Nothing Is Separate From Anything Else

by Ebb Then Flood
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Double Rainbow, Nelson, NZ.  July 2018

“You must stop seeing God as separate from you, and you as separate from each other. Nothing exists in the  universe that is separate from anything else.Everything is intrinsically connected, irrevocably interdependent, interactive, interwoven into the fabric of all life”

–  from ‘Conversations With God’, Neale Donald Walsch

I took this picture at the airport waiting for a flight home from holiday. Near me was an old friend that I do not see often but there is a connectedness when we do .She has given inspiration to me at times I needed it. It was a ‘coincidence’ that we were vacationing in the same place at the same time, and then again that we were on the same flight . There was rain around ,and then a stunning double rainbow appeared. There was a sadness in my friend when she talked and a tear in her eye, as the skies wept rain and spread colours around. Not a lot I could say in comfort ,only to share in those feelings of hurt, but it was a little ‘God’ moment when the universe appeared smaller, just sitting there ,connected at a confluence of human paths and nature.

The Power Of Power Pop -Ain’t That Enough(Song by Teenage Fanclub)

by Ebb Then Flood

“Summer’s in the city, do what you gotta do”

Thrilled to be going to see the Scottish indie/power pop legends tonight in Auckland. Where do you start, or end, with such brilliance? They are total mavens of their craft, honed over decades. I always feel better after listening to them and that is the highest accolade, really. See if it works for you….

Hot Hibiscus

by Ebb Then Flood

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So, it’s Valentine’s Day today and it has been stinking hot ….I finish work and grab something cold to drink from the supermarket. Lady behind me in the queue ,a complete stranger, looks at the cans, and says “I thought you would be  buying flowers, other people seem to be”,or something to that effect. Say what? Ever the romantic, I reply that “it’s a commercial hoax” ,and go pay for my stuff. I don’t feel bad , but please have a summertime flower ,all you lovers , lovelorn and loveless, just in case no one gave you any.

Morning (Song by Beck)

by Ebb Then Flood

                                        “Can we start all over again this morning?”

A slice of slow gorgeousness from Beck,from his excellent 2014 album ‘Morning Phase’, that  manages the neat trick of being melancholic and uplifting at the same time – sorta like some mornings themselves  – and the sample lyric above echoes my thoughts in the the last post ‘Tamaki Ebb Tide Morning’. Enjoy!

A Design For Life

by Ebb Then Flood

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I apologise to any arachnophobe having to suffer through this post and the previous one today, ‘Silken Castle In The Air’. This is fact the same web as in the last photo. Different angle, background and treatment .So, sinister or beautiful? Depends on your perspective, as the spider may have whispered to the fly.

It is not International Spider Day or anything…. but as the spider historically inspired Scottish king Robert the Bruce in his fight against the invading English when he was in defeat and despair, the creature has something to teach us now.

Assume for a moment that you are like the spider. You find or get yourself  in some major life difficulty – the web you have woven is tangled, as the saying goes . Matters appear hopeless. But here’s the thing – it is your web, you created its silk, you gave it a unique design and built it all yourself. And only you can navigate your web like you can ,straighten the tangles and repair the tears in the strands.

Whatever driving force or spirit you had in the creation of the cobweb will also help save you now. Trust in it.

We Are The Ones Who Stayed Behind

by Ebb Then Flood
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Highway view, near Parry, GA. April 2017.

“We are the ones who stayed  behind, for all those good, bad and ugly reasons: because of caution, for conformity and obligation but mostly I suspect because of habit and fear. We didn’t take the risky road.”

– A.A.Gill ,excerpt from ‘The Golden Door’.

Gill was describing those people who did not migrate from the Old World, Europe, to the new one, America but he could equally be describing all who have stayed where they were in a situation, place or relationship because they felt bound to it, refusing to take the leap into the unknown new. It speaks to me anyway…

Butterfly Piano Man

by Ebb Then Flood

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I visited the High Musuem of Art in Atlanta in 2017 while on vacation.The museum is full of stunning  art but this gentleman at the community piano outside  gave me my lasting  memory of the place. Playing skillfully, only for himself and before he was due to work , the simple,elegant  folk/classical melodies  drew me in .I listened for a while and chatted briefly with the guy,thanking him for sharing his talent.I love the idea of the community piano that anyone can come and play on(saw another  in Atlanta and then one back home in NZ) – music and art should be egalitarian and accessible but so often get commodified or placed on a pedestal,and then their essence is often diluted or lost altogther.That moment is an inpiration to this blog – I do it for myself first and foremost ,but am happy if my melodies are overheard and appreciated….

Confusion Fog (Song By Meat Puppets)

by Ebb Then Flood

I need a soundtrack to the last post ‘Confusion’ and none better than this juicy  example  of Meat Puppets’ sun-baked country/psychedelia from 1987’s ‘Mirage’. As the Kirkwood boys sing:

“Blue wind drift on
Blow through till the dust is gone
Gone, confusion fog”

There is that hint in the way the chorus  morphs and rises out of the chaotic rockabilly verses ,of fog lifting , being blown away….that also ties in somewhat with the thoughts expressed in my other recent post ‘Between The Lines’ in that sense…or maybe I’m just confused….

In Transition

by Ebb Then Flood

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Trees silhouetted in the pre-dawn light over my back fence. That time of day is special – night has faded but the sun is yet to rise, all things are in transition.

I have recently reflected a good deal about being in transition, as life events in the past year or two have placed me there, whether I like it or not. And you don’t have to like it, you just have to recognise when it is that time and place – and that it is an actual and important time and place , not a gap nor a void – make best use of this fallow period and be open to the possibility of some new things to come, albeit they have not arrived yet and you have no freaking clue what they might look like if and when they do.

This blog is littered with other images and thoughts about this phenomenon – refer the ‘Under The Wharf, Above The Waves’ series of posts or ‘Between The Lines’ ,just published, for instance. Others have probably described it much better. One who has delved deeply into the matter is William Bridges in his book ‘The Way Of Transition’, which has been both comfort and inspiration to me.

He says: ” All we know is that periodically , some situation or event deflects us from the  path we thought we were on and , in so doing ends the life chapter we were in. In order to continue   our   journey ,we are  forced to let go of the way we got that far. Having let go, we find ourselves in the wilderness for a time, and not until we have lived out that time can we come back around to a new beginning “.