Thursday, January 28, 2016

The art of non-attachment: sand mandala

The practice of non-attachment is the work of a lifetime, and takes some very elaborate forms. The book and film Seven Years In Tibet introduced the lay public to the concept of the sand mandala, made by hours of dribbling loose grains of sand into beautifully detailed patterns - only to wipe the masterpiece away in seconds once it was completed.


Wednesday, January 13, 2016

London: night walks

A walking culture generally thrives in any large city, and London's is one of the oldest and most fanatic. Here where the sun sets early half the year, long walks at night seem almost as common as in the daytime. Many books have been written about the subject, from Charles Dickens' Night Walks to the newest non-fiction hardbacks.


Wednesday, January 6, 2016

back to Ordinary Time

Epiphany or the 12th day of Christmas falls on January 6 and marks the official end to the festivities that mark the Christmas holidays or Christmastide

Adoration of the Magi - Leonardo da Vinci (about 1481)

According to western church traditions Christmas Time runs from First Vespers 
(Evening Prayer) of the Nativity of the Lord up to and including the Sunday after 
Epiphany or after January 6 and Ordinary Time begins on the Monday which 
follows the Sunday occurring after January 6.