In Search of Awe

In Search of Awe

This month I went in search of awe.  For me, awe opens a mental and emotional door to the state of mind, or mindlessness, I try to get to when I meditate.  Since I was in Paris, there was no shortage of world famous,  awe inspiring places to choose from, both sacred and secular.  The Louvre, Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, the Musee D’Orsay, even Chartres Cathedral a short train ride away.
And what did I find?  I found that I don’t have the focus to find awe among massive entry lines, security checks and crowds that feel and behave more like a train station at rush hour than a museum.  That was the Louvre for me, even early on a weekday morning in January, and I felt an immediate urge to leave.
Next up, Notre Dame.  It felt important to see it again, and the work that has been done was remarkable.  The shoulder to shoulder crowd taking selfies and other photos while mass was going on seemed to agree.  Am I glad I went?  Yes.  Was it impressive?  Yes.  But and awesome experience, in that portal-opening, time disappearing kind of way?  No, not for me.
Sainte-Chapelle has always been one of my favorites – you see it pictured here.  The long wait out in the cold,  heavily armed guards and intense security check notwithstanding, I felt a glimmer.  Maybe it was the smaller crowd – the narrow, winding staircase to the second floor does moderate the traffic.  There was a bit of the hush of the sacred that was missing for me in the first two stops.
And then things started looking up.
Chartres Cathedral was freezing cold and almost empty the day we visited.  Though it was physically uncomfortable, without the lines and the guns and the crowds it was much more, well, awesome.  My breath slowed, my mind quieted.
So did that mean that awe required the absence of other people?
Happily, not.  Or at least not for me.  The Musee D’Orsay was not without lines, not without security, not without crowds, but something about the very design of the place seemed to inspire better behavior, more attention to the moment, and just more space to have a personal experience.
Where is the lesson?  Awe will find you, don’t give up the search.
Whole Brain Thinking

Whole Brain Thinking

I can’t lie, I’ve mostly been reading what I call “airport fiction” lately – those series of novels that are the literary equivalent of Law and Order or CSI.
But I did make time for this book – Whole Brain Thinking by Jill Bolte Taylor.  You may have seen her Ted Talk or read her earlier book My Stroke of Insight.  She is a neuroscientist who suffered a massive stroke.
In this book refines the idea of left/brain right brain differences, pointing out that each side of the brain has a “thinking” and “feeling” center.  Her model of these four “characters” and how we can negotiate among them to make better decisions and improve our relationships is sticking with me in ways in didn’t anticipate.
Meditation should be easier here

Meditation should be easier here

This is the Duomo in Milan, Italy.  Like so many world-renowned landmarks, it is  awesome in detail and in scale.
Whether you aspire to  prayer, contemplation, or meditation and whatever your spiritual tradition, spaces like this seem like they should be ideal places to get still.
But we humans can always find distraction more easily than stillness, can’t we? Even if you were there all alone, the visual senses are overwhelmed.  But of course, you are never there alone, there are cameras clicking, there are whispered conversations and explanations in so many languages that you can’t understand but can’t entirely ignore either.
And yet, I always try to take a moment, or two, or five or ten to get quiet in places like this full of history and human artistry.  Here’s what I found out this time – it’s way easier to make this work in November than in high-season summer.  I mean, spiritual discipline can only take you so far.
Art Supplies or Clothing?

Art Supplies or Clothing?

A three month winter European adventure

Three bags – pretty small ones I’d say

So the question is, art supplies or clothing?

Sure, I could buy as I go, but my studio and my closet, to be honest, are already full of goodies that I need to quit “saving”.  Use them up.  Maybe even “waste” some paper and paint.

I suppose I could take a bigger bag, but even though this is slow travel, I still like to feel that I can carry my own load.

Besides, boundaries can inspire creative decision-making, right?

Here we go

Here we go

Our 3-month working (ish) adventure begins October 31 with a month in Bray Ireland.
Bray is about 45 minutes south of Dublin by rail. Apparently before there were cheap flights to sunny places, this was the destination for a seaside holiday for city-dwellers.  Ireland in November clearly isn’t about the weather, but this region is supposed to be “relatively” sunny and “relatively dry.
We will base in a flat in an old whiskey distillery within walking distance from the beach, the train, the shops, etc.
Day trips are on the agenda, but based on previous experience in Ireland, you never quite cover as much ground as fast as planned.
Slow travel is the goal.