Transmogrifier ...

Now he is a wild horse, galloping through the hills and meadows, his brown flowing mane flittering in the breeze.

Then, now, he is a furry little creature, gnawing gently on a tasty nut, twitching his fluffy tail. 

He turns into a wise old owl, his large eyes filled with unfathomable kindness, under those all knowing eyebrows.

Oh, now he is a gorgeous dragon, orange, and all ablaze, taunting to be tamed and ridden on.

and then, now he is a bright doggy, all soft and squishy and cuddly and warm - toungey and licky.  

Now a silverback gorilla, pushing and tossing away gargantuan fallen trees to clear a path.

and he is a rocky mountain goat, unfazed by the steepest of heights, defying gravity like it's his second nature.

How does he change into all these so effortlessly?

Does he possess the magical fish hook of Maui? The shape-shifting demigod of the wind and sea and master of wayfinding?

umm, no; He regularly chutes himself through the ...

Searching for a song ...

You are a pivot animated 3D figure suspended in the ocean, underwater.

The sea is psychedelic blue all around, occasional glimmers of brilliant light flashing on the ocean surface some distance above you.   

The song.

The song is a glistening ball floating around, which you have to catch.

You can only move as much as the pivot on the navel allows. That is, no translatory movement.

eyes closed.

You search and reach for the ball. It floats away. The more you move, the less you may get it.

Now relax and let the oceans bring it to you. slowly, slowly, very slowly ... and voila!

I feel the divine ...

I feel the divine ...

I feel the divine, my dearest

In this immense beauty you hold

blinking, into your deep, dark eyes

I feel myself, now reborn, all around you

seeing you, in my mind, past your face

In the million hues of your soul,

I feel the divine, my dearest

In this immense beauty you hold

blinking, into your deep, dark eyes

I feel myself, now reborn, all around you

many a mountain peak, I scaled

seeking you, my love, in my heart

let’s go forth, you and me,

into this splendid world, that’s waiting for you

let’s make footprints, with love,

on these pristine sands, of a charming beach

none has seen, inside me, this brimming lake of love;

and now your fingers, my dearest,

have made it burst open, and flow unto thee.

I feel the divine, my dearest

In this immense beauty you hold

blinking, into your deep, dark eyes

I feel myself, now reborn, all around you

seeing you, in my mind, past your face

In the million hues of your soul,

I feel the divine, my dearest

In this immense beauty you hold

blinking, into your deep, dark eyes

I feel myself, now reborn, all around you

the sky and the sands may fade,

like morning dreams;

but we’ll stay, you and me, forever,

in this timeless embrace

this unreal world will melt,

and flow down; in falling, sparkling waters;

my dearest, we’ll stoop down and drink,

from these glorious streams, till eternal bliss.

into this world, is now spreading

your magic, my dearest, squeezed out from your soul

as it makes way, for me, crawling inside,

and I start dwelling there, in your cocoon of love

seeing you, in my mind, past your face

In the million hues of your soul,

I feel the divine, my dearest

In this immense beauty you hold

blinking, into your deep, dark eyes

I feel myself, now reborn, all around you.

inspired by: Naan Un Azhaginile, 24 - Tamil Movie, 2016.

The Red Sail Boat ...

So there was this red sail boat - with a single huge billowing white and red sail, and two additional small red hulls on either sides.

I was perched on a small seat in the front, looking out and around

and, there was this vast expanse of the backwater lake in front of me; its deep dark grey waters gently rippling away close to me, so close that if I just stretch my arms out, it will touch my fingers.

