Robins

This morning I was digging a path along the side of a wall, and as I started
I noticed a robin sitting on the tree behind me. He shortly dropped down and
golloped the worm that my vibrations had produced. Then the two of us proceed
along the wall, me digging, he (or she) eating, until it was done: when he flew
up, without saying "thank you"!   

Multiple Christs

In the time of Jesus, in Palestine, the idea that the earth was a very big sphere was unknown. Now we are aware of a universe of galaxies, each of inconceivable sizes. So those most well-known words "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" now display a very different vision than when spoken in ancient Palestine.
So what does this mean for Jesus' relationship as "the son of God"? Surly the God of the universe is not restricted to our tiny speck? So the true "Holy Trinity" is in fact the Holy Infinity, with endless Christian incarnations beyond anything that we can know.

The Golf Course Circuit

 When I'm restless I often take my "standard walk" encircling Southampton Golf course:  North along Lordswood Lane (past the mound that once supported the Castle), East under Chilworth Common, and finally to the Golf area, from which I get a bus home. The weather was fine, but heavy rain had only just stopped, and the earth was black-muddied with many deep pot-holes. As always, I was well booted and, with strategic jumps, my feet didn't get wet.
Occasionally I encounter someone else on my walk: on this occasion a younger man (as, of course, are most men!) in rather neat clothes, coming in the opposite direction. I warned him there was a lot of mud, but he continued ... I wonder how he got on!  

Early in the morning: the Beech Grove. As usual, but gently. No chants or prostrations: letting the grove speak for itself. I am at peace.

God-bothering again

(Sorry, this one is a bit rambling and heavy!)
Yesterday, as frequently, we went to Church. As I mentioned, I'm prepared to pronounce the Creed ("We believe in God ...") as a general whole of the people, but I can't myself agree with quite a lot of this document. So what do I think about it?
I'm getting closer to Christianity through recognizing human beings' various "ways of knowing" (to quote a multi-authored book* that I edited). The idea came from work by Teasdale and Barnard in 1993: that the mind operated through two interacting systems, which they named "Propositional", working things out,  and "Implicational",  the total response to the situation. 
Rather conveniently - or perhaps linked with our evolution - the world as whole seems to be not a rigid mechanism, as Newton proclaimed, but a combination of a randomness at the smallest level and general laws over the whole, which together open out the world. As a result of this, "God is", and we encounter Gods, total is-ness, in many ways.     
*Ways of Knowing, Imprint Academic, almost certainly out of print! 

Today I had a pleasant wander in Winchester - though I was unable to get inside the cathedral because of the dense pack of people in the entrance! Back at home, I went to St. Edmond's church, a short distance from our house, which (as I had expected) was open but empty.  The silence and peace is always valuable. There I felt the thought: Be open to God in all things. Not through awareness of some sort of signal, but in openness to whatever goodness may come.

Common ecstasy

On Southampton Common, under a shining blue sky and a pure cold air, everything was amazing. The minute wren, hopping on the tree where I entered; the small flying gulls that came sweeping down around me then sweeping up high. Two dogs chased down to me with a swift doggy-hello from all three of us, and then up to their master ... and over all that, wonderful sky.

Yet another

The walk in my last blog moved from the sublime to the ridiculous. I was well after lunch-time, and I had nothing to eat, so I bought some biscuits: to be precise: "Nairn's Dark Chocolate Chipoat biscuits". Sounds good! but  totally dry and almost inedible - though I was hungry enough to eat one of them. The reason for their being inedible was printed on the corner: "40% Less sugar" (so that you couldn't taste it), and "oil" (no idea what oil) which presumably used to avoid any taste.
I'll stick to my one home-made baking! 

Two days ago my walk along the Itchen way was very satisfying. St Denys Church was open and empty, so I could sing "O Signore, fa' di me uno strumento della tua Pace:" (Lord, make me an instrument of your peace - the first line of a song that is usually attributed to St. Francis, despite that it is seems to have first arrived in Germany - in German!). The acoustics of the church were very good!

And then was there was a beautiful sky, and a gentle wind as I walked along the side of the river Itchen in its breadth, soon to reach the sea. The sun continued as I crossed over the Itchen, to walk along the Itchen way, once the Itchen canal, leading to Eastleigh.

Yesterday (8th Jan)  I started walking, as often, along side of the river Itchen, and soon continued on the "Itchen way": the old canal rout from Southampton to Eastleigh. I feel as if a friend to it, some times, for instance, reporting blocks in its path. On this occasion a large tree had fallen across, but it was easy to crawl underneath its upward curve. Unusually, I encountered four other people: a couple walked past looking firmly ahead - but the others had a chat. 
I arrived in Eastleigh as the sun was descending in a rich orange light: a very satisfying afternoon!

Dionysius

Walking from my house to green fields abutting the River Itchen, I usually walk past St Denys Church: a large, conventional 1970 construction. The name 'St Denys' comes from a tenth century Priory dedicated to St Denys, close by my St Denys Church.
I've always been intrigued by this less-than-dubious Saint!  The name "Denys" is a shortening of  "Dionysius", an important Council member in Athens converted to Christianity by St Paul.
Around the 5th-7th century writings appeared attributed to him. They were strongly influenced by mystical neo-Platonism: a pretty unreadable bunch, but I rather like the one "On "The Celestial Hierarchy", about Angels.