quite flat and there are still a few functioning windmills

before arriving at the business park a few miles outside Cambridge where I work.

And as at my work in Canada there is a needless obsession with security.

I have a window although the view is not of the rockies,
I can see rabbits from my window.

During lunch I go for a walk which takes me through
the rest of the business park which was a former psychiatric hospital.

There is a nice tree lined avenue which probably was
planted in the early 1900's and may have been designed for the patients.

How many troubled men and women have walked this way,
on many days in the last year they have been joined by one more.

For more information ...
a day in the life

labyrinth

A labyrinth is quite distinct from a maze, it does not confuse the walker it guides them. There is a single path through the labyrinth and a single path out. Whilst it does not promote confusion, it certainly promotes thought.

(Calgary labyrinth based on the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth)

In the labyrinth you often seem near the centre when in fact you are far away and when you seem far away a few steps brings you quite close to the centre. The labyrinth is an unfolding journey, as you walk you get to know the labyrinth in a way beyond seeing it.

There is a well developed connection between the labyrinth and religion, many churches feature the labyrinth even though it predates Christianity and transcends western culture. The symbolism is evident and often exploited, 'there is but one path that leads to god', etc.

(Labyrinth at Ely Cathedral)

The practice of walking a labyrinth provides an occasion for reflection similar to that of kinhin, the walking meditation of Zen Buddhism or the stations of the cross in Catholicism. The Celts in Ireland used the word turas for a journey of a spiritual nature, they too depicted labyrinths.

Today I walked an unusual labyrinth at Ely Cathedral with my mother, a nice journey to share together.


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labyrinth
kinhin
lough derg
ely cathedral

more monkey than monk 2

I have been trying some breathing exercises recently to calm my mind which due to a stressful work situation is more active than ever. The 'monkey mind' is chattering away.

I inhale through my nostrils for a count of 4, then hold for a count of 2, then exhale through my mouth for a count of 4 and dwell in the quite space after exhalation for a count of 2. Repeat 40 times and it usually changes my heart rate by between 10-20 beats per second.

(photo by marc shandro)

These photos are by a good friend in Canada whom I shared great conversations with on the topics of distractions and awareness. I miss my friends in Canada but in some sense because I am thinking of them I still feel connected, if only a little.

(photo by marc shandro)

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marc shandros photos
flickr
more monkey than monk

more monkey than monk

I am far from been an ascetic monk and quietness is not one of my virtues. However, I do often feel drawn to the quite life and the clarity that a silent space would provide.

Buddhists refer to the concept of 'monkey mind' when describing the tendency for our minds to leap from one thought to another. Silence does not stop the 'monkey mind' and the first step is just an awareness of the frenetic pace of our thoughts. A good exercise is to stop thinking for ten seconds and to observe how difficult an exercise this is.

Monk Tame Monkey Mind Tame Monk by Sandra Rose

Maybe we need to just stop, to stop moving, stop talking and then stop thinking. Only then we can dwell in a silence we create and from there, who knows?


For more information ...
thinking too much
a different view
art of sandra rose