The lake was littered with floating islands of water weeds, hundreds of them - from tiny little ones, to really big ones covering large areas of water, and floating tree logs, and resting cormorants perched on stumps jutting out of the dark water - their wings spread wide, looking like prehistoric flying dinosaurs.

and, there was my trainer, sitting behind me, in the rear seat of the boat.

and there was wind gushing across the lake; the direction of which I could not quite gauge. I kind of concluded that it definitely is not blowing in a direction that would propel us directly on to the shore. I was wondering how we are to get this boat there with a wind like this.

but my trainer was unfazed. The boat was gently and surely being blown off in a direction; some direction; definitely not towards the shore. He did not seem to be paying even a tiny resemblance of heed to this rather discomforting fact.

then he loosened the sail, did some flap flaps with it, did some manoeuvring and then pulled at it. The white and red sail billowed again. The sail boat was now being blown off in a sort of opposite direction; but still definitely not towards the shore.

I sat there watching, keenly observing where this was all going, literally.

he deftly weaved the boat through floating islands of water weeds, tree logs and prehistoric flying monsters perched on stumps; now in this direction and now in the other - but never towards the shore, or so it seemed to me.

So I asked him,

"Master, if we keep going like this, this way and that way, wherever the wind is taking us, how can you be sure we will reach where we want to go?"

He smiled and said,

"Because I know where I want to go."

:-)

P.S: Did I forget to mention what to do when there is no wind? You have to paddle.

Fullfilment for the child ...

What lies buried deep inside of you?

The long, fifteen years you spent as a kid - coming into this world, with not much choice on where or when or why; and then figuring out how to get a grip on it - and then the not so long, a few years you spent as a teenager - trying to take all that figuring out you think you managed to do, and see how it flies. 

Then your adult life takes over. You learn, you explore, you figure out how to make a living, progress in life and possibly do great things - and the world thinks that you have made it. Sometimes it is referred to as having arrived. Many a times from smalltalk, books, news, television, movies and so on; one can catch stories - of such arrivals - of the people, who have achieved great things with their lives; of their lives, considered as those posessing fullfilment.

But does this necessarily mean fullfilment for that, what lies buried, deep inside you?

More than likely, not.

Over those forming years, the child inside you would have accumulated its wants and needs and cravings and oh sure, its insecurities - all of which lies buried, very deep inside you.

Information on fullfilment for that - is customarily not something that is publicised widely by mostly anybody. It is not something that people enquire others of. It is not something on which books, stories, television shows, movies or even plain vanilla accolades are made. One is quite unlikely to catch any stories - of such inner child fullfilments - of the people, who have experinced that; of the lives they lived when their inner child was; happy and fullfilled.

One could imagine that the likelihood of such a fullfilment - of the wants and needs and cravings accumulated by your inner child over its forming years; and the allaying of its insecurities -  is probably majorily dictated by how one's life is lived connected to, and with, the people who are closest to one's heart and mind. One could also postulate that this is not necessarily connected to 'accepted arrivals' - the kind that were pondered on a short while back.

More often than not, fullfilment for the inner child, maybe sort of, is an 'enlightenment' - which is probably impossible to accurately explain to anybody.

:-)

Inventors of Love ....

For the overly philosophically inclined, this is about romantic love - the kind that gives you butterflies in your stomach. So if that's not the kind you are looking for, look elsewhere ... :-) 

Remember a couple of centuaries ago, ... there was no internet? no cars, no vaccum cleaners ... no coffee machines? no ballpoint pen?? ... How did all these things come about?

Inventors.

There have always been doers; for when we do, we think of what is - and there have always been dreamers; for when we dream, we think of what could be - and when someone turns what could be into what is, there's an inventor for you.

Homo Sapiens started roaming the earth some 40,000 years ago, and they have been continuing to do that out till the present day. Were the early Homo Sapiens used to falling in love? Maybe ... who knows ... but they sure were used to reproducing; as evidenced by the fact that they are continuing to do the roaming bit till the present day.

But, try to remember, a few centuaries ago, ... would a Homo Sapien be mixing together a playlist that includes - "Bleeding Love", and send it off to his girl of desire when she's down handling her monthly good friend? ... think that he can send her a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils to remind her of fall colors? ideate that biting a dark chocolote piece off of her supple lips is a good idea? ... postulate that standing at the edge on the bow of a ship behind her and spreading her arms out wide can make her fly? ... imagine that he can sit forever lost in her eyes across a coffee place table, over a mist of hot chocolate vapours?? ... write love letters???

