Essential Importance of Taking Time Out in the Lone Space
The unquantifiable importance of solitude.
From time to time, I feel the need to take a well-earned break away from our work here at Openhand. Not that I feel pressurised by my life, not at all. Even though it is frequently full-on, I find it immensely rewarding and yet now and then, there's the undeniable heart-felt pull to spend time alone. I'm blessed to have a camper van, so as the flow allows, I find myself taking off into nature and the countryside. For me there is nothing more pleasurable than finding some quiet, secluded spot, parking up and simply hanging out…
The importance of Solitude
I couldn't begin to overestimate the importance of solitude in my life as a catalyst for accelerating the path and clearing unwanted inner debris. When I do get the time to take off, I find the first few hours can be a touch demanding. If you don't fill the space with 'entertainment', I find the mind needs a little time for 'detox cold turkey'. Even if there's no longer the ego to contend with, there's still the need to clear the inner landscape and expand into the emptiness. When that happens, I find I can sit for hours simply watching life unfold before me. 
My favourite would be to park up on some secluded cliffs in Cornwall, like in the photo at the top - a treasured place of many an Arthurian legend near the mystical town of "Tintagel" (can you see the Dragon's head and his wing? Awesome!). I distinctly recall many magical hours there, simply watching the seagulls performing for me a merry wind swept soliloquy or the waves rolling powerfully in off the ocean or dropping naked into the icy waterfall at the mystical St Nectern's Glen (as in the photo left).
Amazing things happen when you spend time on your own. First, you might have some typical mental chatter to deal with: "I should be doing this", "why aren't I doing that?" "How can I waste my time like this?" There could be the nagging doubt that you're missing out on something or you really ought to be doing something more responsible and productive. Once you drop through these layers and peel them away, the profoundness of awesomely ordinary simplicity tends to strike one like a thunderbolt to the third eye. How could you pass such simple beauty by and pay so little attention?
Deeper into presence
The deeper we drop into this sense of pure presence, the more connected with life we truly feel. From this place of the empty void, the flow arises more strongly and one can be completely overwhelmed by the simplest of things. A recent evening comes to mind where it rained the whole night through and strong winds buffeted my camper backward and forwards. How wonderful! Rocked like a baby, I was enthralled for hours.
And as I awoke, it was the turn of the crows to be the aerial acrobats. It seems one had mastered hovering on the breeze like the famous kestrel. At first I thought it could have been one, until that is a kestrel flew up in front of it and hovered right in front of my camper. Wow, what a spectacle. Anyone whose seen the Gateway 2 section of Openhand's film 5GATEWAYS will know the significance.
It's these apparently simple things that become more prominent and speak so loudly when the mind and consciousness are still. To me, the crow always represents inner distortions. The aerial display was clearly revealing that the path to truth is by continually watching one's own tightness and tension. It's only then that freedom and liberation unfold their inner wings. As if to confirm, synchronistically as I write this, my iPod has started playing an old favourite "Free" (which I'll share with you below). Priceless!
Excuses?
"Okay" you might say "it's alright for you Open, but I have a family to look after and a busy job, I don't have the freedom to get away like that". Sorry to burst the bubble, but these are just excuses! Mostly because we don't believe others can look after themselves for a few hours and are sometimes meant to. Or else we're afraid of exactly what might happen in the void of stillness: "Will I have to look deeply at my own reflection? What will I see?" Even if it's just for a few hours, there is nothing more penetrating and cleansing than isolation and absolute stillness.
Speaking of which, the crows outside my window are calling. They're clearly saying I've spent enough time finger tapping and it's time to fly. It's felt good sharing this emptiness with you. I trust it inspires and encourages you to push the boundaries on the lone space a little more. When you do, I and the kestrel will catch up with you, hovering, hanging on the breeze in the space between the spaces.
Till soon.
Bright Blessings
Open 💙
And here's that video: "Free is all you gotta be..."
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Pouring it down on Dartmoor but I can feel the hug from here 🤗
In reply to Downtime magic by Richard W
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It's pouring it down here on Dartmoor but totally beautifully rocking from side to side in my camper!!
I can feel your hug from here Rich. Wonderful!
Open 🤗
For complete peace of mind call in the Arcturians!
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It seems the Arturians are getting close and highly visible. You have to read between the lines to get them though. While staying up at Cae Mabon I bumped into an wonderfully quirky chap who was speaking and channeling interdimensionally in his words. It was abundantly clear who he was channeling. And on the way up here, my attention was drawn to this breakdown truck as the RAC were fixing a young family's van - "just flip the R and the A around was the guidance". And of course, technology is their game. Don't you just love the symbology of the interplay!...
