Holy Shit!
Has it really been a year and a half since my last journal entry on 5 June, 2008? Yep. Just shy of the mark by only two weeks.
Well, I’m back. Welcome home.
My shadow precedes me as I walk through the gate.
In the intervening 18 months since the last entry I spent six of them travelling around the world, installed and de-installed after a month’s exhibition a 6 metre/ 20 foot tall one ton sculpture in Denmark that took four full months to carve at Windgrove before shipping, heart-breakingly separated from my partner Sally, lost my confidence and sense of purpose, charged into my early childhood behavioral patterns through therapy sessions,got back into Buddhist mindfulness meditation, kayaked in northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, hugged several gigantic red wood trees in California, spent three nude weeks at the Harbin hot springs resort, walked with poet David Whyte in England’s Lake District, studied a full month with Thomas Moore, Jules Cashford and Fritjof Capra at Schumacher College, undertook an eight day silent retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, nourished my soul, reconnected with scores of friends in Germany, France, England and America, swam with the wild dolphins in Hawaii and, above all else, kept the faith that one day I would find more light in the day than darkness.
That’s it in a very tiny one sentence nutshell. Over the coming months I will tease out the above as well as keeping my readers informed of the daily happenings at Windgrove.
Past regular readers will notice that today’s blog has a new look and layout. My webmaster Allan Moult has spent the past three days here at Windgrove working with me in setting up the new look blog site. Moving all the earlier material over from Expression Engine to the new blogging platform Word Press will take time. Just to move one previous entry over to the new site takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes depending on the number of photos and the formatting of the writing. As there were 300 previous entries from five years of writing, this process will take a few weeks. So, bear with me while I slowly bring the past journal entries over to this new site.
Although there are bittersweet moments in rereading each previous entry that has a photo of Sally in it, and there are many that do, there is a lesson here in letting go with compassion and kindness rather than trying to block out the past through forgetfulness.
Actually, it fits right in with most of the philosophy of this blog: Life is a mixture of bliss and torment. It is a worthy pursuit to walk this human path with a generosity of spirit endeavoring to spread happiness to all beings. May we never stray too far off.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Well done Peter. Look forward to a long life for the new blog.
Allan
good to see your back and doing the do
port douglas Q
Hello Peter,
I am an old friend of Allan Moult and I called him yesterday for a catch up, and he was on the way back from spending time with you at Windgrove, so I decided to check out the website.
I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the wonderful place you have established and the surrounding environment. And your scultpures are to die for- the colurs and shapes are so evocative and refreshing and make you look at natural materials in a new light.
As Allan will tell you I am not known for my creative or artistic skills- he is always having to chase me to write content for my website to attract new business. I am really the pragmatist and pratical business person who is good at the nuts and bolts. But seeing the wonderful pictures of your place and your sculptures, I know what I would like to have the skills and ability to do in my next life. One day when I have more time on my hands, I will come down to Tassie and get Allan to take me out to visit your inspiring kingdom.
Keep up the great work. Cheers.
Lois
So good to hear from you again Peter. Suzy and I think of you often and were just talking about you yesterday with friends from Switzerland who were admiring your wonderful piece. We hope you will find a renewal of spirit as you come back to your wonderful and familiar place with fresh eyes.
Great to see you back online Peter. I’m not sure why I decided to just check your blog today–I’ve been doing that off and on since you signed off, but I am glad I did and was delighted to see you back in the world of writing.
I look forward to reading your posts again and seeing how you tease out the past few months! It was great having you in my neck of the woods–and I hope all is well there!
Peace and love,
Melanie
I can hear the wind moving through the sheoaks again! Thanks for starting up your blog after the hiatus – I missed reading it. On other matters, I help present an environmental radio show in WA called Understorey, on RTR 92.1FM. Would you be available for a quick phone interview some time this weekend?
Hi Peter,
Sorry I missed you when you were at Harbin. I am not far from there, nestled in the mountains. I hope your meditation and time have brought peace to your soul. We are all on the path, and we are all here to help each other. Many blessings, love, peace, joy and forgiveness.
marla
Hi Peter, do you have a home email I can contact you on, just incase you have forgotten, it’s Richenda, from Schumacher? Looking forward to seeing you back here in Devon in may.
Richenda
hey Peter,
so glad to find you online,through schumacher’s programme update,and great you will be back there in May,may it all be well and won.your towering spirit leads on as an inspiration,big warm hug from indian shores.
moonstar