Clear Blue Sky

I walked outside this afternoon and noticed the blue sky.  No clouds, no apparent smog, just clear blue air with nothing in it. What a wide expanse of empty space! As I looked up I thought about how I would like my mind to be clear like the sky when I meditate. I often feel like my mind is full of airplanes going this way and that, clouds absorbing my thoughts and then raining them back down on me unexpectedly. During the few moments that I feel like my mind is clear, it is relaxing and soothing like looking at the clear blue sky.

As I walked I thought about the spaces that appear to be clear and empty such as doorways, empty drawers, and the space between things. “Ma” is a Japanese word to describe the space between things. Is this “negative space” really empty? (If you look at the picture in the link for negative space, it is difficult to tell what is the negative space and what part is the picture.) The empty space is just as important as the rest of the picture. Space is no more empty than the clear blue sky.

In fact, the sky that looks like a clear blue space is actually full of wavelengths of light bumping into dust particles, bouncing off of water droplets, and absorbed into gas molecules. The blue sky is actually a result of the shorter blue wavelength of light being absorbed by gas molecules and then radiating out and scattering around the sky.  What appears to be a calm blue sky is really more of an action adventure.

My mind feels like the clear blue sky. Even when I attempt to clear my mind, and stop the traffic and visual cues, I still have brain synapses firing and energy radiating. As I learn to better meditate, my whole brain comes in sync as I relax. I can actually train my brain {15 minute video, "The Brain is a River not a Rock"} to work better through walking and meditation.

20 minutes walking