For complete peace of mind (with the technology), call in the Arcturians!
LOL
Open 👌🙏
I concur
In reply to For complete peace of mind call in the Arcturians! by Open
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Dear Open ,
The Arcturians certainly seem to be very close and present . I feel like I am interacting with that group many times especially since Divinicus . Yesterday in a group meditation I felt again how they are grounding through the torus .
It's such a powerful erudite energy !
Time out
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I completely concur Open, taking time out to be yourself at one in nature is life tonic.
I'm working my way gently back home through France, I'm currently at a place in The Dordogne called Brantome, famous for its trogladite cave dwellers. What has been a powerfull draw to me though, are the massive seqouia trees that are in the park I am camped in. Four huge towering trees interspersed with soon to flower Magnolias, and the Dordogne river flowing close by. It's heavenly.
100 Meters away is the town where masks are obligatory & you cannot be served in a restaurant unless you have a Covid pass!
I'm staying in the majesty of the park and trees, all are welcome.
Kev
The nomadic life
Out in the dream space... 🏄♀️
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16/08/2021 Openhand Journal
I'm out travelling right now, tools down (except connecting with you guys a little through the keyboard!), travelling around Britain in my cosy camper. The article I wrote above was from a previous trip - I will be heading down to Cornwall at some point but right now, I'm residing at the courtesy of the red dragon - of Wales, and in particular, a tremendous place many of you will know - Cae Mabon, up in the mountains of Snowdonia.
Here's a taster from a previous Openhand event here, of how it feels entering the magical mystical land of Cae Mabon....Just like being in a scene from Lord of The Rings...
Come this way, let go of all limiting judgments...
You're entering a world of "elementals"... 
The Fairy Queen presides over the inquiry... 
Pixies are in abundance!...
And a gnome pops up to make and appearance...
A Dwarf taking a craft break...
We're got Merlin's tree house too...
And here he is "Merlin" (otherwise known as Eric - the founder) tending to Gaia's garden..
And the wonderful lady herself, holding the crucible for our inquiry. How blessed we are!...
The magnificent Round House from an early Openhand event
Who knows, maybe we'll be joining the pixies and the fairies at Cae Mabon for a future Openhand event?
Open 👌😉
Precious time well spent.
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mmm yes the opportunity to day dream is surely precious time well spent.
I recall the start of the lockdown what a fantastic feeling to be instructed by the matrix to disengage and isolate. Rather than feel trapped it was a blessed relief to be able to forget it all, daydream and slow right down.
My wife gave me the best compliment, although she didn't know it. " I don't know what world your living right now but it's not in mine. You need to come back and do the washing up." Ha , yes I did come back and do the dishes but with a huge smile on my face. Good old fashioned day dreaming....its the future.
Dishes and the dreamspace!
In reply to Precious time well spent. by Keith (not verified)
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Lovely annecdote Keith - thanks for sharing - had be chuckling 
And there's no reason NOT to be in the dreamspace whilst you're washing the dishes!
Open 
I'm stuck
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Hi I haven't read the article yet but the headline has really struck a nerve as alone time is something I never get anymore. yes I am reaping the results of my actions and learning important things that I hope will help me transcend my bondage, physical, mental and otherwise. As a gregarious introvert, that alone time is as you say essential, and I haven't had it in just over 10 months now. I can steal snatches of alone time at work when I go out to my tree on my break but its still a hiking area so people still come and go. and once winter comes I won't even have that. plus my living situation is not good as I have no separation from the upstairs person who is an alcoholic who does not understand boundaries and is always here and always listening and watching. I'm perfectly aware that this is all karma I owe and I guess I can't go until I transcend my anger and anguish but its getting harder all the time and I so desperately need a break but I feel like I'm in prison and I won't ever get out. I don't even have enough time peace or even energy to get a meditation routine established and I keep getting pulled back into the density and then have to spend my weekends trying to find the light again which is still difficult as there is very little peace here. every morning I have to continue with this false life finds me in tears and I understand this is all for me to finally transcend my painful childhood which I just keep repeating over and over but I've come to the point where I'm just defeated and sad and reactive. I've definitely gotten better with listening and presence but I can't shake the frustration and anguish and ego reactions to other peoples pettiness which I'm probably attracting but haven't figured out how to change. I know there's a way out through myself but its getting harder and harder and im just so tired. I feel like I'm getting further from the door and will lose it. I just don't know what to do I feel like they've got me trapped and I don't know how to get out and I'm in pain and can't even take care of myself properly. i cant see the light. any help would be so appreciated. and while I'm here if I can ask: do you think my marijuana smoking habit is helping or hurting? it helps to change my perspective and not sweat my situation so much, but I'm worried its disrupting my sleep and especially my ability to dream which is where I get lot of my insight from...could that be why I'm so stuck? I thank you so very much.
