Go anywhere in Britain and sooner rather than later you will bump into the bizarre. We seem to thrive on it. I’ve included the three silver birch tree trunks as my own contribution. I’ve title that legs hundred and eleven If you have never played bingo you wouldn’t understand.
These pictures were taken on Friday in the grounds of an old Abbey close to Nottingham. This afternoon a small group of us visited Kirkstall Abbey a Cistercian house close to Leeds built by the monks from Fountains Abbey.
For reasons that make no sense somebody had the idea to route the main road into Leeds right up the length of the nave of the abbey church. Those on foot, with time on their hands, carved their names in the pillars for posterity. Normal then, rather bizarre now.
(Thankfully the road now runs beside the church.)
Quick now, here, now, always—
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.
Little Gidding. T.S.Elliot
Please be assured that all is well here and the reason for sporadic postings is due to my need to concentrate on a piece of writing connected with my monastic responsibilities. This has been a collaborative effort involving working with my monastic colleagues here in Britain and also in North America. The process of working together has been an adventure and a joy. Now the text has been written the process of taking Refuge with a wider group of monks begins in earnest. I’ll be traveling south tomorrow landing back in the monastery late Saturday night.
Thank you to those who have sent me gentle notes asking if all is well.
The sound of the engine changed from a purr to a full blow diesel rattle. There was no going back since we were on the final approach to the M6 Motorway heading North. If the car broke down we’d call out the break down service. Uh! no cell phone! No worries I’ve got mine. If we broke down we’d miss our appointment in Kendal. Going up a hill now. Are we loosing power? No, I’m just going slowly. We’d maybe not get to Throssel tomorrow. I’ll need to at least have the garage check the car before we leave. If there’s something seriously wrong I’ll catch the train, no problem..
Privately and together we tot up the possible consequences and scenarios of one simple event. A car engine changing from it’s customary and familiar purr to a worrisome rattle. We reached Kendal and parked for the day. It’ll be fine when we want it. said my companion with confidence. And sure enough after filling up with petrol in the evening the car returned to its normal smooth running state. But that all of life’s rattles mended so easily.
While machines rehabilitate, one way or another, we humans are rather more complicated when it comes to getting back on our feet. I have several people in mind who have had or are about to have major surgery. It’ll be fine. or:
All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well. Julian of Norwich
Here is a must see set of portraits of life before and after death. The photographs are on show in an exhibition that opened at the Welcome Collection in London on 9th April.
At the heart of journalism there is, or always should be, a desire to illuminate a subject worthy of examination. This project succeeded in throwing some light on to the subject that is perhaps most worthy of examination, and certainly most obscured, in human experience: the great mystery of death itself. And it’s a mystery of equal significance wherever in the world you’re clicking your mouse.
Guardian Unlimited – News Blog
While in London on Tuesday I met an old sangha friend and loyal reader of Moving Mountains. He now lives and works in Singapore. By a happy set of coincidences we fetched up in the same town at the same time. We met, he and his partner and I at the British Library for afternoon tea. (What a splendid place). If I were in London I’d make a point of viewing these photographs. Simply viewing them on-line is a meditation.
Like Great Western Trains and the London Underground my visa application is suffering from severe delays. Thankfully I’m not suffering severely from the delay, although I’ll not be leaving these shores as soon as I’d thought.
Thanks to Julius for sending me the link.