Biking to a Place Inside and Out / 03
Taking a break at FATS (Forks Area Trail System) in South Carolina
Biking in the big city is quite different from biking in rural areas such as here in South Carolina. In the city, it’s about taking your time and blending in with your surroundings i.e. talking with strangers (girls mostly), stepping in and out of stores (got to have a lock), cruising downtown (looking cool), and going to the park for that “getting away from it all feeling”. Philadelphia has one of the largest city parks in the nation called Fairmount Park. It embodies four sections of the city, with beautiful trails and drives (most notably the East and West River Drives). Rivers, creeks, long stretches of trails and scenic vistas can be found only by biking, horseback riding or hiking.
Bike and helmet in a surreal setting at Laurel
Biking to a Place Inside and Out / 02
Biking across the tracks and taking photos at Laurel Creek.
In Philadelphia, growing up as a teenager in the 1960’s and 70’s, I enjoyed the freedom biking gave to my friends and I. We had back then what we called “Vroom” bikes. These were the bikes with the big V-shape handlebars (before the smaller BMX). As a group of young riders we were very competitive. We often challenged others boys from rival gangs in competition to see who could do the longest “wheelies” (lifting the front wheels and pedaling for blocks at a time, turning corners, and riding backwards). Needless to say, we sometimes found ourselves in fights, arguments and riding for our lives. Gangs were a prominent fixture of Philadelphia in the 60’s and 70’s and although we were quite young we were not immune to the violence in rival neighborhoods.
Meditating next to a river of glass and rock at Laurel Creek
Biking to a Place Inside and Out / 01
Resting at the end of the Laurel Creek Trail, Madison County, NC
There is something about biking on a trail or on the road that leaves one breathless—sometimes literally breathless. The energy consumed, the movement imposed, and the feeling of space and time standing still. In all of this there is the sense of traveling without moving, yet always a feeling of perpetual flight.
I love biking, then and now…
Reaching the summit at Tsali Recreational Park, Graham County, NC
Transcending the Mundane
Finding the path to Liberation and the end of cyclic existence
Our daily lives at times are filled with what seems like perpetual forms of the mundane. This is when the life around us appears to slow down and things appear to stand still. The thinking mind is no longer centered, but restless—searching for something to attach itself to. It is moments like this that we long for distraction. We may at this time unknowingly appear to be succumbing to this longing, but it has been there all along. It is the ego and it is at the foundation of our cyclic existence: (samsara): uncontrollably being reborn under the influence of disturbing attitudes and karmic imprints.
Today, I am experiencing such disillusionment or distraction. I am not at all centered. I want to think of something to do or find a profound gesture to give my life greater meaning. I say to my-self “you can create some art, or write a post for the blog or rehash thoughts about what I want out of life.” Now that (rehashing thoughts) is certainly a great way to keep one-self distracted—to be out of the present moment. The quickest way to address these moments of being “lost” in our thinking is to sit quietly and just observe the thoughts through our practice of meditation. Let the thoughts, like the waves of the ocean, rise and fall. We can say to ourselves, “I am thinking.” This is the beginning of Liberation: freedom from cyclic existence and Nirvana: the cessation of unsatisfactory conditions and their causes.
So today, I see the mundane for what it really is: a distraction from what is: We may call it mundane, but it is life itself in this present moment, and we can learn to embrace it.
And when we see it for what it truly is, we are free from any misconceptions that may arise.
We are on the path to Liberation and the end of Samsara.
The Spark that Ignites Our Dream of Love Soon Fades Away
A 2011 remix for Life and Stolen Innocence with poem
four point two million sympathy cards hallmark dissipating blue-clear skies to purple gray skies vertical sky-cam a gun in hand aisle four
the sound of a distant airplane voices behind closed doors clear skies, green grass, eternity hand-held sony super 8 interviewing clips from serial mom and fourth of july picnics
christmas morning echoed screams polaroids father knows best sleep in pain, wake to fear, live without love family sitcoms circa: 1960’s
The Narrow Way: Choosing a Path
- When we find a path that leads back to ourselves, we discover things anew
In 2002 I moved from Philadelphia to South Carolina. It was a time for a deliberate and conscious change. The beautiful natural landscapes of the Carolinas, Tennessee and Georgia all provided a sharp contrast to the harsh urban decay of what was becoming, in some parts, the City of Philadelphia. It was a very positive move for me, and I immediately embarked on a journey to rediscover some important sustaining elements of my life i.e. Mind, Body, Creativity and Spirit. I call them my Four Jewels. The very first thing I did when I arrived was go up into the mountains. I hiked, explored and found beauty, space and peace. Hiking as an adventure has a wonderful aspect to it, that is physical, emotional and exploratory. Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina is home of the Mile High Swinging Bridge and various trails. It is one of the highest peaks east of the Mississippi. While walking along the bridge, above the beautiful gorge below, one can begin the journey of self discovery. And in doing so, find a subtle, yet profound emergence of the meaning of man and nature as one.