Is Marijuana creating a state of avoidance?
In reply to I'm stuck by Barb C (not verified)
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Hi Barb,
It's good that you shared. Firstly know that you are not alone and always, but always the asnwer is right there in your experience - your soul is speaking to you through your own words.
Here are some things that jump out...
but I feel like I'm in prison and I won't ever get out.
It's clear you're feeling this and that you desperately want to get out. And that is exactly what's holding you - trying to get out. Don't try. Be in the prison. Don't try to change the experiences. Don't fight them or avoid them, but go deeper and deeper into the feeling of imprisonment until you can completely accept it. In some ways the soul is imprisoning the One in you, in all of us, because it's constantly flowing and experiencing. But if you can go deep into what the soul is creating right now and accept the feelings, then you can touch the one.
You said...
do you think my marijuana smoking habit is helping or hurting?
You already know the answer to that. YES!!!
It's avoidance of what is - avoidance of what your soul is already creating.
And because you're avoiding the authentic experience, then you create internal polarity. Which means you can't be the One in the experience - meaning it holds you in a kind of limbo state without penetrating/transcending the moment into The One.
So I'd say if you truly want to transform the situation for the better, sit in the experience of imprisonment. Don't try to change or avoid it. Completely accept it. Soften into it. Let go into it. Then you'll burst through it.
Namaste
Open 
further insights
In reply to Is Marijuana creating a state of avoidance? by Open
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hi open, thank you so very much for your encouragement and caring. I've just purchased your first book and realize I could have saved time and just gone straight to that lol! I also realize my response was that of a child throwing a tantrum "but why can't I go on a trip?!?" etc. etc. well I'm seeing now it's cause I never bothered to fill my tank up with gas, so to speak. I just haven't been doing the work. so with gratitude I dive into the wisdom, and begin.
Taking essential time out...
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Having not had much of a break from the various twists and turns since the pland-mic shenanigans began, I'm taking off in my camper for the next week communing with our blessed mother Gaia, but also taking stock of how the field is shifting and morphing right now. I can feel lots of change and plenty of insight is landing already. Especially what i see as a new era of finance emerging in the world - based on quantum computers. Unfortunately I do feel the shadowside will install a new system to own the blockchain, which may make some of the emergent cryptocurrencies obsolete - unless they're able to add value through smart applications, such as ethereum. This is all just beginning to land at the moment so I feel to share more on that after my break through a Facebook Livestream.
I will share snippets from my adventures here on Openhandweb so do stay tuned.
Much love to all
Open
Welcome Baby Michael
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Oh, how beautiful! I just read the wonderful news of Michael's birth.
From the bottom of my heart I send my congratulations to the three of you - Michael, Alex and Maria -
Lots of love
Dagmar
Heartfelt wishes
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Dear Alex, Maria and Michael
My heartfelt congrats and wishes for the beautiful story that is unfolding for you. I found it fascinating that Michael was conceived at 11:11. Simply meant to happen. I hope the whole universe is celebrating for the love. May your journey be blessed
Much love
Vimal ❤️
Priceless
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Alex,
Wow how amazing that you shared that! Both of my kids especially my 4 year old son absolutely LOVE that song, especially the very first part - and sing it ALL. THE. TIME...
AND, my extended family is on our first day of vacation today. This picture was taken earlier this afternoon of the newest addition to the Circle, my niece - and I made a meme out of the picture, adding some words to it just a few hours ago....
I literally had just looked up the meaning only a few minutes before logging on here... they translate to:
”Here comes a lion, father
Oh yes it's a lion.”
🦁😝☀️
And, when I clicked your shared video link, I totally forgot, but my phone was connected via Bluetooth to a small speaker that was providing the vacation soundtrack for the whole family - so the song itself was blasted in full glory in a magical moment with a bright sun gently setting over three generations of family playing together in the pool.
It was spellbinding! Thank you !!
Lion's Gate Baby!
