Of electricity and other things

Of electricity and other things …….

 

The electrician arrived this morning to install my mother’s new hob. A fantastical new device that works through induction. It is a completely flat plate with four rings which do not get particularly hot to the touch, but are extremely efficient conductors of heat. I was making polite conversation with the fitter, whilst boiling the kettle for his cup of tea, when I remembered the light switch in the lounge.  Every time I touch it I get an electric shock and yet no one else, except my mother, can feel it. The switch is surrounded by a copper plate, unlike the others in the house which are made of the more common plastic variety.  He was struggling to read the instructions for use, so I walked over to the hob and showed him how it works. I can’t really take credit for any superior knowledge since I had used a similar model at my brother’s house once before. He thought the hob was not working because he could not see the heat on the plates. We then both realized that we needed to place a saucepan with water over the plate to see if the induction was working.  Immediately I touched the handle of the saucepan I could feel the tingle of electricity. I mentioned this and he said this was normal and not to worry, though he could not personally feel anything.

 

When he had completed the hob installation, I lead him to the lounge and he placed his hand on the “leaking” switch. Typically, of course, he could feel nothing there either. However, since both my mother and I could feel something, and to humor us, he went to get his electricity detector. Sure enough it lit up and he agreed it was quite dangerous and should be changed. We all had a good laugh at my extra sensory skills and he returned to the kitchen to collect his things.

 

Feeling quite proud of myself for such electrical devining, I asked if he could place his detector on the saucepan handle. Sure enough, it lit up. Again, my mother could also feel it. However, this time, I had an idea. If I hold my hand away from the hob would I also be able to sense (feel) the electricity. Yes! I could feel the tingle about 6 inches away from the handle of the pan. Placing the electricity detector in the same place, it also lit up. Hey Presto! At last my invisible skills had been validated by science.  There were indeed electrical currents passing through the air. Not enough to kill anyone, but something was definitely there. How marvelous, I thought. Now I can use this as an example to convince skeptics of the existence of energy fields around us, even if we can’t see or even feel them, they are definitely there.

Musings from the Creek

Musings from the Creek

 

Was it Betty Shine who used to say that you don’t have to be a reclining Buddha to meditate? Simply find a quiet place to sit or go for a walk and let the magic happen. Well, today I decided to take myself to the park and get some exercise and fresh air, or as fresh as it can be at this time of year in Dubai! I had been writing reports all day, stuck in front of the computer and I needed to move my body and my energy around. I was feeling extremely pleased with myself for having finished my mission (25 reports) and I just had that urge to get out and enjoy some natural therapy.

 

Creek Park is a gem of a place. Open early till late and mostly quiet during the week, especially day time. However, I was going there at night and I was pleasantly surprised to find it comparatively empty. I suppose the heat of summer had discouraged the usual hoards of weekend “bar-b-que’ers”. As I walked through the gate, I removed my shoes (my usual practice) so that I could experience the different textures of sand, soil and grass. A perfect way to ground myself and detox from the stresses of the day. I had my bottle of Masafi (water to the uninitiated) with me, so no problems about dehydration for the next hour or so.

 

Without expectation, I followed my feet, planting them firmly on the soft, cool grass. Wonderful! Exactly what the doctor ordered. I had only been walking a few minutes when it struck me. How busy my mind had become. Full of thoughts of today, yesterday and tomorrow. Was there any chance of switching if off? Right now all I really wanted to do was to be quiet and give my brain a rest. After all it had been working flat out all day. How could I calm that hard disk, that computer hub? And then the spirit of inspiration tapped on my door. All the greatest spiritual teachers of history will tell you, you only hear properly when you are silent. In fact my girl friend had so cleverly reminded me only yesterday that in order to hear our inner voice, our connection to our higher self or God (whatever your belief), we have to switch off the outer noise and tune into the inner peace, the inner ear.

 

That is all very well, I objected, but it is not so easy to shut out those noises, those external disturbances. There must be another way? At least if I can’t tune out the noise of my thoughts, maybe I can tune into the noises in the park. That way I will at least be able to concentrate on something other than my busy brain. At first, all I could hear were the obvious things like children screeching on a ride in the amusement park next door, a helicopter overhead. And those thoughts still crept in. But I stayed with it, and started to notice the lapping of the creek water on the shore, my feet squeaking in the wet sand, a solitary bird hooting across the water, crickets in the ground cover. I congratulated myself for each and every new sound that introduced itself to me. I am sure if anyone had been watching they would have seen my ears standing on end, straining like radars to trap the next audio offering.

 

Then I became distracted. Smells of bar-b-q food wafted beneath my nose and men’s perfume as a few families strolled by. I wondered if by shutting off my olfactory sense, the auditory one would be enhanced. Concentrate, gal, what can you hear? I stalked a tree and even put my ear to the bark. I was not sure what I expected to hear but I was willing to offer my ear in a token gesture of greeting anyway!

 

By now, of course, any of those curious as to what I was doing would have given me up as totally mad. Oh well!, I thought, sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice one’s reputation in the name of science. For science it truly was. I was in the middle of a very important experiment. The curious thing was that I lost all track of time and it must have been over an hour when I realized that I was feeling very calm and relaxed and that my noisy brain  was, for the most part, strangely silent.

