“All the subtle flavours of my life have become
Bitter seeds and poisoned leaves without you
You represent what’s true
I drain the colour from the sky and turn blue without you
These arms lack a purpose
Flappin’ like a hummingbird, I’m nervous
‘Cause I’m the left eye, you’re the right
Would it not be madness to fight?
We come 1
In you the song which rights my wrongs
In you the fullness of living
The power to begin again
From right now in you
We come 1”
(Lyrics to the track ‘We Come 1’ by Faithless cited at genius.com)
SIMPLE & KIND
My grandad was a gentle and kind man who had a strong connection to nature. At his funeral I said that I hope some of him is still alive in me. I’m sure we all have known people who would consider, in at least some respects, to be ‘wise’. I have tried to open myself to hear the wisdom of not just that of my own family and friends but that of others also. I feel this wisdom isn’t so much hidden but can be overlooked or misperceived. Such wisdom is often served with a healing dose of passion. Jesus, Bob Marley and Tupac could be given as examples of individuals associated with passion in ‘Western’ culture. In Western society it’s common to see a Bible or hear Marley or Tupac… But how many of us really listen to the ‘spiritual’ aspects of life they spoke of.
Grandad loved nature, I’m trying to explain what he and others have taught me in the ways I know how. Although it could be said that I don’t see eye to eye with some of the ways of our society, this society has brought me up and taught me how to write. When writing of deep aspects of life which we may consider to be associated with ‘spirit’, it can be a challenge to specify the somewhat intangible thoughts and feelings we have… Things may get complex, we may easily misunderstand each other. What may appear as a simple knowing inside us can lead to all manner of problems in expression. This situation is worsened by Western learning and lifestyle often leading us away from ‘spirit’ or an acknowledgement of our deeper selves… And what do I mean by ‘spirit’? Literally, whatever you want it to mean; is it the force that creates life, hold things together, is it the urge you had to make coffee this morning? Balls in your court, it’s the taking part that counts. Benjamin Hoff’s book The Tao Of Poo brilliantly demonstrates Taoist philosophy by the way of Winnie the Pooh. As he explains one central Taoist concept is the uncarved block:
“The essence of the principle of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed. For the written character P’u, the typical Chinese dictionary will give a definition of “natural, simple, plain, honest.”…
This basic Taoist principle applies not only to things in their natural beauty and function, but to people as well. Or bears. Which brings us to Pooh, the very epitome of the Uncarved Block as an illustration of the principal, he may appear a bit too simple at times… but, no matter how he may seem to others, especially to those fooled by appearances, Pooh , the Uncarved Block, is able to accomplish what he does because he is simpleminded. As any old Taoist walking out of the woods can tell you, simpleminded does not necessarily mean stupid.” (Hoff 2015 p22)
WOOD FOR TREES
In our society it can be hard to see the wood for the trees. Time around having extensive leg surgery gave me an opportunity to walk my consciousness out of the trees (so to speak), to see the forest line on its outer edge. So, I’ve not just been sitting on my ass… Well, actually I was for quite a while 😊. Everyone is a unique person with a unique ‘being’ and ‘life force’. Whether it’s the books we study or our daily experience in the so-called University of life, each and every one of us has valuable insights and perspectives to share. In various forms of employment, especially for example healthcare, a person’s ‘lived experience’ is highly valued. Although I wonder how often such experiences are catered for on employment CV forms, with their strict criteria of what a candidate should be. Our unique life experiences can be shared to aid and empower others, and by learning about how others relate to the world, we can better resolve conflict from a person-to-person level right through to international conflict. As a communal species we are like signposts, offering directions to each other. The information we share perhaps isn’t that important, the awareness and direction it may lead us in is. Just like a signpost, if we just stand looking at it then it’s pointless. However, we’re in the driving seat.