The Narrow Way / The Bridge to Knowing
- The Narrow Way / The Bridge to knowing begins with your daily meditation practice
We often try to understand who we are through the process of knowing. In doing so, we come face to face with a peculiar dialectic. That peculiarity is how to bridge the awareness of being the knower and the known. To do this, one must understand that everything in awareness is known because of you. Our perception of the things around us is derived from an ever changing inherent existence. Things can never exist upon their own power, nor can the awareness of things be from the thinking mind alone. We exist in that place in between the two — You are Knowing. It is the state of Knowing that frees us from the misconceptions, the untruths of the object / known relationship and the subject / knower relationship. We begin the journey with our daily practice in meditation, and move forward when we let go of ourselves and the world around us and just Be That which Is.
Art and Place an Antidote for Violence
Lilies on the Lake 2011 Remix for the post Art and Place an Antidote for Violence
On Saturday January 8th 2011 an act of violence erupted that may well change the political landscape and its discourse. I am of course talking about the shooting, killing and wounding of numerous individuals as they participated in a town hall meeting with Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The congresswoman, a centrist Democrat, was also critically injured in this senseless attack. A very sad day for America and my condolences go out to the families and friends. What does this act say about our society as we must press forward, while enveloped in a sphere of indifference, ignorance and hatred? What should a nation as a collective and a nation of individuals do? How do we respond? And will we demand that our politicians (the right in particular) stop putting their heads in the sand as they minimize and discredit the obvious i.e. that the shootings were politically motivated while fueled by an incoherent and troubled mind.
My suggestion today (and there should be many from all of us) is the focusing of the mind, seeing things as they really are, taking time to find ART and PLACE, and finding in the quiet centered mind, the antidote for violence. “Lilies on the Lake” and “The Lake in Quiet Meditation” are two pieces I created with the purpose of finding the quiet centered mind in the beauty of ART and the ambient sense of PLACE. There is stillness in nature and in the nature of the mind. We must actively pursue this solitude to increase our awareness of ourselves and the world around us. And in doing we step one moment closer to enhancing our world, creating love, not hate, and finding peace through compassion.
The Lake in Quiet Meditation, 2005 for the post Art and Place an Antidote for Violence
Looking down from their ivy tower
The wealthy and the United States of Corporate America's historical assault on the middle class and the poor
I was communicating with a fellow artist who had indicated how frustrated she was with the state of our country, and decided to sell everything and move to Costa Rica to build a home, do organic farming, and participate in a re-foresting project. She is very happy, and I am proud of her for her commitment to the environment. But what about this assault on the middle class, on the poor, from Corporate America, the Tea Party, GOP and even some Democrats, and those who would strip the resources of our world, for their own self-gratification? How do we, the people, the true patriots fight back? I am appalled at the state of the union. And fearful. But not enough to stand down. The list of insidious machinations directed toward the dismantling of the middle class and the poor are many, and their origins date back decades even centuries. At the very heart of it all is the elimination of all the social constructs that the New Deal, the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the gay movement, and most importantly—the right for all individuals to be free. It’s a tough world out there now. Let’s stand together, voice our dissent and rebel.
Reconnecting with members of Highwire Gallery
Found art exhibit from the "Island" on the Delaware River
It has been an interesting past few days. Via Facebook, I have been able to start reconnecting with members of Highwire Gallery. In the late 1980’s a group of artists joined together to create the Philadelphia Artists Cooperative which later became Highwire Gallery Inc. An innovative and cutting edge group of artists began finding unique places to exhibit their work in downtown Philadelphia. Some shows were in abandoned lumber yards and cathedrals, market places like the Reading Terminal, and various galleries, historical locales and even a found art exhibit on an island on the Delaware River. During this period, a bond among the artists, and a direction for the cooperative was formed. A permanent locale was founded in 1990 at the 2nd Street Art Building. The 2nd Street Art Building was a distinct hub of creativity with its housing of four galleries in Old City Philadelphia. Throughout the years and to this day Highwire, with its ever-changing host of artists, remains a vibrant and fresh creative force in Philadelphia.
I hope through this blog to connect with my fellow Highwire artists and invite them to talk about our experience together and their own creative pursuits since leaving the group. I am also interested in the thoughts and ideas of the artists that have sustained and promoted the co-op to this present day. As time evolves, it remains vitally important that our connection to our past is remembered, and that the ideas of those who hold the future of Highwire past through us all. In doing so we bring together as one, the words, vision, and thoughts that sustain us and the legacy of the Philadelphia Artist Cooperative.
First thoughts to my friend Leslee
The View from our mind
Hi Leslee,
What a powerful vehicle blogging will be for you. You are insightful and thoughtful in your perspectives on mindfulness. I will enjoy gaining wisdom from you and sharing my thoughts with you as well. While reading your first blog, I sat quietly for a moment and pondered on the pursuit of being one with our lives in all its fullness. It can be challenging to let go of our fears and attachments, however the journey and the enlightenment found therein is the most important thing.
Thanks again, and I hope our communication about ideas, art and life grow.
Your friend in Spirit and Love
Namaste
Walter
n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s 
