‘And now have I put in here, as thou seest, with ship and crew, while sailing over the wine-dark sea… ‘ (Homer, Odyssey, Book 1, line 178) I had fun with this composition. I was needing inspiration and Naomi Janzen said “ …just do some tapping (EFT) and ask even though I currently have no idea for a composition etc…” and of course instantly the enigmatic phrase from Homer jumped into my head “ the wine dark sea”. Ok, I thought, that’s pretty random, I can certainly work with that! ‘The Wine Dark Sea’ is enigmatic because so many commentators over the years have pondered what the heck Homer was getting at .Was the sea really a dark red wine colour ? I remember a history teacher at art school saying that what Homer really revealed was the ancient Greeks didn’t see the colour blue ! – that the rods and cones in their eyes were still evolving and all they saw was a burgundy sea and a claret sky! Of course he failed to mention that the ancient Egyptians were throwing about lapis lazuli in the bucket loads. Of course if you get the chance to cross the Mediterranean theThe Wine Dark Sea by Stephen Fearnley
Message in a Bottle – by Laura Robinson
Dear One Mind Live community, My name is Laura Robinson. I am a lifelong friend and soul-sister of Naomi Janzen and a grateful, new friend of Stephen Fearnley and I absolutely love what they have created with OML! I am a rampant multitasker – by turns a wife, mother, actor, musician, author, game inventor, television creator and producer and I definitely look to meditation to keep me grounded in my rather crazy but glorious life. I have had a personal mantra for 20 years and I definitely use it when I need to destress and it is such a comfort to me. However, I also love the guided meditations of One Mind Live. Creating my meditations for the community was such a creative journey and pleasure and this first one centers around what I have come to realize are, to me, the top two keys to happiness. Self-love and Self-Acceptance. This 10 minute meditation takes the form of a peaceful beach walk, each step taking us deeper and deeper into a state of relaxation. Something a little unexpected happens that encourages us to truly and deeply accept and love ourselves. As every drop of water is a precious and integralMessage in a Bottle – by Laura Robinson
Rain Song by Stephen Fearnley
Photo by Stephen Fearnley This months Composer’ Choice is all about Rainmaking. In a nut shell it’s an invocation, a prayer, whatever you want to call a deep emphatic longing for the rain to come. Poor old ground is sad and dry here and every time the clouds gather they swoosh off. Wikipedia calls rainmaking a “weather modification ritual that attempts to invoke the rain”. Of course, most of us can think of American Indian rain dances and there are numerous accounts of their efficacy going way past an “attempt”. Rainmaking is a universal phenomena found in all human cultures. There is a great story passed on via Larry Dossey [1] from Willigis Jäger, the German Benedictine monk and Zen master, about a drought-stricken village in rural China: The village had no rain for a long time. All the prayers and processions had been in vain; the skies remained shut tight. In the hour of its greatest need, the village turned to the great rainmaker. He came and asked for a hut on the edge of the village and for a five-day supply of bread and water. Then he sent the people off to their daily work. On the fourth day itRain Song by Stephen Fearnley
Sat-Kar-Tar by Eilish Bouchier
This mantra is about giving and receiving love. It sounds so simple but how many people do things for others and then complain they never get anything in return. How many do wonderful things from feelings of obligation rather than just generously giving with no expectation of receiving any thank you, validation or compensation. Giving just for the joy of being able to contribute with love. It seems the hardest thing to do is keep our hearts open amidst the challenges of life. It can seem impossible to be able to meet life as it presents itself to us when our history and our media tells us we need to protect ourselves against having our hearts broken, our greatest ideas or accomplishments stolen from us by another, or bounce back from a betrayal or severe illness with vitality and optimism that the world is a beneficent place. There is no doubt life presents challenges amidst the gifts and magic. My father would often say life is like riding a bicycle – occasionally you get to freewheel but most of the time it is uphill. This meditation is about opening the heart so you cam meet life as it presents itself in every moment with its joys,Sat-Kar-Tar by Eilish Bouchier