I doubt it. Probably they were used to just exchanging a few looks, smell each other and then be like, "ok, let's reproduce now."

So how did all these things come about? Inventors, my dear friend! When the Doers of the post Jurassic period where busy doing the smelling each other and reproducing bit - which to them was, what is - the Dreamers were lost in imagining what could be ... and as soon as the right technology became available, they started recording what they inevented; in ... songs and stories and pictures and books and ... and then, ... lo and behold, full length romantic movies!!

So there you have it, records of these inventions - dreams of the inventors of love - records of what could be; calling you to turn them into what is. Do it.

Keep dreaming.

"I want to be in love," she said.

She had said it at supper. And her parents had widened their eyes and stiffened back in their chairs. "Patience," had been their advice. "Remember, you're remarkable. Our whole family is odd and remarkable. We can't mix or marry with ordinary folk. We'd lose our magical powers if we did. You wouldn't want to lose your ability to 'travel' by magic, would you? Then be careful. Be careful!"

-- The April Witch, Ray Bradbury.

പാതാള പൂന്താരകൻ ...

Pangio Pathala; a magnificent fish that lives way deep in the underground acquifers ...

നീ പാതാള പൂന്താരകനെ പറ്റി കേട്ടിട്ടുണ്ടോ ഷാജീവാ?

ആരും കാണാത്ത ആഴത്തിൽ പതുങ്ങിയിരിക്കുന്ന ഒരു ഭയങ്കരനാ.

ഒരു ദിവസം ഒരു യക്ഷി അവനെ കണ്ടു പിടിക്കാൻ തീരുമാനിച്ചു. കാട്ടിൽ കൂടെ ഒരു കൊട്ടേം തലയിൽ വെച്ചാണു യക്ഷിയുടെ പോക്ക്. നല്ല ഭംഗിയുള്ള കാട്ടിൽ കൂടെയാ പോക്ക്.

ചുറ്റും എങ്ങും കാണാത്ത ജീവികളാ.

ഒരു കുഴപ്പം. യക്ഷിക്ക് വഴി അറിയില്ല.

പക്ഷെ കാട്ടിലെ മരങ്ങളും മൃഗങ്ങളും പക്ഷികളും എല്ലാം യക്ഷിയെ കണ്ട് അങ്ങോട്ടും ഇങ്ങോട്ടും കണ്ണിറുക്കി. അവർക്ക് യക്ഷിയെ അറിയാം.

കുറേ ദൂരം ചെന്നപ്പോ, വഴിയിൽ ഒരു പന്ത് കിടക്കുന്നു. യക്ഷി അതെടുത്ത് കൊട്ടയിൽ ഇട്ടു. അത് അവളുടെ കൊട്ടയിൽ ചുരുണ്ടു കിടന്നു. 

പിന്നെയും കുറേ ദൂരം ചെന്നപ്പോ യക്ഷിക്ക് തോന്നി - ആ വഴി പോയി നോക്കാം? പിന്നെയും കുറച്ചു ചെന്നപ്പോ തോന്നി - ഈ വഴി പോയി നോക്കാം? അല്ലെങ്കി വേണ്ട, മറ്റേ വഴി?

അങ്ങനെ യക്ഷി നടപ്പു തന്നെ.

പക്ഷെ പൂന്താരകൻ എവിടെയാ ഇരുന്നതെന്നറിയാമോ?

Bruce Banner: You found me.
Betty Ross: You weren't that hard to find.
Bruce Banner: Yes, I was.

-- The Hulk, 2003.

Story seed courtesy: The trailer of -  ചുരുളി, 2021.

.....