At heart I’m an average man I don’t try to complicate things, if you look into my eyes I trust you will see the simple core that my writing embodies. The message in my poetry is the same, just a simplified version. The knowledge of this book is a rather lengthy way of saying something very simple – One Love… As Marley’s lyrics say in his track ‘One Love’:
“Let’s get together and feel all right”
(Lyrics to the track ‘One Love by Bob Marcley cited on songlyrics.com)
Our society in some respects has made life and the way we think about it complicated and ‘sharded’, so that a ‘simple truth’ is harder to see. Our academia has focused largely on the mind’s perspective, perhaps with a lack of heartfelt learning, knowledge, and associated wisdom. The process of untangling this sharded and complex world view may at some points be a pain in the ass… Butt 😊 the simple light at the end of the tunnel is what makes it worthwhile.
LIVING INFORMATION
I would say that I have learned from life in general, rather than any particular ideology. Life and its essence are greater than my individual self. I try to present my writing in a manner to respect this acknowledgement and promote open-mindedness. However, I do express my faith and feelings at times to bring this book ‘to life’. Without our faith and vantage point words are just a ‘sea of information’ as friend Jot Maxi says in his track Anomaly Slam. We need ourselves to bring information to life – towards light.
Like holding a book at night time, if we don’t light a candle or flick the light switch on, then how come we ‘see’ the words. It could be said that we start life in the dark, quite literally, in our mother’s womb without daylight. Words in themselves are meaningless, we need the ‘light’ of our mind to make sense of words, and as we all perceive the world in a unique way, there isn’t one correct interpretation or perspective. So, to bring information to the light (so to speak), this can be thought of as a process whereby the light of integrity transforms darkness and misunderstanding. As in the famous physics concept of Schrödinger’s cat, we are the observer, and just to be in observation we affect the reality of that which we observe, so our observation is unique. However, there is an integrity that connects all of our observations, an ultimate truth beyond ourselves that unites ‘universal reason’.
Our society teaches science (information) often in a manner that is devoid of true purpose (spirit)… Just information. Some people can be thought to study and/or teach perspectives with deeper meaning that have a sense of intuitive and greater purpose, having ‘spirit’. In such topics, perspectives and avenues for other people to explore can be shared, but ultimately, we must ask for truth ourselves and find what we see to be true, otherwise we will lack true knowing and sense of purpose in ourselves.
I think that it’s not so much the faith group, university or church we may attend that is important, rather how this translates into our sense of humanity and care for nature – the forces that created us (whether we have faith in a creation consciousness to which we may term ‘God’ or not). I think that ultimately, to have integrity in any sense of learning or general way of living, is to respect the integrity of the forces of life that have created us and in general the earth that our species depends upon.
All peoples holding a sense of humanity and ‘spirit’ may be doing good in the sense that they are, excuse the cliché, ‘lighting up the world’, no matter of what faith they may be labelled with. We all inspire each other, even in simple every day acts of kindness.
THE MESSAGE
Earth and Water is a compilation including two chapters each from three separate books written by Open Being; Open Minds, Stream Of Life and Global Hangover.
In this book Open Being promotes ‘self-activism’ in which we approach change within ourselves and our contribution to community. Self-care through relaxation and meditation, gaining greater self-awareness as well as finding purpose and positive social involvement are also considered to be cornerstones of the recovery process.
When connecting to ‘spirit’ we may feel compelled to change our way of life in some ways, to realign with nature and our humanity.
There are countless cultures and peoples engaging in diverse notions of existence. To accept the integrity of other people’s beliefs doesn’t require dilution of our own. With this realisation we may begin to build a world of equality. Also, with open mindedness we can learn from each other, and raise our collective awareness to better resolve global issues including international conflict and habitat destruction.
EARTH & WATER
As this book is a compilation of chapters from three separate books that I have written, I felt it fitting to write an introduction that helps weave the book together. And so, this introduction is perhaps a kind of chapter in itself. At the centre of the book is an analogy that can be taken from the biological constituents of water and earth. The notion of ‘spirit’ may be considered to be intangible – to transcend what is humanly known as rational, or ‘fact’… To be below or ‘inside’ the visible and measurable surface appearance in life. To bring discussion and focus on this connection between the intangible world of ‘spirit’ to the physical world which we can all clearly see and agree exits, an analogy of the relationship between earth (solid) and water (fluid) if offered in this book.
