The spring blossoms have vielded their promise,

          as our actions realize their fruit.

Sheeps Head in West Cork looking beautiful this August and the cattle resting content in the sunshine.

       Sitting quietly

  doing nothing - spring comes

     and the grass grows.

            Zen poem

Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.
Henry David Thoreau

The first widely observed national moment of silence occurred in Britain in 1919, in commemoration of the nation’s inaugural Armistice Day. For two minutes, switchboard operators declined to connect telephone calls, subway cars and factory wheels ground to a halt, and ordinary citizens held their tongues. Within 10 years, the somber annual tradition had grown so popular that the BBC began to air the sound of the silence. One broadcaster mused that the communal silence served as a “solvent which destroys personalities and gives us leave to be great and universal.”

While state-sanctioned silence was novel, the sentiment of the broadcaster was not. Silence has long acted as a leveler of ego. From the communal meditation that opens Quaker meetings to the lulling quiet that defines the lives of Buddhist monks, silence is central to various religious traditions. “For many people, silence is the way God speaks to us, and when we ourselves are in silence, we are speaking the language of the soul,” observes George Prochnik. In his fascinating new book, In Pursuit of Silence, Prochnik sets out to understand the complicated reasons for silence’s power.

Silence enriches the mental life of humans, but, as Prochnik shows, it ensures the very survival of some in the animal kingdom. By being silent, animals avoid detection by predators, and sharpen their wits. Prochnik highlights the intriguing case of the red-eyed tree frog, whose embryos are capable of distinguishing the vibrations of a raindrop from the movement of a hungry snake. When the vibrations are caused by a snake, the embryos prematurely launch themselves from their jellied clutch and attempt to survive in their underdeveloped state.
by Megan Buskey -The Wisdom Quarterly

I loved reading this paragraph as it confirms my experience, that the repetition of the silence inducing postures of Tai Chi also sharpens our wits to our internal and external environments.

     Concsious of consciousness

     Sounds in silence

     Silence in the sounds

     Present in the presence

     Aware of awareness.

  

     

    " To look outside is to dream,

      to look inside is to awaken."

       Karl Jung

" As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clearheaded science, I can tell you as a result of my research into atoms this much. There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particles of the atom into vibration. I must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter."
Max Plank

" We do not belong to this material world that science constructs for us. We are not in it; we are outside. We are only spectators. The reason why we believe that we are in it, that we belong to the picture, is that our bodies are in the picture. "
Erwin Schrodinger

Reading quotations like these always brings me right back into a sense of wonder and mystery.

Let's let our 'stories' rest for a while and enter

 the mystery of NOW.

Let's become aware of the magic of this connection

 me writing you reading.

This vast mystery of timeless connection.

Let's become aware of the mystery of us. 

Let's feel the amazing presence that we are.

This amazing awareness that somehow knows 'I AM '.

Just allow the aliveness of This Moment to mystify.

The magic of being here at this time ,

The wonder of Eyes to read,

Of Mind to understand,

Of Heart to beat its ceaseless Love,

The Magic of it all

        " What is it that can't be seen,

        but which makes seeing possible?

        What is that can't be heard,

        but makes seeing possible?

        What is that can't be known,

        but which makes knowledge possible?

        What is it that can't be imagined,

        but which makes imagination possible?

            Uddalaka Aruni

Thanks to Jo for the picture.

The philosopher Epicurus suggested that we become more conscious of pleasure, seeking out simpler and simpler pleasures until we become conscious of the immense pleasure of simply being.

This little kitten showed up in our garden last week. Well it's not like we need a kitten but he was hungry and frightened and we couldn't resist feeding him. He spent the first few days hiding in the hedge and only venturing out to eat. It is really good to see him exploring now and 'playing' among the pots. Yesterday he allowed John to stroke him (just once ) but it is a new beginning. Kittens just like humans need love and time to heal from the traumas of life.