Stranger In A Strange Land

Feeling not quite into it and not quite out of it

I’m writing this in a weird space.

I’m in my local pub, which is visually quite strange. The Kinks are playing on the hi-fi, and I’m sitting here with a glass of red.

It’s my day off; what feels like the first real day off in some time. It’s a chilly but sunny autumn day in Melbourne. It’s happy hour and outside the end-of-day peak traffic is just starting.

I’ve spent the bulk of the day in a meditative space. I sat for a few hours contemplating then writing up notes for this week’s section of the I Ching translation, which is already proving to having subtle effects in my field. I then did some Tai Chi, then had a deep immersive mediation in a hot bath.

I’m feeling rested, calm, and content; ready to tackle the week of work I have starting from tomorrow.

I’m thinking about all the tasks I have to achieve this week... it’s daunting but I don’t let overwhelm get me. There are so many changes happening at my work, it’s insane!! But all leading to very generative outcomes for all involved, I think.

That’s why I haven’t been online much since returning from Japan — it’s been really busy since then.

And looking at all that’s happening on Steem and the communities I’m part of... there is so much happening there also, what with the SCOT/Steem-Engine stuff, and writing challenges, contests, and back-end development stuff happening. Again, possibly overwhelming but taking it in my stride.

I could have FOMO. But I don’t let myself.

I feel like I’m in an in-between world with these two worlds... and this silence within can observe, witness, and be detached from it all.

I can understand why some folks could get rattled being in this kind of state, especially if they’ve never been here before.

It’s taken me over 20 years of actively (and passively) engaging in meditative practices that I can slip into this state almost at will and exist in the ordinary, mundane world whilst in it.

I’ve always been drawn to liminal spaces however. The twilight zone, the edges.... whatever you choose to call it, it’s that space where 1+1 doesn’t have to equal 2.

More importantly, this is the state where you can be ‘meditating’ at the same time as doing normal, day-to-day things.

It’s being present, yes; and it’s also being present to my thoughts and imaginings, attending to my embodied sensations as well as my dreaming and fantasies.

Not sure a glass of wine is going to maintain this state, but it certainly grounds me back into my body. And helps me gather and collect my thoughts enough to string some words together.

I don’t think I want to perpetually live in this state, nor do I think any of the texts or teachings around this promulgate the idea. However it’s useful to be able to access this state from time to time.

That’s what I feel is one of the many benefits of some kind of meditative practice, however that looks like to you, and from whichever tradition, school, or belief-system it comes from.

The ability to easily state-manage, and shift from one appropriate, generative state to another. I understand that in this context, anxiety is the inability to shift one’s state in a fully-embodied manner from one context to the next. These meditative practices therefore enable us to learn how we do that, as individuals.

The method is not as important as the effectiveness.

That’s why I would say to anyone wanting to learn or develop a meditation/mindfulness practice..... understand the purpose of what you want such a practice for, and find ways to fulfil that purpose. There is no absolute right way, just the way that works for you.

Ramble over. I’ll get back to my wine now.

😊🙏🏽🍷

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