"As long as the formlessness and breathtaking freedom of the beyond remain frightening to us, we will continue to dream a hologram for ourselves that is comfortably solid and well defined "
The Holographic Universe.
A glorious walk over the fells, musing on the mind boggling material in Michael Talbot's book ... and dreaming of walking from Seville to Santiago sometime soon. That should shake up the comfortable hologram of house life for a while.
For readers awaiting the latest news of internet gurus, yesterday's promised call back never materialised and a call to the provider's helpline, after the usual very unhelpful press this, press that merry go round, located a helpful human who noted the SIM sold yesterday was for use in Apple devices ... another SIM is in the post ... leaving the prowess of the guru, who helped set up the wrong SIM, hooked into an Android tablet, rather shaky ... the young salesperson is excused, since she showed little enthusiasm or interest in her job, but the only possible explanation for the guru is a brain wired only to Apple and thus not seeing the alien Android before him ...
In a parellel problem of housing, a second visit from the engineer to sort the over active fridge freezer results in the information that the setting was too high and between off and 5, 5 was less cold, though on a previous visit the opposite was related by the same engineer, a pleasant young man, whose memory may be fresher than mine ... anyway, after several hours at 5, the ice cream is still rock hard and another call is due to suggest a more substantial investigation ... it seems the thermostat is faulty and if the third one is too maybe the whole batch is broken ... whatever the outcome, it seems unlikely either retailer or the manufacturer will be paying for the excess electricity keeping the appliance super cold, or recognising the wasted hours ...
First World problems ...
Meanwhile, in the holographic universe, feedback from friends varies from one who read it and says it changed his life, another who is intrigued enough to order a copy, and a third who finds the concept unpalatable and presumably will skip the opportunity ... leading to another story in the book, citing research by psychologists Helen Wambach and Chet Snow, written up in Mass Dreams of the Future, suggesting that the human population will be far lower and that those left will have branched into four groups: one leading a joyless life in space stations; another living happily in harmony with Nature; a third leading bleak, mechanical lives in underground cities; the fourth trying to subsist in a ravaged and ruined earth ... suggesting that the choices we make now may lead us to one or other of those possible options ... and perhaps the missing millions managed the Buddhist goal and never returned in human form ... fascinating ...
And which tense to use when discussing future events already foreseen?
Buddhism and Hinduism have a rest, replaced by wacky science in the form of Michael Talbot's The Holographic Universe ... a second reading and still fascinating, citing David Bohm, a Wear and Dao favourite in his own right as well as in the wonderful dialogues with his friend Krishnamurti ... plus David Mitchell's resonant Slade House, with its portal to parallel worlds ...
The established facts of the interconnectedness of everything, wave/particle duality and non-local fields are woven into Talbot's accessible work ... though many folks, scientists and non-scientists, find the consensus reality known as normal, mostly workable and preferable to exploring the implications of the awkward findings in the quantum world (resonant with mystical insight throughout the ages along with worked out systems in Buddhism and Hinduism) ...
However, fragmentation, a key fallacy of concensus reality, lies at the heart of many of current problems at psychological, sociological and political levels and has to be addressed if we are to progress as a species not separate from each other or the whole of Nature ... and relating that to personal experience is the recent story of no-self and the intuition of separation as an illusion no longer tenable ... insight into the interconnectedness of everything occurred a few years ago after several hours wandering the fells ...
Today's practice in patience and equanimity entails a bus ride to Bishop Auckland to find help in the long running mobile internet drama ... eschewing a 12 or 18 month contract at the house, when it may be empty for a long part of that, a trip to Durham just before Christmas produced a Chinese made mobile WiFi device, loaded with a bargain pay as you go SIM ... which didn't work ... a return to the shop produced a SIM from another provider ... which didn't work either ... tortuous web chat with helpdesk, involving some SIM switching into mobile phone to test the SIM ( as if that is an easy task) led nowhere ... hence the trip to the very helpful Guru, a young man who understood this brave new world, though we didn't have a chance to discuss areas more traditional Gurus dabble in ... at time of writing a call from the guru is awaited, to solve the latest glitch, whilst a visit to the branch of the previous shop which missold two SIMs elicits the promise of a refund by cheque ...leaving me wondering if the god of the internet is helping me manage the tendency to spend too much time browsing and when the regulator will get to grips with the loose standards of the industry... the time spent by the customer solving problems has no value apparently and we must be grateful if we finally get what we paid for ... equanimity intact though ...