If we consider water as representative of ‘spirit’ in the guise of this book, we may think of earth as providing a channel for spirit to flow through our body, grounding our ‘spirit stream’ in life. Earth can channel water but ultimately water erodes and displaces earth. In this way spiritualism may ultimately overpower materialism, uniting and overpowering earthbound duality. It may be considered that as a person’s body weakens in life, they become closer to the spirit realm. Also, at the start of life, water (spirit) can transform earth to become a living organism. Here’s a quote from the bible that discusses duality and water:
“He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.”
(Bible – Revelation 21:6 cited in New International Version)
This life-giving substance and its relation to earth can be thought of in terms of a duality between that which is fluid and the other which is static. In other words, a form of yin and yang. Another form of duality is light and darkness. To discuss spiritual concepts of light and darkness in relative terms to basic constituents of biology, that we can all relate to – earth and water – may help unite the study of science to spirit. This knowledge holds power and our true humanity may be considered to share power. Together earth and water create life and in the form of humanity, a sentient consciousness, spirit and matter. It is interesting that in the Bible it is mentioned that in creation spirit hovers over the waters:
“1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
(Bible – Genesis 1-2 cited in the New International Version)
As the most commonly known form of spirituality in mainstream Western society, I will at points relate thoughts to the Bible in this book. I can almost feel the discomfort of some readers as I even write the word ‘Bible’. Our society as a collective river has become at odds with its spirit in general, it’s connection to humankind and the earth, it’s source or water’s spring.
The Bible is often discredited by people highlighting its association with hierarchy and corruption, but as with many powerful religious traditions, its knowledge can be manipulated to serve the needs of some at the expense of the rest of community. It’s true message I see to be absolutely against corruption. Simply put, any force that separates people from each other and their source of creation can be seen as ‘dark’ – to shard people from the light of their spiritual window into oneness with others as well as wholeness with the rest of nature. In other words, to separate people’s stream from communal rivers and the universal oneness of our ‘spirit ocean’.
Earth elements, such as; earth, water, wind and fire are thought in many spiritual traditions to have deeper meaning than their basic biological constituents. A modern example of this is the film – Fifth Element, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich as Korben Dallas and Leeloo. In the film, an order of aliens land on earth in different ages to protect earth from destruction. These aliens hold knowledge of the elements to life which one carries as stones inside herself. This concept of elements to life that are within sentient beings to which we can become conscious of, is a basic concept in various spiritual traditions. A ‘healing code’ that is inside us and requires the unification of loving bonds to achieve… A timeless code of ‘universal dynamics’ that has been tapped into throughout the ages… Protected and passed down by mystics, sages, saints and other spiritual philosophers, with a basic care to protect life on earth. Spiritual concepts in films are discussed more in chapter four of this book – ‘In The Movies’.
In a short youtube talk titled ‘Shamanic wisdom – shamans explain shamanism’, Sue Moondragon talks about her thoughts on shamanic perspectives of earth elements – water, earth, air and fire. She explains a concept often held in shamanic practice, saying that “everything outside of us is a symbol and a mirror of what’s inside”. Sue goes on to say the following:
(The element headings in this youtube video are copied below for water and earth)
Water (Emotion)
“Emotions; we all have fear, anger, sadness, joy and stillness… Somebody who is healthy, emotionally, just flows. When we are emotionally unhealthy, we get stuck in certain emotions and won’t do others… To not do sadness, to not do grief, is unhealthy. There’s this very ‘new age’ kind of enlightened way of being where ‘I don’t get upset about anything’, ‘I don’t get angry about anything’… Come down to earth… Flow. Everybody gets angry, everybody needs to learn to maintain their boundaries. So, water teaches us how to have our energy in motion (E-motion). Are your emotions free? If not, don’t listen to human beings, go swimming, go paddling, go and visit the sea, go for a walk in the woods, and the energy of water or the energy of the plants, will teach you how to free up your emotions.”
Earth (Physical)
“Earth teaches us how to be in our physical bodies. Look at the way the earth gently just holds us to her. We can jump a bit, we can launch ourselves into space if we use a lot of energy, but there’s this thing – gravity, which very gently holds us on the Earth. The Earth teaches us how to hold our spirits in our physical bodies, how to stay grounded. How to be present. We are humans doing, humans thinking but humans being isn’t an option?”.
