THE PURSUIT OF STUFF

Western society has been sold a bill of goods. We've been sold on the idea that 'Stuff Will Make You Happy'. It won't. It doesn't. It never has.

Let's be clear; poverty sucks. There is a certain minimal level of affluence that will make you happy. That level is: An absence of debt, a roof over your head , clothes on your back and food in your stomach. Go beyond that, as a reason for living, and you're going to get in trouble. The recent world-wide recession was a result of debt-financed consumerism getting out of control. The politicians' answer? More of the same. Rebuilding consumer demand seems to be the mantra for a better life for everybody.

On the run-up to Christmas, all we heard, in the news, was how important it was that the retailers had a good season. This would be the key to unlocking 'growth'. Immediately after Christmas, the same broadcasters are reporting that 30% of people borrowed to finance Christmas, and many of those were still paying off last year's excess. We also hear of a new service to help people with the 'stress and depression', that always seems to prevail 'at this time of year'.

I stand in line at the corner shop and watch pensioners, who must be struggling to live to a basic decent standard, blowing ten pounds on the lottery. Statistics say that they will lose their money - yet they still do it week in, week out.

Then there are the family break-ups caused by people having more house and more car than they can afford. Both parents working full-time 'because they have no choice'. Of course they have a choice. They could live a simpler life. They can stop measuring their achievements by the yardstick of a 'social status' based on conspicuous displays of possessions.

If we all stopped chasing 'stuff', the economic recovery would be in trouble. Who cares? If recovery means being forever doomed to live out an endless cycle of excess followed by misery, perhaps we can do without the 'recovery'.

Fulfilling your potential, taking care of the well-being of those around you, having the time to enjoy your children. These things will make you happy.

Stuff won't ever make you happy. The pursuit of 'stuff' can only bring misery, disappointment and serious damage to the planet.

From the Silversmith's Bench:

There is slush where the snow used to be. The workshop is freezing and the tools are too cold for my delicate digits. (Never could work in gloves!). As a result, the jewellery bench in the front room is busy. Got to do something for god's sake.

I've been hacking 'OM' symbols out of lumps of pure silver. Every time I make one I give it away. It just doesn't feel right to make 'Oms' for money. You can't give a silver 'Om' to anyone. They've got to be ready for it. The timing has to be right. So far, each recipient has been really jazzed. I always supply the right sized silver chain so it can go to work right away.

I use silver for it's white purity and because it's not so intrinsically valuable. Somehow, 'Oms' shouldn't be flash.

I know that Will, my dearest younger Son, is getting engaged in many meaningful conversations springing from the big one he wears, as he travels throughout the East. The Orientals see that about his neck and ask him:

" Do you know what that is? Do you know what it means?"

I think, at first, they take a little offence, thinking they are seeing a tourist wearing a bauble they don't comprehend. I can understand that. Will does know what he's wearing and why. I'm sure it's opened a few human intercultural doors.

What is the 'Om'?

On a musical instrument, there is one note from which all others are generated by the physics of harmonics. This note is called 'the Fundamental'.
It's the lowest and strongest note the instrument can produce. 'Om' is the fundamental note of the universe. The cosmic vibration from which all arises.

In Western cosmology we have come to understand that once these was a tiny tiny thing called a 'Singularity', which expanded around 13 billion years ago and spawned our universe. In eastern philosophy there is the central 'Witness'; the singularity at the centre of consciousness. To the oriental mind, this is also a creator. The creator of our inner universe.

'Om', the fundamental note, is the sound of those singularities. The basic vibration from which all things spring. Everything else, inside or out, is a harmonic vibration arising from the 'Om'. It is the symbol of our oneness with the universe.

"I am that- That I am " is a literal verbal translation of So'ham - Ham'sah.

Listen!

'Om' the primal sound.

“In the beginning there was the Word"

I wonder who's going to get the next one off the bench?

A Couple of Practical Uses

'Adventures are to be welcomed and embraced. A life with no adventure is like a car that never leaves the driveway.'

We tend to think of adventures as physical pursuits. Climbing mountains, travelling the world, creating a rocket-car - there are so many possibilities. I'm all for these kinds of adventures, they broaden the mind, make life more meaningful and help us to avoid the worst of conditions; boredom!

Meditation enables us to indulge in other adventures that don't require plane-tickets or screwdrivers. Going to new places, discovering things we never knew about our own nature, seeing wonderful sights, are all possible when we embark on the 'internal’ adventure. This is reason enough to have a go.



'Happiness matters more than all other things. Happiness is a state of mind, not a state of affairs.'

One of the more useful things we can do with meditation is observe our state of mind, our thought processes. Misery and depression are strains of thought. If we can objectively observe our minds doing these things, we have the option of saying to ourselves:
"That's a load of bollocks , I'm going to stop doing that and do something else."

