Where to begin.. may be with google search? Is it not our new tool or path towards enlightenment in today's world.... ?
well Google enlightens me on enlightenment as follow...
- an act or means of enlightening... or
- in Hindusim or Buddhism...it is defined as a blessed state in which the individual transcends desire and suffering and attains Nirvana.
- or it can also refer to the philosophical movement in 18th century which emphasized on use of reasoning and brought about many humanitarian reforms...
wow.. I cant write about any of this...
My friend told me I could play around the word in case I get stuck.. I think I have to go along that line...
so if I define enlightenment as a state where I feel lighter.. what could be possible scenarios or triggers for that.... ?
A glass of wine definitely does that wonder... so does good food... I mean it fills my stomach with food but it makes my soul lighter.. I can almost float in an imaginary world over good culinary experiences, as a great chocolate, a fabulous gelato, spicy street food, or just a real tasty and perfectly ripe mango, Papaya or Litchi melts on my tongue...
Fragrances make me lighter too... particularly floral ones and the ones with spices... my favourite is the one with pepper.. no doubt I smell of the strong spice all day long.. but I find this fragrance particularly refreshing and enlightening.. and yes not to forget all the citron based fragrances....I am just beginning to flirt with perfumes and fragrances, since my friend started training to be a perfumer in Paris..
what else? Sometimes good music makes me feel lighter.. and believe it or not.. it can make me dance in my kitchen... those are special moments, rare but none the less very special.... I also love the feeling when I am on the dance floor dancing tango with close friends... these are those incredible moments when I can truly follow my partner with my eyes closed, when I can communicate and coordinate with my parter without a word... and most important, when my head takes a complete break.. I am not thinking at all.. I am only following... swirling and moving... floating around, feeling myself, feeling my partner and feeling the ground under my feet, feeling each movement, feeling each beat of music... I am one with myself and my body... I am one with the music.. and I am truly connected with my soul.... the problem is I am so afraid of making mistakes while dancing tango, that I rarely dance... and I dance with just a select friends who know how to lead me.. guys, you have to visit me in Basel.. I want to tango...
Being playful in water makes me lighter too... even though I have a very careful relationship with water... I wont say I am afraid of water.. I just keep my respectful distance....
Being on a turbulent flight makes me feel light as a feather... I have stupid grin on my face in such moments when everyone else tend to clinch their eyes closed and hold on to their chairs.. but in general, every time I take flights, I feel much lighter... I used to joke that flying to places is my best antidepressant after good food....
Blowing soap bubbles in the air and watching the rainbow colours on their thin soap film definitely tops the list of triggers for feeling lighter... so does walking barefoot on soft grass covered with early morning dew... feeling a flower on my cheek or arm... also makes wonders... I guess soft gentle tactile stimuli in various forms definitely make me feel lighter...
so it seems many sensory stimuli have capacity to enlighten me... what else?
If I focus on the word light as in a stream of high energy photons, how can I play with that?
I definitely love bright sunshine.. bright not hot... I complain about it all the time when I am in India... it should be bright but the temperature should not exceed 20 degree Celsius .. I love the feel of warm sunshine penetrating through the skin... and in winters in Amsterdam, I often used to play the game 'Chase the sun'... it was not always easy to chase him through those narrow Amsterdam lanes and canals.. but it was a great fun for sure...
what kind of light do I like? I guess the soft, gentle light, something like a tiny oil lamp or a candle burning slowly and filling up the room with its own warm, yellow, orange glow... Lights, particularly traditional oil lamps which are used in India are my favourite... and that is what I like the most about Diwali, the festival of light... that helps me tide over other things about Diwali which I cant stand...
I think I began to appreciate light in life when I moved to Europe three years ago... especially during winter.. when you hardly have light... I have never been far north in Scandinavia in the winter.. but I guess, there it must be even stronger realization... When the cities start getting decorated with thousands of different kinds of lights in public spaces, market squares, train stations I know winter is around the corner... I particularly like the street lighting in the shape of snow flake with white light... may be because it brings both light and snow flake together....
When I suddenly started feeling low and depressed in winter of 2009 for no obvious reason, I could not understand what was wrong... only later I understood relationship between human emotions and exposure to light... and then all the medicine and epidemiology fell in place... I need light to feel lighter for sure....
talking about lights and enlightenment.. I suddenly remembered one of my long cherished dreams.... realizing this dream will definitely make me feel enlightened... I want to witness and experience the beauty, mystery and magic of both the southern and the northern lights before I die....
What makes you feel enlightened? Trust me it is a good point to ponder about...
I am signing of feeling slightly enlightened... without my glass of wine... but just dreaming about Aurora Borealis and aurora Australis....
Good night friends...
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