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You'll be pleased to know that in the Openhand family there was a birth, approaching the Lion's Gate, for Alex and Maria, who've both been plenty involved in Openhand gatherings in recent times. Their son is called Michael. Do feel free to send some well wishes on such an auspicious occaision. Apparently he was concieved on 11:11!....
Such a blessing
In reply to Lion's Gate Baby! by Open
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Alex and Maria,
Congratulations to you both!!Baby Michael seems quite aware, as he's already looking up and taking in his parents!
Welcome Michael!
In reply to Lion's Gate Baby! by Open
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Congrats to you Alex and Maria! Welcome to this density Michael, I'm sure you gonna do some amazing things here since you arrived at 11:11
An Exploration of Breatharianism
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It's day 5 for me fasting in my 'cave'. It's been a powerful process thus far. Some deeply embedded stuff from childhood came up, programmed into layers of the body from high intensity sport at an early age. Rowing 6 days a week at the age of 12 might not be the best for the formative body! The pain in my back and shoulders at times was so extreme, I couldn't lie down or sleep. This is the nature of deep fasting and inquiry, where the soul is fully embodying. However, by the completion of the fourth day, with the help of a friendly massage, it all subsided, and I was left in a serene place, where I could sit for hours just looking out into the garden, watching the birds and the trees and the sky. A short walk down a country lane was simply divine.
What prompted me to begin this fast was breaking my front tooth eating corn on the cob last Sunday. Of course that wouldn't nornally happen, but this particular tooth had been knocked out in a karate session some 20 years ago. Funnily enough, I'd been thinking about getting it replaced - how the Universe works for us!
It brought up another subject that's been close to my heart for some considerable time - that is breatharianism, where you stop eating completely and live purely on prana. I believe the energy finds it's way from the 4th density body into the endocrine system in the brain and so replenishes the body from there. As the purging subsided, I could feel this process kicking off for me. Right now, I have no desire to eat, nor even to drink, I could readily go on like this. I know it would be blissful. HOWEVER, what I've also found is that it's quite hard to engage with the outer world. Even writing this short piece on the internet is quite an effort. I feel very removed from it all, and the idea of travelling around the world, in planes, trains and hotels to give workshops, would be extremely challenging. So after some contemplation (and a degree of sadness), I decided to leave my cave and begin eating again, but gently, perhaps a smoothie to begin with and see how that goes.
I have to head into town now to see about getting my tooth fixed - that's going to be a journey and a half!
But with the help of the odd metaphysical 'dragon' I'm sure it will all work out just fine.
Sending love to you all out there.
Open
The challenges of processing when fasting and sitting
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Hi Marije,
Greetings - nice that you tuned in. When you sit like this, all the machinations of ego will come up. And stresses and strains in the body too. It's no problem not to be fully fasting. Just that the process will take a degree longer - so be patient with yourself, and accept what comes up just as it is. Whatever arises will be right for you at this point. And I'd say sitting for 2 hrs is quite an advance - most would struggle to sit for half an hour without distraction. So do keep going, do keep digging in, and it will all be worthwhile
Hi Megha - we're right there with you dear. Yes intermittant fasting will bring stuff up for sure. Because the layers of the bodymind are not so placated by the density of food. And planetary alignments will then impact too, if you're sensitive in the body. Again, be patient with yourself and use the lion energy to push through. Stability will return. And if you can withdraw for a couple of days, that would be good. Big bundle of love your way.
Open
So not subtle !
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Dear Open ,
I must be from Sirius because I feel like I have been whacked out of alignment in the last few days . To add to the very disorienting time ,the 16 hour fasting window is so hard! I am unable to sleep and I am feeling deep RAGE going through me. I have had volcanic eruptions at most family members and in the rest of the time have been feeling completely out of sorts. I am listening to Solfeggio frequencies , meditating best I can and also going for long walks . Today in my condo we had a Kabir ( Sufi saint ) session and after singing a hymn I felt somewhat better . Deep frustration is bubbling out of me and karmic processing is at a high !
I am writing this just so that other people experiencing this know I'm feeling as crappy 😄.
Feeling very much like a lioness on rampage . I am feeling burning up and down my spine and in meditation am shaking so hard I feel I might break something 😄
Lots of love to everyone through the ether. I feel like crawling Into a cave and riding this one out !
