Labyrinth

This is an idea I have been exploring a lot really, ever since Greenbelt. It fits in with what we were talking about on the theme of pilgrimage. Walking has long been a means of meditation in many faiths, and labyrinth walking is a part of that. The idea is that you walk a path with many turns, but only one route to a centre. Through this you may encounter many things but ultimately you end at a goal.

The below picture is a diagram of the Chartres labyrinth, one of the best examples of a medieval monastic labyrinth (As opposed to above which is David Bowie in the Jim Henson movie "Labyrinth", which was brilliant, though disturbingly paedophilic (dont believe me? The bulge says it all!)). It would be great if some of the artists amongst you would help me recreate it using some paint and canvas (that is, the chartre labyrinth design, not the movie!)

Looking forward to your meditations on Labyrinths! And if anyone wants to explore this idea by going with me to see the intriguing Del Torro movie "Pan's Labyrinth, let me know.

Great labyrinth related links here (A German site with all you need to know about labyrinths and here a virtual labyrinth for you to explore.

Bar None: Everything Is Meaningless!? Reflections

It'ld be great if people could jot down some of their reflections from the Everything is Meaningless event. All that was said at the "debriefing" evening tonight was great, but it'ld be good to "open up the circle" so people could really say what was good and what was less good. That applies to casual passers-by as well and regulars.

It was great to have so many people there and the atmosphere was very open and warm. I love the poem (could someone find a way to get the Tab online?) and the mixed media. In future, it would be great to have more visual stuff going on. Maybe wall art, scribble boards or power point playing in the background.

two men

two men battle a fire in a wood
one man's face is dirty from the ash
the other man's face is clean
which man washes his face when they reach the river...



[the zahir - paulo coelho]

Authorising yourself as a user

Sorry, this is a bit of a business post for puchurchers. If you're a passer through, ignore this and just carry on.

There seems to be some confusion about how to sign in as yourself (instead of as the generic "pubchurch") which I intend to clarify.

First, you'll need a blogger account. To get one, click "create a blog now" at the blogger home page. Don't worry, you dont have to create a blog if you don't want to! Clicking through will bring you to thesign-up page. Fill in the details here, and you'll have a password and username. If you want to continue to make your own blog, carry on. Otherwise, you can click away from this page and you'll have created your username and password.

Now to authorise yourself as a member. Login using the generic username and password. (If you dont know it (and you think you deserve to), e-mail and it will be sent to you, providing you are worthy!) You should come to the blogger dashboard. Besides the link for the main blog, there is a picture of a cog with "change settings" above it. Click here. Then, on the title bar, click members. Then click "add team members". Fill in the e-mail address you used to register, and you'll be sent a link to authorise yourself as a member using YOUR OWN username and password.

You should then be able to post as yourself.

Zen-lander

I've been having a conversation with a friend about the Buddhist perspective of Ecclesiastes. She's not a Buddhist but her boyfriend is and as such she's begun to explore some of the more meditative aspects of worshipping God. The idea has begun to really interest me.

Before I get branded a pluralist, I'm not saying that all paths lead to God or anything like that. Its just there is a meditative tradition in the Christian worship that is often forgotten. You just have to look at some of the monastic traditions to see that. I was privilidged to experience a few of these expressions of worship this year at Greenbelt including silent meditation with the World Community for Christian Meditation, some ecumenical sung meditation with the Taize community, and a walk through a mock-up of the Chartres labyrinth.

Its also worth remembering that the perspective of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes and the Buddha were similar: life is filled with suffering and death comes to us all. Its the means by which we escape this life that differs.

I'm just beginning to explore this so all comments are welcome. I look forward to exploring more of this in theory and in practice within BarNone. Watch out for some more thoughts on this in the Tab on the 29th.

Taken at Greenbelt 06

"Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body".
Ecclesiastes 12:12

"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief". Ecc 1: 18

Chin up.

Emma and Chris

MIsfortune cookies - revisited: The first batch

The first attempts! The recipe can be found here. The quantities make a few more than pictured, but I cocked up a few, which I subsequently ate!

Namaste

Anyone who is familiar with "Lost" will recognise this word, and anyone familiar with me will recognise I'm a big "Lost" fan and so will work out where I've become familiar with it. However, the more I've looked into what it means, the more wonderful a word it seems to be.

I can't claim credit for this discovery as Shane Claibourne, who himself spent time in India working with Mother Teresa, talks about it in his book. The word, a Sanskrit greeting used frequently in South Asia, has a number of translations, the following being listed on Wikipedia:

* The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you.
* I greet that place where you and I are one.
* I salute the Light of God in you.
* I bow to the divine in you.
* I recognize that within each of us is a place where Divinity dwells, and when we are in that place, we are One.
* My higher energy salutes your higher energy.

How awesome! I think the revolution that Jesus set about to bring is that which recognises that God's Spirit in me is the one that is in you. How excellently we would treat each other if we recognised that?

So if I greet any of you by saying "Namaste" in the near future, you'll know that, as well as it meaning I'm a big "Lost" fan, I mean something far deeper as well.

Misfortune cookies

I thought I'd get in early (as I'm going to have to get in soon to make the damn things) but I need you all to pick your favourite verses to go in the mis-fortune cookies. The idea is not to just pick all the most depressing ones, but a selection that provoke and challenge, the idea being to illustrate that the point the book isn't there to make us feel warm and fuzzy but to cleanse and scour us.

I reckon we'll need at least 50 cookies so get thinking!

(When you have picked some verses, add them as comments to this post)

Ecclesiastes playlist

I wanted to start a thread on what songs people have been thinking about for the "Everything is Meaningless" event in a few weeks time.

The one song that has really gone through my head is “Smoke” by “Ben Folds Five”. This is because the Message uses “Smoke” as very accurate translation of “Hebel” (literally “breath” or “vapour”) which other translations interpret as “vanity” or “meaningless”. The context of the song is very appropriate as well as it uses the image of burning a book leaf by leaf for the death of a marriage or relationship, each memory turning to smoke.

As an illustration, here is the passage I’d like to read when we do our favourite bits. Its Ch. 2v11-26 from the Message.

(When you think of a song, add it as a comment to this post)