(S. Moondragon cited on youtube)
Sue also gives her thoughts on the other elements she outlined (air & fire). The rest of this quoted short talk by Sue features in chapter three ‘Earth & Water’ of this book.
We as human beings are part of nature, and so it makes sense that our study of energetic properties associated with life elements, can be applied to our physical bodies. Beyond the physical aspects of life, we may find understanding in applying such principles to other areas of life such as our feelings, thoughts and interactions with others. With acknowledgement of the nature of basic element interactions, we may better observe and achieve harmony in our life. If we look at nature; trees, plants, streams… What do they tell us about their energy and how it changes through the yearly seasons.
PERSPECTIVE
I often write from the first person and in the spirit of open mindedness I express my own outlooks to bring the book to life beyond a neutral or lifeless haze of information. My own thoughts are given from a perspective of ‘thinking’, ‘seeing’ and ‘feeling’ (I think that… I see that… I feel that…). I also occasionally write in an abstract or poetic sense. There is an innocent and appealing nature to a crude truth. I am writing of my honest feelings and thoughts, I do not wish to mask them with literary ‘correctness’.
The knowledge and thoughts encapsulated in this book are meaningless without our personal resonation. This intimacy resides beyond words. In such moments when the words on a page begin to shake and lose focus, as with a resounding acknowledgement of deep meaning comes and uplifts us from the physical to a more spiritual sense of being.
This book is based on my own interpretation and opinion. It is not the sum projection of the work by researchers included, other people who bring such research together may reach different outlooks. I have presented other people’s research where it is relevant to my own line of thought. I have chosen to quote heavily providing support and context directly from sources and I also desire to present undiluted information of which I feel to hold substance. I am deeply thankful to those I have quoted for sharing their thoughts and helping me upon my own journey.
I strongly urge you to question all the concepts I present, whether you agree and resonate with them.
ELEMENTS MIX SERIES
There are plenty of books out there about elemental properties as well as peace and harmony. However, some people can relate better to such things as music, they are able to ‘hear’ more from the sounds. I have attempted to draw attention to different energies in the world, in ourselves and in our interactions with others, with styles of music that I enjoy mixing as a DJ. The ‘Elements Series’ is a series of five mixes touching on some of the rave styles I’ve played over the years, including; Drum and bass – hard techno, trance & rave – dub – deep techno and classic trance mixes.
I took one picture of the ground which friend Justin Hurst (DJ/producer and general legend) edited into the different colours associated with each mix. I over dubbed an excerpt from a Terence Mckenna talk, in which he discusses the formation of bone and antler technology and then musical instruments by humankind – this is at the start of the Summer Fire mix. Short descriptions for each mix are given below. The Elements Series is available on YouTube and linked on the ‘DJ sets’ page of my website – openbeing.co.uk
Warmed & Dry Earth (Dub mix)
Strong grounding baselines with downtempo dubstep beats that touch on how even though heat and earth are present, a lack of water to some extent slows down biological processes in plant roots
Wet Earth (Drum & bass mix)
Strong grounding beats and basslines with energy that is less subtle than the dub mix, as water is present to be soaked up by the roots and so the ground is ‘nourished’ (In a physical sense)
Summer Fire (Hard Techno, trance & rave mix)
Strong techno beats to represent big logs on a fire with a sense of brightness and euphoria as the flames that mesmerise the senses. Breakbeats come in when another big log is added to the fire, which the breakbeats settle down once it starts to catch alight.
Autumn Fire (Classic trance mix)
A fire in the autumn, represented by and orange colour cover… Just like a fire can burn blue, yellow, orange etc due to different substances. Oldskool classic trance to give a perspective on a trance energy like the above summer fire mix but with an added sense of days gone by, warmth of summer is still somewhat present but autumn approaches
Frosty Earth (Deep Techno mix)
Frosty and cold feeling to the sound which at first may seem too cold to listen to but like jumping into a cold pool… After a while the body adjusts to the temperature, like a cold shower we may feel more awake after