Megha
Exploring the significance of the Lions Gate
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Today we've moved into what is termed in astrological and spiritual cicles as the "Lion's Gate". Essentially this is where the sun moves into the constellation Leo, from the constellation of cancer. Whilst the sun was in the constellation of cancer, it blocked out the star Sirius. Now as the sun moves into Leo, Sirius re-emerges. The ancients believe the influx of light from Sirius opens the "Lions Gate" that can create shifts in consciousness. I would say that is likely to be mostly true if you're a star soul from Sirius. Otherwise the impact might be subtle. The best way to test these things is in meditation - opening an internal space and allowing the energies to shift.
Personally I have been getting a fair does of Lion synchronicity building up to this, so it will be intriguing to see what the effect might be.
Wishing you all well
Open
Day 4 in the cave - deep purging
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During my day 4 in the 'cave', I underwent a deep purging. The zeolite brought out some heavy metals for sure, as different parts of my body ached deeply, including my head. But that's subsiding now. I'm taking it easy and allowing recovery to commence. Fasting can be a deep cleansing process on all levels.
Wishing you well out there
Open
Day 3 in the Cave - the cleansing impact of Zeolite
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I'm now well into day 3 of my 'cave' fasting retreat. I can feel energy returning to the body, a mild influx of pranic energy, but this is being greatly offset by the deep cleansing from the zeolite that I took yesterday. Zeolite removes heavy metals, and as I awoke this morning, it felt like my body had been poisoned, I guess as any heavy metals were releasing and flooding through the system. So all I really feel to do is lie down and let it flow.
Sending you all well wishes
Open
Day 2 in the Cave
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I'm well into day 2 of my 'cave' experience, at home here on Dartmoor. In fact my heart longs for some distant cave somewhere. But for now, it will have to suffice in my imagination!
Yesterday evening brought me into quite a challenging detox. Although I've lived only plant based and mostly organic for some 15 years, nevetheless, we still pick up plenty of toxin from the environment - especially heavy metals. So yesterday I took some wormwood to begin cleansing parasites from the gut, and betonite clay, which is deisgned to remove any compacted food waste (see my detox fast for getting rid of muccoid plaque). Since I don't have much of that at all, if any, the bentonite seemed to start drawing toxin from the brain, because my head was very painful and achy last night. So my feeling is to switch to zeolite, which is a volcanic powder and extremely effective at removing heavy metals - such as the Aluminium oxides from chemtrails.
Right now I'm feeling extremely relaxed and other worldly. There's an expansive sense of lightness. However the body is feeling pretty depleted. I'm waiting next for prana to infuse it more fully. So that will be the ongoing inquiry.
It's feeling to be highly beneficial. I find I can still do a degree of internet work, but that's greatly contained - with a clear boundary. And with that, I'll close!
Wishing you all well out there in your 'cave' somewhere
Open
30 hours into my fast
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I'm about 30 hours into my fast now. I went through a couple of hours where the mind was playing some shannanigans for a while, but that's subsided now. So I left my 'cave' for a short walk in the countryside. It's fascinating the watch. I feel extremely light and peaceful, but the body isn't processing much light yet, at least not for exercise, and so it's floppy and weak - amusing to watch though!
Open
It feels like this, doesn't define who I am, and doesn't own me
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Hi Marije,
It feels to me like the timing is right for you. You're ready.
Be prepared for some tough experiences and resistances in the first couple of days. But keep challenging identification with whatever comes up. Work to allow the experience to be what it is - pure, without loading or energising....
"it feels like this, it doesn't define who I am, and it doesn't own me".
There with you in spirit
Open
Time to Retreat into Your 'Cave'
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The Openhand work program has finished for another year - for those not in the know, our course program runs like a year in an educational establishment, from September to July. August is a month of replenishment and deepening. This time the flow has called me into my 'cave'. I just love the idea of heading off into the wilderness and staying beyond the ties of the matrix to some cave somewhere, just as the mystics and the sadhus have done for centuries.
The Universe has decided this time for me to create my 'cave' in my room. So I've cleared away any unnecessary clutter, added some poignant sacredness to my altar, stocked up on sage and begun last night with a moving meditation ceremony, calling in the elders and those who support in the ether. I'll be fasting and meditating until I've achieved what is necessary. I felt a divinely sacred connection with the swami Sri Yukteswar, who dropped in to join me for a while from some higher dimensional 'cave' somewhere, which was a shear delight.
I find these personal retreats essential to prepare for new stages in the Shift and the new year that kicks off in September. At this point we're also entering the 'lions gate', which for some as yet unknown reason seems to have particular significance this year.