 

Whatever I had been doing, something had worked. And that is when inspiration began. I suddenly had all these enlightened thoughts and I wished I had a tape recorder with me to capture them as they flooded into my consciousness. At which point I decided it was time to go home and try and capture the essence of what had happened on paper.

 

So next time you want to take a break, try your local park and let me know if you have the same experience. I will be listening out for your thoughts in the silence of my mind.

Passion

PASSION… noun 1. strong emotion, especially anger or love 2. great enthusiasm for something

 

I woke up this morning and there it was, this noun of all nouns, sitting in my heart like a bow to an arrow, bursting to make its mark, to hit the target of its desire. Unbridled passion is a fierce power. Where should we direct it, plant its seed, re-create the uncreated? When it is not directed in a loving and creatively fulfilling way it turns into its shadow side and that is when we use it indiscriminately and in dangerous ways, such as anger and rage.

 

How was your morning? Did you wake up with passion? What did you do with it? Shout at the mail boy? Yank the shirt on your uncooperative child? Did you knock your coffee all over the table and then curse all the way to the office? Or was there no passion, only a numbness of having to go through the motions of the day without enthusiasm or direction. What happened to that arrow, did it break and fall and lose its power? Where is the passion in your life? Did you lose it somewhere in your rush to create the life that others expected of you?

 

Passion is a gift that we are all born with. It is not something we can learn or acquire. It is something we feel. We all know it is there, but often life has a way of squashing it, and in that act of suppression and denial we become very sad. Prolonged sadness turns to anger as that is the only way we can handle the pain. When there is no passion in our lives, we are not really living. We are merely shadows of our true selves, holograms of existence.

 

Pick up your bow, and as you pull back the arrow, feel the power of your intentions like a force field of love in your entire being; slowly turn and look around at the vista of life in front of you. Where would you like to make your mark? With whom or what would you like to share your power, your passion, your drive? Point that arrow, set the mark, then let it go. Let it soar into the world with freedom and intent. Intend that wherever it lands, wherever it makes its mark the target of your desire will be awakened and in that awakening will inspire you with new life, new thoughts, new energy, new being. You see, the energy you send out will always come back. We attract what we require. The more focused you are on what you want, and the more passionate you are about it, the more powerfully will you manifest.

 

The secret to utilizing that passion, that driving force is to know where to direct that arrow. Once you have figured that one out, the rest is just quantum physics. You let it fly, now let it go. Cut the cords of your kite, let that blue bird of paradise soar into the light blue yonder. Know that your passion, your energy, your power to creatively manifest is now on its way, set free. Be empowered by this act, and smile, knowing that you have made your mark on this world and it is only a matter of time before it sends an arrow back to you.

 

Live your life today with Passion and you will find yourself energized with the joy and enthusiasm for life that you truly deserve.

 

A Day Off

A Day Off

 

There is something wonderfully freeing about being forced to stay home sometimes. Yesterday in Dubai, the Government announced a Public Holiday and closed some of the main roads through the city. It was rumored that a very important politician hailing from the US of A was about to touch foot on our sacred soil and true to Dubai’s reputation for great hospitality and absolute security, the Government was doing everything it could to ensure a smooth visit. Thus all offices were closed and the unofficial “curfew” meant we residents could enjoy a day of “enforced captivity” at home. We had no choice but to go with the flow as the main artery through the city was temporarily blocked.

 

I woke up on that day with a strange sense of anticipation. Would everyone stop working? Would the shops be open? After all, how would their staff commute to work? The first thing I noticed was the eerie silence. I could not even hear the sound of the people upstairs. Yes, everything had stopped. The building sites surrounding my flat were silent and empty, except for the security guards who still kept their lonely vigil outside. There were no cars at the parking meters, nobody in the street. It reminded me of Graham Green’s “On the Beach”. Was this the end of the world as I knew it?  No! It was simply beautiful. Beautiful peace, beautiful silence. There was time to think, time to enjoy, time to do whatever I wanted. Time for me without the interruptions of the outside world. I smiled and I stretched and I wallowed in the peace and quiet.

 

Why is it that we put ourselves into such a state of high anxiety in our daily lives? Why can’t we give ourselves permission to be quiet? Couldn’t we introduce our own curfews? An occasional day when there is no one else to please, nothing urgent to do and only ourselves to consider. I can already hear your clamoring objections – “too busy, too much to do, too many commitments, can’t stop work”.  However, consider this: “What would happen if you did? What would happen if you didn’t? What wouldn’t happen if you did? What wouldn’t happen if you didn’t?” Has that scrambled your busy brain?

 

Meditating monks and enlightened Buddhists have all discovered the secret that silence is very powerful and rejuvenating. I have often thought that “silent rooms” at work instead of “conference rooms” would be far more beneficial in getting our creative juices to flow, along with improved personnel relationships. So, why is silence so beneficial? It helps us to get in touch with our inner souls (not the ones on our feet, of course, not those soles, yet!). When we block out the noise of our environment, the noise of our external thoughts, we can make more sense of our life and what we want from it. That’s why coaches are so successful these days. A coach helps you get in touch with your unconscious mind, your inner soul. To help you sort out what you really want in your life, to slow down that frantic pace that prevents you from making those choices that lead to success and happiness.

 

It’s your choice. Your curfew.