Wild Strawberries

The lunatic is on the grass
The lunatic is on the grass
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs
Got to keep the loonies on the path
The lunatic is in the hall
The lunatics are in my hall
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paper boy brings more
And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forbodings too
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon
The lunatic is in my head
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'till I'm sane
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There's someone in my head but it's not me.
And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon

- Pink Floyd, Brain Damage







A few days ago i was reading Sam Harris' blog where he answered tweeted questions, one of which was about the best meditation guide for beginners. In his answer he left a link to: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/how-to-meditate.

A few searches later: http://www.wildmind.org/walking/introduction. Yes, i do want a balance between outer and inner; yes, i do want a mind that is calm, content and quiet. Awareness and patience are needed for these wants, and that should help to lengthen the time i seem to so easily fall into a state of meditation, and then get too easily distracted.

I suddenly got the urge to get up and move, but felt lazy, then felt hunger pangs, but nothing sounded good, besides i had an upset tummy. Wild strawberries popped into my mind. A few weeks ago i noticed a large patch beside a back road while on a bike ride, had found a few ripe ones last Saturday, that got me out of my comfy chair, and pedaling to a tall grass and daisy field where the pickings were good. As i was stooped down peeking under leaves to find those sweet little berries, a pricker vine grabbed hold of my shirt. I jerked away in some irritation that turned into a smile as i discovered it was a raspberry vine, with more treats to come:]




At the end of this back road is a busy street with a strip mall including a Hispanic grocery that recently opened. I luv small local businesses; one of the things  i bought was a black candle with Santa Muerte on it. When i first saw it, it was turned so all i could see was 'santa', and wondered what Santa (Claus) was doing amidst all the religious icons on the other candles. I mentioned that to the young woman at the register, and she asked if i knew what the candle was for. Almost sure it was to burn if someone in your family died. She seemed surprised, and asked if i were religious, no; did i believe in g0d? No. What a strange conversation with a looney Americano, i'm sure she thought. I did not tell her that Death was my companion.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Muerte  There were two colors of the Santa Muerte candles. Found this after i came home: Red is for love and passion. It can also signal emotional stability. Black, which i choose, represents total protection against black magic or sorcery, or conversely negative magic or force directed against rivals and enemies.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzogchen

Link to remind self to read sometime soon, although i think that i know i need more do and be than think. This has been on my mind for some time, and it just popped in again, the person i most admire is HH the Dalai Lama. Whenever i see pics of him, he _always_ appears so happy and at peace. He is living proof that the possibility exists for any human to be happy and peaceful.