I will be tuning into the web once in the mornings and once in the evenings. I find that the Openhand web work is a natural extension of the deep inner space, so providing I contain it, then it won't detract from the depth of my 'cave'. Maybe you're also inspired to take some time out in retreat? Feel free to tune in with me for whatever unfolds from this experience. I can tell you it's already a deep pleasure.
Here's a sample of a new piece of meditation music I've been working with to get you in the mood...
Calm in the Storm - stunning desert time lapse photography
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There's a lot going on in the field at the moment! Plenty of you are reporting many of the 19 Classic Symptoms of the Shift. Remember also that it's utterly essential - vital - you take time away from everything, even if it's only half a day or a day. If you can relax and just let go of any trials and tribulations, it'll greatly help not to get conditioned by the intensity. Personally I've had a busy time of late, so after posting this, I'm taking a day out, just to sit and be.
Synchronistically this awesome time lapse video came to me of the Atacama Desert - and it just took me right there. Maybe you don't have too much 'downtime' at the moment, but I'm sure you can spare just 5 minutes for this. I'm sure it'll do you the world of good. Stop for a while, breathe, relax, unwind, expand... (tip - be sure to put it on widescreen and use your headphones!)...
wood pigeon
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Today I found solace not in a tree but in the eyes of a wounded wood pigeon. There were many inner and outer synchronicities that led me to this beautiful bird who stood on the pavement of a road in town just waiting. Waiting for something, for someone? Until the moment I saw the pigeon, I couldn't clearly understand why the flow had taken me to town today, although that was not 'the plan'! There was blood in the pigeon's body and s/he had lost his/her tail. As soon as I saw him/her I stopped the car and picked him/her up. I always have a carrier with me in my car for injured wildlife who I then take to expert friends for rehabilitation.
The pigeon positioned her/his body as close to me as possible in the carrier, which I had put on the passenger's seat, looking at me with her/his expressive eyes. S/he felt trusting ... we talked ... it felt very loving.
S/he had lost her tail; my sacroiliac muscles had been painful.
S/he was waiting for something/someone, standing still, in pain; I was waiting for a moment of directive alignment, partially disconnected, sad for everything that is not real, everything that is violent.
S/he had blood in her body and a limp; I was feeling exhausted in trying to navigate the paradox of form and formlessness.
In the hair of the woman you painted Blue Petrichor I see bird's wings...I see a flow...I see a reaching up while being rooted in the groundness of the Earth. I see freedom of spirit in a wood pigeon's little body.
Love and transition.
Thank you Aspasia
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When I was a kid I hated going to school it was not a nice place to be in anyway. I decided to find a friend to talk to about everything happening in my mind. I Always have few trees which I was trying to take care of them on the to school. I even had one which I only could see it from a very tiny window in the rest room of the school.
I am happy when you said the experience of Earthiness comes to mind and heart.
I dont usually plan anything before painting but they always appear somehow. During painting this one I was actually thinking about how good it is to be free so, I can say it was a feeling of joy and beauty :)
Thank you
Fantastic Multidimensional Painting
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Hi Blue Petrichor,
A very warm welcome to the shores of Openhand 
Your painting is deeply moving - absolutely fantastic. I clearly see the multidimensional self in it.
Great work - lovely to have you in the community.
Open 
Thank you Open
In reply to Fantastic Multidimensional Painting by Open
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Thank you very much I am happy that you like the painting.
Very happy to be here.
Blue Petrichor
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Hi Blue Petrichor,
Its lovely to read your sharing and the way you create lone time in Nature. Bringing nature into your parents home in the city speaks to me of a sense of commitment to love, beauty and to sharing it. I am inspired! I have two Peace Lillies in my room with beautiful big green leaves. Sometimes I tend to talk to them, mostly after meditation. It feels like they meditate with me. I know my cat China does!
Your painting is simply remarkable! I love it! Thank you for sharing it! I really would love to know how it felt to paint it. It gives me a sense rootedness, feminine beauty, vulnerability and immense power. The word and exprerience of Earthiness comes to mind and heart.
A big welcome and much love.
…
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Hi Aspasia and Open. Thank you for such a wonderful community. It took me a while to find out what I have is the biggest gift in the world. living so close to the nature.
Open says:"It reminds me how lucky one is to be able to appreciate this - but then it's not luck at all really!!! It's simply commitment and persistence...."
I am so blessed for having a small garden for myself. when I go out I look for a treasure collecting them and placing them in the house. This is another way of being with nature at home.