The boy looked inside,

The land was brimming with greenery. Thin blades of grass sprouted from everywhere, many of them ending in bright little dots of cheerful flowers. An occasional butterfly rested on some, spreading and flapping its patterned wings to catch the bright sun.

He gently parted the grass with his hands and peered in.

The wet dark earth was covered with green moss, glistening with drops of dew. A few red ants walked past, murmuring behind each others backs. A bright spotted lady bug paused; and crawled back inside the leaf bed.

The boy hesitated.

He stayed still for a few moments. Then he extended his hand and gingerly touched the earth with his index finger.

The earth creaked and gave way. It began to part.

The boy looked inside.

It was there, red and wet and pulsing in its relaxed rhythmic beat.

He touched it.

It had become tender with love.

In the moment ...

The internal monologue.

All of us have that feature; one feature that takes up a major percentage of our minds. It is the pseudo conversation like thought stream that goes on inside you. It runs in a constant thread in your brain most of the time, sometimes sharp and strong and at other times a little feeble, maybe.

The internal monologue remembers and analyses your past, imagines and plans stuff that you want to do - today, tomorrow, next week and far in the future, it ponders whether what you are doing is really the best thing to do etc. etc.

But, as you can realise if you observe it, rarely does it nestle about in the present; the immediate present, right now, in the moment.

'In the moment' is an altogether different sensation plane.

Its something you will experience when your internal monologue is mostly suspended, but all your senses are awake, and actively attended upon. How can one slide oneself into that state?

Well, you can do it the next time when you take a walk.

Consciously stop immersing yourself in thoughts, and keep walking.

Look at the colour of the ground; the colour of the ground is different from that of the stone lying nearby; look at the grey dark texture on the stone; don't think, just look.

Look at the leaves, see how one bends in the passing breeze but the next one shakes and vibrates instead.

See the ants and insects crawling on the leaves, watch how their legs move in perfect sync.

Listen to the tones in the next bird's call or dog's barking or an engine revving. Hear the twigs crackle under your feat.

Watch how the sky and trees are reflected in the next muddy puddle.

See how the world moves past when you walk forward, changes in perspective and angles and watch how things move into your field of view.

Keep yourself immersed in the sensory world; do not think; just see everything you can watch, listen to everything you can hear, smell every waft of air and observe everything that moves and everything that stands still.

Feel the breeze on your skin, and in every hair strand.

Now when your internal monologue kicks back in, pause a bit;

You were 'in the moment' for a brief while and are now back.

Thought rewinding ...

Try to arrest your constantly flowing thoughts for a moment,

Its like you have been trekking down a heavily wooded hillside and have suddenly come out into a clearing; a grassy clearing with a large something in the middle. The something would be the image of your mind's last thought. That image is very clear in your mind, and mostly the image of the just previous thought also. You may also remember the image of a thought that occurred sometime back; like say when you started the trek, to fit it into this scene.

But can you bring forth into your mind the images of every big stone, huge tree and colorful flower on the path that you just trekked down?

Translating; can you remember all the thoughts, or images of thoughts, that occurred between that old thought whose image is clear to you and the very last thought thats crisp on your mind?

Mostly not, unless you are aregular practioner of the art of thought rewinding.

Thought rewinding should begin, obviously, from the very last thought. Mostly, the image of the just previous thought would also be clear in your mind or you could rather easily recall it. But the image of the one prior to that may not be visible. Do not lose heart, its surely hiding somewhere remote in your neuron circuits. With some effort and a few trials you should succeed in bringing it back. Now look for the previous one, it may get harder as you go back. Sometimes, surprisingly, chunks of thought links may present themselves all in a flash.

This way, slowly, one by one you can complete all the links till the initial one; and you have successfully done what I call thought rewinding. You may also start from the initial thought or explore from both ends and meet in the middle or fit chunks in the middle etc.

And,

You are said to have attained 'Thought Nirvana' when you can rewind all the way back to very first thought that occurred to you when you woke up today!

:-)