Meanwhile, an apology to any readers offended by the shocking use of the phrase "loose women" in the last post ... thanks to the editor for severely criticising such crass language ... feedback is important to keep the standards up ... and for any broad minded scientists offended by the reference to the holistic universe story as wacky science, it was a device to disarm the cynics as well as an admission that science is not a strong point at Wear and Dao ...
The New Year dawns chilly and dry, leaving icy patches in places and snow still adorning the high fells ... usual early walk extended as rising Sun warms the face ... forecast later not so bright ...
Reader feedback encourages the writerly role and confirms that more than one human being is following the rambling ... whether this response suggests a slip into solipcism after so many words about no-self is reflected upon without undue alarm ... equanimity quite firmly established and previous insight showed the beauty of the paradox ... after all the skin encased trillions of ever changing cells held together by thought still has the strong illusion of selfhood and the propensity to over-identify with attendant emotions ... not to mention feeling pain (happily not at present)...
For readers recognising some Buddhist influence above, holiday reading has been mostly that, laced with some lightly held magical Yogi tales ... and previously cited author Peter Harvey became a Professor since the success of his book, though a causal link is not proposed, due to lack of further investigation (a common trait in this unscholarly rambler) ...
Since reincarnation is a key concept in Buddhism, along with other systems and amongst individuals with personal insight through experience, there are questions arising about the mechanism for this phenomenon. .. for example in one of the Buddhist texts there was talk of karmic traces in the brain ... of course the brain decays along with the rest of the body once the vital spark has left it, so how can traces on it carry forward to subsequent incarnations? This and other questions suggest a trip to Harnham Theravadan Monastery sometime soon, to consult an expert ... (any experts on here, please contribute via the comment function) ...
Not that any particular religious system is calling ... the formless still holds here, though Buddhism and Taoism resonate strongly, with the rather austere and sometimes scathing Krishnamurti keeping watch ... though not always easy to follow ... Alan Watts as deep and more accessible and humorous perhaps ... anyway, two of his books are due soon, via the ethical online bookshop, Hive, which donates part of your purchase price to a local bookshop of your choice ... another example of the options we have to act and shop ethically ... and whilst simplicity suggests less shopping, compassion offers a way out of the vice of Mammon ... Farmers' Markets, Good Energy, Charity Shops, Co-ops (though a little research is needed to uncover any greenwash or other undercover faux-ethical activity - Cooperative Bank, having fallen into the trap of greed like most other banks, epitomised by a fallen Methodist Minister CEO with a penchant for champagne and loose women, required a US hedge fund to revive it and now claims the long and illustrious heritage ... hmmm ...) hey ho, roll on the day when Fair Trade is the norm and greed understood as damaging to all who indulge in it ...
This search for the Truth is fascinating and maybe endless. .. what seems apparent from personal experience is that even seemingly transcendent incoming information is still filtered through a conditioned mind ...giving rise to higher level illusions , yet illusions nevertheless ... clearing away the years and maybe lifetimes of cultural baggage, therefore, is essential .... what better way to spend these blessed retirement years?
Another New Year's Eve and the regular early night planned ... the lure of alcohol fuelled revelries resisted and new neighbours hopefully quiet ... the holiday cottage next door but one is occupied, so a wild party is yet possible ...
The year has an interim feel ... mostly spent in Stanhope as the long running inheritance saga finally bears fruit with attendant paperwork ... proposed Camino postponed as cottage purchase dragged on, though a month in the sun with Susie, sandwiched with The Barn retreat and the wonderful work week at Brockwood Park, extended by ten days, provided nourishment for mind, body and soul ... next year's work week already booked and a Camino or two anticipated as the status of the cottage on Railway Terrace resolves into the Retreat House previously planned on Front Street and the first retreatant booked for Tuesday ... meanwhile the library is growing, new shelves a priority ...
Since walking with the pack curtails study, this house based year has enabled plenty of reading and a spacious routine, including occasional minibus driving with the elders ... service in the community being an essential element of life, alongside fresh air, good food, exercise and the always seductive solitude ... if a resolution is needed for next year, maybe more interaction with fellow human beings is it ... and maybe the Retreat House is a step in that direction ...
The occasional reminder from FB of thoughts and events over the past five years suggests that most of the time has been deepening rather than expanding ... maybe old encrusted brain cells are content with the current version of reality ... maybe the formless philosophy, integrated into a life embodying compassion, simplicity and patience is the pathless path to the truth or even the Truth ... and whether that's right or not, what is clear is that FB recalls more about me than the conventional memory bank does ...