And when I am back in the capital city with no blue sky then this is the time of challenge. The challenges are to not forget how far I went which to be honest is not easy. Most of the time I stay home and do nothing
So I try my best not to go there but sometimes there is no choice. last year My husband and I made a tiny space in my parent's house for few plants. It helped them to take time out and talk to their plants sometimes. Make me happy :)
Now anytime I go there and feel overwhelm with the things happening in this city I make time to just watering them cleaning them and playing with the soil. It is not comparable with what I have in my own house but it is enough to help me go through the rest of the day with grey sky.
I always love to take time out and try to create some painting from trees which I love specially in autumn. I am very happy to find Openhand. It is my time to start something extraordinary in my life and I think I took the first step.
Finding the aloneness inside
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Vimal, the way you connect with the joy inside by watching the sunset sounds SO beautiful that it makes me feel nostalgic of the amazing Greek sunsets at the beach! Thanks for the image - a gift welcomed in a VERY cold, rainy and windy evening here in the UK :)
I adore what you say very wisely: "The joy which wants absolutely nothing else but to keep feeling it." No expectations but the rawness of the feeling.
Yes, im with you in that creating aloneness away reinforces our capacity to find/'remember'/recollect aloneness amidst "myriads of distractions" - finding stillness in the midst of turbulence, the art of living indeed!
Blessings my friend and thank you for the wisdom.
Invaluable
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Hi Aspasia and Open, this is a fantastic exploration. Solitude has been my biggest ally too . Nowadays i feel to take time out evenings into the nearby hill watching the sunset and the birds and connecting with the joy inside. The joy which wants absolutely nothing else but to keep feeling it. It is invaluable for me take time away from the muddled energy of family life such that when i come back i can find the aloneness inside and be with it even with myriads of distraction. I love the poem.
Vimal <3
Wow - Iove this…
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Wow - Iove this....
To be alone is not necessarily to be absent from the company of others, the radical step is to let ourselves alone, to cease the berating voice that is constantly trying to interpret and force the story from too small and too complicated a perspective. Even in company, a sense of imminent aloneness is a quality that can be cultivated.
When I go out alone, I always love to dance on the edge of life - weaving between the countryside, the towns and the matrix. After my evening on Dartmoor, I'm now "alone" in Totnes. Recharging my computer and drinking an organic coffee - seeing signs and synchronicity everywhere - the stag in the form of a cloud over Sharp Tor, and dragons and serpents - just waiting for the story to connect. It reminds me how lucky one is to be able to appreciate this - but then it's not luck at all really!!! It's simply commitment and persistence....
This just came on in the cafe...
What does lone time mean to us? Fill in the spaces...
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Open, this is a lovely invitation to all of us, particularly these festive days! Thank you. And Dartmoor sounds magical and expansive!
Solitude and finding solace in aloneness has been my biggest ally for as long as I can remember. Taking refuge in nature, be it near the ocean or deep in the woods, withdrawing from the hustle and bustle of everyday life has been an elixir of love. Such an empowering invitation to create shifts in our life, the shift of choosing aloneness as a way to uncover oneness and express ones soul! The inquiry is: How does aloneness feel in the arms of the Earth and the Skies?
At the same time I have encountered phases in life when accessing nature within a big city made it very difficult for me to occupy ‘another’ more natural space. Or there are times when you are with others in a social/public place or in the middle of a very busy road/neighbourhood/office etc and taking time ‘alone’ feels like it is impossible! So the inquiry then transforms into: What does aloneness mean now?
My favourite poet David Whyte so eloquently says:
To be alone is not necessarily to be absent from the company of others, the radical step is to let ourselves alone, to cease the berating voice that is constantly trying to interpret and force the story from too small and too complicated a perspective. Even in company, a sense of imminent aloneness is a quality that can be cultivated.
Right now we may live in a city where the sounds, smells, sights feel disturbing and invasive. We may not have access to nature in the form of a park or even a bush. We may not even be able to travel in a nearby oasis. Then the inquiry invites us to ask: How do I tap into sweet aloneness here and now? Being present with the sky or the moon or a patch of grass or soil has been a way for me. Or even when that’s not accessible dropping into the silence already present within my body often allows for a sweet expansion to what really matters.
