Friday, August 19, 2011

Thoughts on Open Mind

I have been away from here for too long. It's time to come back and re-establish a habit. Just that my recent past since the last visit seemed like the spring swell of a quiet mountain stream, dancing through the channel of time with unsurmountable energy.

I feel like I have been riding the whirlwind, swept along at incredible speed through ever-changing vistas, trying hard to maintain the semblance of balance and control while doing my utmost to savor life's offerings. Every backward glance is a blur.

This morning I arrived at a beautiful revelation. At the Park, the atmospheric light was calm and clear, literally sparkling. It was magical. I can feel the first hint that autumn cannot be far away. Near the end of the Tai chi routines, I took off my glasses and put them in my pocket. I dallied a while longer than usual taking in the magic. A new appreciation revealed itself from the seemingly familiar surrounding - underlying magic that stay hidden as a result of my attempt to be in focus. What irony!

My week at the Open Mind Festival was a revelation. There is no need for me to understand or analyze this experience. For the record, there were magic, beauty, adventure and moments of peace. What I saw was a glimpse of a benevolent intersection of many worlds, some vaguely familiar, some radically foreign, others within my conscious awareness whose boundaries I have not yet attempted to breach. It has been an engaging experience all around. I must have gotten careless near the end because by the time I arrived back home on Monday, my body's defense system has been compromised. I succumbed to this tummy flu that left me weak and hapless for over 48 hours. When was the last time my body protested like this? Never mind, I am vulnerable after all.

As I walked out of the Park. I realized that I had my glasses on again. I took them off, put them on again and repeated several times. Sherbrooke Street in front appeared to shift through time and space. How comforting and reassuring this surrounding can seem. My habits and familiar environment have isolated and protected me all these years. Yet I suddenly come to the realization that I only see what I want to see. There are many more underlying layers of reality. I just need to allow them to show themselves. Open Mind? Perhaps. No artificial material agent used.