Awakening @ MindSay

I'm "gallery sitting" for a new art gallery that just opened Tuesday of this week.  The experience has been very rewarding thus far.  It's a small one-room gallery in a small center, so the traffic in and out is slow.  Usually it's one on one.  In that environment, with the artwork to stir one's inspirational fluids within, people just start talking, sharing, expressing what the pieces say to them.  I love it.

Today I met Cedric (spell??).  A wise man.  Used to be a deacon in his church.  Now seems his "church" is the streets of life.  Though he's somewhere near 50 now, he sees himself as a 16-year-old, as he just became "awakened" 16 years ago.

That is a great feeling......when knowledge and experience are all wrapped up in this very youthful new approach to life.  Another chance to start over, knowing so much more than you did before the "awakening."  And life is just more simple.  

You want everyone to be there, to have awakened within their heart all the love and knowledge that's been lying there dormant since this physical life started covering your spirit with layers of lies.

You want to spare all the heavily laden brothers and sisters the pain that they endure day by day by day.....because there really IS a painless, perfect, answer to end their suffering.  But you just can't convince them to put aside all the anguish and the hurt long enough to go inside and find the truth. There first has to be an inspiration to do so.

That's what Cedric and I talked about today......inspiration.  He was very inspired by the jazz series (bronze sculpture) of the gallery's owner.  That's what got him opening up about inspiration.  Art galleries do that for some people.

What does it for you?  Where do you go to find inspiration?  Maybe you don't knowingly "go" somewhere purposefully seeking inspiration; but is there somewhere you find yourself where even for a moment you feel inspired?  Perhaps it's just listening to certain music.  Perhaps it's staring at an intricately detailed life-size sculpture, realizing that it started as a mere block of stone or a ball of clay.

When were you last in an art gallery?  There are probably small ones all around you.  Take a walk through a gallery or go wherever you go to be inspired, and tell me about it. 

You already know that I go within to find inspiration.   I sit in the silence and seek from within.  Many of you do, too.  Spiritual awareness, awakening, comes from within, ultimately.  But the desire to begin focusing on that can come from anywhere. You just never know from whence that spark may ignite.  Where might you grasp that spark?

Once awareness begins, the physical world without becomes more beautiful, more loving; colors in nature are brighter; music is more enjoyable.  Life changes.

Where there was despair, there is now joy. 

It's not just a bunch of flowery words and thoughts.  It really DOES happen.  There are so many here in Mindsay for whom this concept is very old history; and there are as many others to whom it is just crazy talk.

You fall into one category or the other.  Let's talk about it. 

So, yeah, I've been depressed lately (Couldn't you tell?)

Well, I've found something thats... helping.

I'm seeing this new Broadway show called 'Spring Awakening' on January 29. And, you know Elphiechan has to study this play inside and out as I count down the days. I'm not doing a LOT of research (I still want the play to be a suprise), but I cant help but listen to the music samples they've got on the website.

They're calling this the new R.E.N.T., but I think this is way more daring. I mean, there are songs called 'Totally Fucked' and 'Bitch of living'.

It's basically about exploring the teen psyche, mostly about sex, sexuality and depression.

I'm listening to 'Totally Fucked' and I can... relate. It's helping me... It's empowering me...

Yeah you're fucked, alright

And all for spite,

You can kiss your sorry ass goodbye,

Totally fucked,

Will they mess you up?

Well you know they're gonna try...

And then there's 'My Junk', which totally sounds like me (with the whole Sean situation)

It's like I'm your lover,

Or more like your ghost,

I spend the day wonderin' what you do, where you go,

I try and just kick it, but then what can I do?

We've all got our junk, and my junk is you.

I'm tellin' ya, this is... cutting me deep... It's about sheltered kids, brought up proper, strictly, and I can totally relate... I was such a good kid all my life, and I'm about to snap. I can't keep smiling when I'm mad inside.

http://www.springawakening.com/spring_awakening_music_and_video.php

^Worth a visit.^