Happy New Year, dear reader(s), and thanks for your attention!
Boxing Day dawns brighter after yesterday's rather drizzly weather and a long walk over the fells inspires a festive edition of Wear and Dao for any readers still hoping for inspiration or entertainment after a patchy period ... it is the pilgrimages that provide the juiciest material and it is the next pilgrimage that is a current focus ... the Via de la Plata calling ...
As for the Christmas season, it is passed pleasantly enough with a combination of visits with daughters and friends, and trips with the elders, including a Nativity performed by the local junior school children, 9 Lessons and Carols at the cathedral in Durham, assisted shopping and several Christmas lunches, including the rather special one on Christmas Day in the church hall yesterday, inspired by a local teenager who wondered what folks wanting company were doing ... Ruth and her family are still organising the event three years on ...
Special thanks to Jennie for a wonderful linguistic addition with "vague 'un" to describe folks aspiring to a plant based diet though without taking it too seriously ... sounds familiar, though mammal flesh has been avoided for nearly thirty years without noticeable negative effects ... dairy products currently reduced due to the interesting discovery that official regulations specify how much blood and pus is permitted ... ethical concerns on animal welfare add weight, though maybe as a secondary layer to be truthful ... the initial impulse to avoid corpse eating was due to the routine use of antibiotics in animal husbandry ...
Reading material, possibly perversely, is the Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda and the weightier Introduction to Buddhism by Peter Harvey, sometime Reader in Buddhist Studies at the University of Sunderland ... the more familiar Christian story no longer resonating, though Yogananda, having decamped to California in 1920, includes many biblical references in his work ... neither Hinduism nor Buddhism calling strongly, though both offer interesting insights ... current thinking maintains the formless path or non-path, the very attempt to organise systems around religious insight identified as problematical ...
The conclusion to recent musings on the purpose of the newly acquired cottage on the edge of Stanhope seems to be to try to transcend the perils of property by offering it as a Retreat through the "A Place to Be" network and see what transpires ... the more sensible AirBnB option remains, and of course family and friends are always welcome ...
The editor writes to enquire about the lack of blogging, musing on whether the settled life has turned into Groundhog Day... prompting a report on progress as the mind wrestles with the consequences of property ownership ... the mundane details of furnishing from scratch, the slightly more interesting designing of the necessary upgrades ... the insight gleaned from managing a never extinguished coal fire to maintain the cosiness, which is an experience to be learned from though not necessarily every winter ... bearing in mind that winter in Stanhope is longer than in the Algarve (the focus of occasional thoughts for the New Year) ...
On a philosophical level it is noted that the concept of property ownership has made little impression, since "mine" infers a "me", an entity fundamentally non-existent, as described in several previous posts and a great liberation as the concept is embodied in daily life ...
The metaphors employed to tell the story to interested friends and neighbours include anchor holding "me" in place, versus base for exploration ... anchor in boat terminology is, of course, a temporary feature anyway ... and having a base to return to, whilst limiting the freedom experienced in the past three years, need not be a constraint to more wandering ... the cottage is being set up anyway with two bedrooms for guests (via AirBnB or whatever) and a micro bedroom for returning explorers ... all managed by a friend in the village, who is also taking care of the renovations ... symptoms of vitamin D3 deficiency have been noted and sunshine is prescribed, along with walking and talking with pilgrims ... Seville to Santiago over six weeks sounds appealing...
Meanwhile, regular readers may have noted the big idea for a Retreat House in Stanhope has fallen away ... though the house is still for sale and the vision lurking in the field of possibility, the collective energy has not yet gathered ... let's see ... anyway, the cottage may be a mini-retreat ... the library is growing ...
Daily life, not yet Groundhog Day, passes peacefully, with occasional driving with Wheels to Meals, lots of walking the fells, plenty of reading (mostly Daniel Borstin's wonderful "The Discoverers, A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself"... man, his and himself, of course, clumsily including the other gender, although women are thin on the ground, whether through bias or a feature of roles throughout these ages territory dodged by this blogger, conditioned by feminist views in relationships professional and domestic ...) ... the mid-winter light festival approaches, celebrated here with a paradoxical partnership of Christian mythology and Mammon indulgence ... all observed wryly ... the solstice and the return to longer days more important for me, whoever that is ...
