Recombination

I was very tired at the end of the work day.  So drained that I let go of going seeing the latest Batman movie.  After resting I decided to move towards guitar practice.  But first a much needed AT lie down.  For months I had the habit if beginning my session with a lie down, but somewhere along the line this habit has been broken.

As I hit the floor I knew that I had made the right decision. Relishing the ease of how this simple semi-supine posture can release tension regardless of whether I am directing my thinking or not.  Of course when I actively engage and direct my thinking I suppose the process may go deeper, but tonight during this first lie down, the thoughts of the day rolled about and settled a bit.  Perhaps this was the best I was capable of in that moment. Certainly, when I rose my body and mind were more unified.

A spirited improvisation ensued, followed by work on Senseless Loss.  This piece has taken on a new direction lately, and I am ready for feedback related to a particular transition.  I wanted to make two rough recordings with the transition played in two different manners I have been experimenting with. Then I can listen to them while not engaged with the playing and also solicit feedback from some trusted ears.

Before turning on the recorder I decided to do another AT lie down.  This time I began directing in an AT sense when the notion of Edward de Bono's septien arrived.  I have not played with this in some time and decided to create one and see where this led.  After holding these seven words for a while, I rose and turned on the recorder.  Noticing our meditation bell I paused the recorder and invited the bell three times.  Why had I not thought of this before.  We use bells both in our Sangha practice and as part our our sitting at home.  After nearly 20 years of practice in this way the affect of the bell on my thinking and my body is very powerful.

The playing that followed was not flawless but close enough and the spirit was captured for the tape.  Before the next effort of taping I composed a septien that could be related to performance. The second taping with the altered transition took three takes to produce a recording that should work for the purpose of discernment. I used this new septien in between each take. If nothing else I touched on some old practices and combined them in a new way that could bear fruit in the future.