Harsh Winters, Retreats and the Exploration of Silence

It's been a long time since my last blog post. And, for those kind souls who read this blog regularly I am truly apologetic for vanishing without explanation.

Life has its seasons I guess and sometimes a very harsh Winter comes our way. It forces a kind of hibernation, a withdrawal from our normal lives. It can be a very testing time - providing little in the way of nourishment and using up all your reserves. Survival depends on something beyond our control and a kind of surrender begins to develop.

I feel that it's possible that good things can come from that which at first glance might appear bad.  Watching the people around me, there are those that have emerged from tough times with a new depth, their eyes shining and their hearts warm and open.  They are so inspiring.

During this time I have taken the opportunity to participate in some retreats and explore the Silence of being and in a way I am grateful for the gifts cloaked by misfortune. There are strange paradoxes that occur within Silence that can transform great pain into great joy, it isn't easy at all and I feel ill-equipped to explain it any further. There are small sentences that come out of me that feel right and then there are large monologues that come out of me that miss the mark entirely - So amongst most people I know I have been quite quiet of late.

Silence, for me, has become more than just the mere absence of sound - it is a sort of felt sense of something quite serene and joyful, beautiful and uncomplicated that is always under the everythingness that we see, feel and experience.

Only yesterday I came across some powerful words from Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi - One line from his poem, an Ocean without shore...

 I courted a Secret which existence did not alter; for it was asked of me:

' Has thought enchanted you?'

Artwork has been happening but I guess it is only recently that I have felt up to sharing. This one is one of my favourites so far. It is a little picture that emerged after a retreat early this year. When I look at it I can feel  a gentle Silence, I hope that others will sense it too... It's not completely finished yet but I'm nearly there...

The initial sketch came on a bright sunny day. It always amuses me how often stars appear in my work.

And Silence swam as starlight between the trees