Observation of the thought process gives you control over it. It becomes a fairly simple matter to manage your state of mind.

The Solstice is Here.

Tomorrow is the 21st of December, the shortest day of the year. From tomorrow, the daylight hours get longer. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

For me, a non-Christian, who does not celebrate Christmas, the Winter Solstice is the Big Day at this time of year. I get depressed by the short cold days and being able to watch the progression towards the Spring lifts my spirits.

David and I always mark this day with a small celebration. Last year we visited an ancient pagan site, the stone-circle at Little Rolright. This year, the weather is dour, so we won’t be repeating the trip, but we will do something a little special to observe the day.

The ancient astronomical pagan sites, such as Stonehenge and Rolright were built for this day. The common understanding is that these monuments were built to observe the Summer Solstice, but this makes little sense to me.

The people who built these places were members of the earliest organised agricultural society. To them the re-growth of the sun, the promise of spring and all that that brings in terms of spring planting and the birth of livestock, would have been vitally important. At the most dangerous and hardest time of year, the importance of the re-birth of the dying Sun must have been utterly immense.

It makes perfect sense that the Druids would want to demonstrate their power at the time of greatest fear, not at the time of greatest comfort and plenty.

The big day in the ancient British pre-Christian calendar must be tomorrow.

Celebrate!

MEDITATION DE-MYSTIFIED

I’ve had a few requests to say something about meditation. Here’s an attempt to produce something that’s useful to the more cynical Western mind, without the deep and unfathomable jargon that often surrounds the subject.

When my Guru (yes I had a Guru!) was asked:
“How does one meditate?”
He used to reply,
“When you sit down to meditate, whatever you do, don’t think of a monkey.”

So you sit down to meditate and what’s the first thing you think about? You’ve got it; A MONKEY. The point he was making is that it doesn’t matter what your mind happens to be thinking of. Meditation is not about controlling your mind, it’s about observing what it gets up to.

If you think about what happens when you’re dreaming, there’s a part of you constructing the dream, and another part that is experiencing, watching (witnessing?) the experience. This is what in Eastern understanding is known as ‘The Witness’ or ‘Witness Consciousness’. The very act of observing your inner goings on, in an objective way, makes you aware of this part of your being.

Meditation is a practice (and that’s a very good word for it) of observing the inner universe. As Westerners, we tend to be very good at observing the Universe out there. And why not? The external universe is amazing, fascinating and full of wonders. If you think about what your own mind can conjour up, both in external observation, (which has to be handled internally to make any sense), and in internal stuff, like the immense possibilities of dreams, the ‘Inner Universe’ is just as enormously gob-smackingly huge as the Outer one.

‘Meditation' is about watching and observing the inner Universe. A universe every bit as worthy of study and exploration as the external one.

So what’s the trick? Eastern philosophies mention and use things called ‘Mantras’ as a means of getting into ‘observation mode’. Unfortunately many of us Westerners find repetition of word-based mantras very difficult and often it actually distracts the attention away from simply ‘watching' all the goings on.

There is one ‘Mantra'. (and I’m not sure calling it a ‘Mantra' truly helps), that does not require repetition of words. It merely requires an act of observation. This meditation tool is known as So’Ham or Ham’Sa. Which of those you choose depends solely on where you happen to begin.

There is one sound that is always with you as long as you are alive. That sound is the sound of your own breathing. No breathing- no living. A non-breathing person, is generally referred to as ‘dead’. So as long as you aren’t, in fact, dead, your breath keeps on chugging in and chugging out. Most of the time we are completely oblivious to our breathing, except when we’ve been exercising very hard or when we are in very very quiet places. Even so, it’s always there, going in, going out. At any time, we can listen to it, if we’re so inclined.

Try shutting your eyes and listening to the natural sound of your breath. Don’t work at ‘breathing’ just listen to the sound as your breathing proceeds on its automatic course.

As the air comes in it makes a kind of ‘Humming' sound. As it goes out, the sound is more of a ‘sigh’ or a ‘Sahhh’. Don’t take my word for this. Close your eyes, listen to the sound and you’ll hear it for your self. This is ‘Ham’Sa”. If you start listening on the out-breath, it becomes ‘Sah’Hamm’. Hence the two names for the same thing.

This tool for getting into observation mode is very easy, always with you, wherever you are and whatever you happen to be doing. All that is required is to listen. Listening is a very concentrated form of observation. This ‘Maha Mantra’ as the Siddhas of the East call it, is the simplest and most ‘portable' method of meditation. I won’t go into the wonders that will be revealed as your inner journey of exploration goes forth, not here at least.

All I can say is try it. Practice it. (Practice in any new skill is always helpful.). It’s value will be blindingly obvious. After a while, your breathing may start doing weird things. Don't try to control that - observe, watch, experience. This is no harder than watching TV.

By the way, watch out for little Blue Lights!