Practicing Variation

there is so much new creation i have not posted yet, but here is a special instance… the first day i was able to SMELL the spring rain, a beautiful overcast afternoon with sun peaking through intermittently …  It tickled me to arrive at the creek… with smell of renewel and the sight of tractors ripping up sections of creek in attempts to repair flood damage from the previous Fall…. huge machinery treading over some of my favorite places… the feeling was neutral. i had no control over circumstances so I embraced them and observed the attached feelings… with the mood of smells and light…

despite tractors blazing and rocks crashing into heaps… my resolve to balance was not deterred.. the mood was too strong, and i had no other choice….

Sparkling Details . . . <3

now, i’ve mentioned before one approach i’ve used to really hone my skills… which is…

VARIATION.

once an arrangement reaches equilibrium, i look at it for awhile… perhaps take pictures.. as in this case..  then… letting go is necessary.. in order to explore the addition of complications… in this case.. an extra rock… different each time..

now, you may wonder how this improves skill.. well… once the initial challenge is realized… then i like to go a step further…a dimension further….  just to see if the extra challenge can be realized.. and it is also fun to see the shifts in energy from one variation to the next… this kind of activity is pure play time… no expectations.. just experimentation… this is generally a solitary exercise to advance my own skill. i find it a little more relaxing to experiment when there are none watching…  then, these lessons can be applied to performance conditions..

now the magic part of this formation in general, is the top rock… and the apparent impossibility of its balance point… it looks as though it SHOULD tip over to the left.. but again, as in past examples.. the illusion lies in the unseen depth of image… the right side of top rock has more depth (and mass) than the thinner left side.. :)

okay, i’m done talking… go play.. :)