And oftentimes of course solitude is imposed – felt as if it’s not chosen - and in effect, is tinged by anxiety and loneliness. We can then inquire: How can loneliness transform into the sweetness of aloneness? Im fascinated by how a shift here can emerge because particularly these days a lot of people can feel very lonely for many reasons. Sometimes what can turn loneliness to aloneness is to look around and feel what one appreciates in this moment and tap into it.
I feel ‘to be alone’ is indeed a fascinating journey, a dance of the soul! It is to shed layers upon layers of conditioning, to be committed to let the story go and to explore uknowness and immense rawness. And it is a labour of self-love and love for all. So I am off to dance aloneness first in the gym – yes in the gym! - then deep in the woods and finally on the conscious dance floor with other souls dancing to rhythms of solitude and solidarity.
May your day/s be a blessing of solitude and solidarity.
Create some lone space today - what might it inspire?
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Hi Everyone - have you managed to steal yourself away from holiday festivities?
I felt to draw attention to this article today... Essential Importance of Taking Time Out in the Lone Space
The mind gets so easily filled with life's agendas that it's essential to get some lone space and strip away what isn't aligned or real for you. That's what I'm doing right now - taking some time on the Windswept Wilderness of Dartmoor in South West England. But I hasten to add, maybe you simply can't get away - that's okay. Nevertheless, do work to create some free space on your own for a few hours. It'll help cleanse the mind and allow your authentic creativity to come through.
I remember the great story of Eileen Caddy when she established the great retreat centre Findhorn in Scotland, which has now become a worldwide phenomenon. She had no space of her own, and so used to meditate in the outside toilet in the garden. It was the only space she could get, but it proved essential openness for what she went onto create...
Findhorn Foundation - Spiritual community, Learning centre, Ecovillage
So what will you be doing to create some lone space today, and what treasures might it inspire?
In loving support
Open
Time Stands Still
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Spending time in nature by myself is just amazing. I lose all track of time, cleaning my mind of, like you said Open, debris that does not need to be there. This aloud s me to remain in the moment and chariest this beautiful path we walk. While I write this there is a storm going on outside and this little bird is inside the lilac tree outside my window just pure beauty.
again Thank you Openhand for here
love & gratitude
No excuses
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Thank you Open. Right on time and well recieved. I read recently, 'you should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day - unless you're too busy and then you should sit for an hour' Blessings
Heather
Free is all you gotta be...
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As life expands into more busyness this is exactly the message that is needed.
Sometimes when it doesn't feel possible to actually 'leave the premises', I will find a quiet corner, put on my headphones and take a journey with an Openhand meditation. That can be enough to inspire me to get organized, get my hiking boots on and head out the door.... leaving all of the things 'to do' behind for just a little awhile.
It is only me that makes excuses to myself! How crazy is that ??
Thanks Open - may you be blessed and refreshed on your sojourn.
Much love, Jan
Synchronistic messages
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So many Synchronistic messages I am beginning to be more aware of lately :)and this article strikes the centre point perfectly, Just last night I was chatting with a friend as she was seeking or needing advice or just needed a friend to chat with, I listened to her and one of her fears was 'Being Alone' I provided my understanding of the importance of this from what I have learned from 'Openhand' .....I will share this article with her , Thank-you Open you are touching so many many people. <3
Motivation vs. Excuse
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Great article. It's so so important. I witness in myself and others the affects of not taking this time - increasing identification with the busy matrix lifestyle, increasing inner chatter, and increasing interference from opposing consciousness.
I might add that, yes, although it is hard when you have a family and a busy life, i have found that free alone time in nature is even more needed, so if anything those could be motivations rather than excuses.
Thanks for another great article!
Rich
Joy and Peace of Solitude
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Open, Thank you for this share. It's a very timely and inspiring piece for me since I recently decided to take a break from the continual mental stimulation and chatter of social media interaction that was taking up too much of my time. I was feeling the overwhelm of too much manic outflow without the balance of soft and soothing inflow. At first I experienced some jittery withdrawal tics and twitches, but I've gradually settled into the welcome, peaceful rejuvenation of silence, solitude, and Presence.
"Solitude is the place of purification." Martin Buber
Power & peace
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Beautiful, that evoked my week of hiking and solitude recently in that very area. Periodic time for self and silence has always been a must for me, space to allow the "silt to settle" and enjoy the peace that follows :)
Thanks for sharing,
Graeme
That has inspired me...
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thank you for the article on solitude.Now that I am not working I feel drawn to going away for a few days. I am about an hour a way from Tintagel and St Nectern's Glen and feel drawn to going back. also to Merlin's cave. I feel an adventure awaits......
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