Terry Lloyd's Blog, page 55

Daydreams.

The other day I was thinking about my childhood and remembered how much joy I had from daydreams. The pleasure was interrupted by my recollection of my parents continually asking “Are you daydreaming again? You should go out in the fresh air and play football or do something useful.”

In later life I came across self hypnoses and it opened the door once again to the pleasure of a sort of daydream that has a therapeutic benefit. It is amazing that people will fill themselves full of drugs at an enormous cost not only financially but seriously damage their health and run the risk of breaking the law with a potential criminal record. More than that they can do serious harm to their health and cause possible death.

I do not take mind bending drugs so I can not say self hypnoses is better but I do know the pleasure I have when I sit somewhere quiet where I will not be disturbed.

I close my eyes, relax and I visualise opening the door to my own secrete garden. It is a glorious summer's day and there has just been a short rain shower. I can feel the warmth of the Sun and breathe in the fresh clean air. Around me the green of the grass and plants are brighter and I can see the array of multi coloured plants. Deep red roses, pink chrysanthemums, yellow daffodils and dancing buttercups. There is a multitude of bird calls among them the haunting sound of a cuckoo.

I look up into a deep blue sky and see the colours of a rainbow. Just to the side of me there are some tall red and yellow raspberry plants and over the leaves a shimmering spider's web with tiny spots of rain the sunlight is split like a prism into beautiful colour.

In the distance I can hear the sound of running water and a chorus of frogs and toads busily croaking. A red squirrel runs along a branch of a tree over head clutching in his two front paws
a nut. The paws look like tiny hands with fingers. Overhead the Sunlight darkens as a large bird with wings spread wide swoops down towards the squirrel which discards the nut as it scurries to
safety. The danger gone the red squirrel comes within inches of me to retrieve its nut. It is a moment of pure joy as I feel a part of nature.

There is no end to the number of enjoyable scenarios you can create for yourself. Your only limit is your own imagination.

Have a go and pleasant daydreams.

What does your soul mean?

Does your soul contain a mirror image of all your characteristics or is it void and simply a numerical definition of your being?

Does it age and gain wisdom?

Fire and brimstone preachers are forever portrayed urging people not to lose their soul or sell it to the Devil. On the same theme can a man exist without a soul?

What does the expression mean. “To be the life and soul of the party.”
Does it mean an individual or a group of people can collectively create an entity that exists as the soul of the party?

Is the soul and spirit one or do each have distinct qualities?

To my mind spirit is in the form of power and energy.
The soul is more complex and like a shadow shaped by man's character and action.

What is soul music?

The popular definition is rhythm and blues and spiritual music.

Could soul music in a wider vane be the dawn chorus of wild bird song at dawn or the haunting sound of whales calling out to each other. In fact I think it to be any kind of musical sound that moves the soul to enjoy the wonder of life.

Finally do animals posses souls?

Everybody will have their own opinion and in some cases it can be a very emotive relationship with a particular animal.

I remember as a little boy I had limited time to take my dog at midday for a walk and we used to play a game. I would call her “Lindy, Lindy come hear.” She was a Chow Chow and had an independent nature. She was intelligent and deliberately would run towards me and at the last moment avoid me catching her. All the time she would have a laughing expression and her tongue would poke out of one side of her mouth as if to say “Look I have done it again.”

In my personal experience I believe my dog had the capacity to understand and express all emotion the same as a human being and for me she definitely had a soul.

For some people the dividing line to possessing a human soul is an ability of reason and self awareness and in that case animals have a different kind of soul.

I find it difficult to imagine St Peter sternly saying to a person who is blind “You may enter but your dog is not allowed in to heaven.”

May peace and good will be with you however you perceive the soul.

Complete Rest.

Complete Rest is a combination of resting your mind and body.

The most effective time to practice Complete Rest is about five or six in the late afternoon. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed and sit without crossing your hands or legs. Close your eyes and totally relax all of your body starting from your neck then shoulders and continue right down to your toes, then check again so you are sure your body is totally relaxed.

The next part is to still your mind. Just clearing your own mind by thinking of nothing will not always be enough. I recommend two techniques. Use the one that is right for you. Make up a word that has no meaning for you and use the same word each time as a trigger for clearing away thoughts. The second way is to visualise a strong light like the Sun or the flame of a candle. Once the mind is nudged into inactivity there is no need to do anything.

Now you are ready. Your breathing will naturally slow down and each time you breath out feel yourself sinking to a lower level of peace. Think of your chosen word or visualise the light and
let it fade from your mind. If you become aware of a thought refocus on the word or light until there are no thoughts and enjoy the serenity of Complete Rest.

You will reach a state that to open your eyes would take an effort and you can feel your heart beating slowly.

If you fall asleep that is fine. Generally Complete Rest lasts for about ten minutes and it is very important you rouse yourself gradually without suddenly jumping up. Stretch and slowly get yourself back to an active state.

One important warning is that you should not do Complete Rest just before bedtime as Complete Rest is a preparation for activity and you will find it hard to get off to sleep.

Tip: to create a meaningless word, take any vowel and one or two consonants, it is important the word has no meaning for you. It is how you use the word to nudge the mind into inactivity that is the key.

I find Complete Rest to be very satisfying and I hope you will find it the same.

Animal contact.

Throughout myth, fiction and fact there have been a strong history of animal care for abandoned or neglected humans. A well known myth is based on the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus who were suckled by a wild wolf and both infants later went on to have built the city of Rome.

A note worthy fictional character is Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan of the Apes published in book form in 1914.

There are many real accounts of young children living with Dogs, Wolves, Birds, and Apes.

Dogs are man's best friend and have provided invaluable help for the blind and deaf. Dogs are trained to find lost or trapped humans. Many people form a strong bond with their animal companion and vice versa.

There has been a confirmed incident of a herd of Elephants annually returning to a park on the exact date of a departed close human friend.

Wild dolphins have been reported rescuing drowning people.

Trained dolphins apart from entertaining people with acrobatic displays also have a therapeutic ability and patients with varying ailments have benefited from contact with the dolphins.

On a trip to Disney World Florida my daughter who has a medical condition that restricts her to an electric wheel chair was trying to feed the dolphins but was unable to reach them easily. One of the dolphins seemed to treat her like a long lost friend by coming out of the water and mounting the side of the pool with its mouth only inches from her. On taking the fish he started a conversation with a machine gun burst of loud clicks. Although the contact was short it was
very moving. It would haven been so nice to know what he was saying apart from thank you.

Light.

I have seen the light in more ways than one.

Light has the ability to posses particle and wave characteristics at the same time.
But for many years in the past there was a division between scientists as to the true nature of light.
This lead to a theory that the Universe possesses a necessary medium called aether so light could travel through it. This has now been proved to be incorrect. In fact light is a massless photon.

My point is that without the correct understanding and information it is easy to come to the wrong conclusion.

Science fiction is fuelled by a mixture of fact and fiction.
Evolution is a gateway to unknown societies that may have existed and perished.

We are not alone.

As we become aware by increasing our capability to observe the Universe it has become from a small single Sun planetary system to an ever increasing billions of galaxies.

Discoveries about the number of planets capable of sustaining life is constantly increasing and the probability of alien life becomes more of a reality.

My story Archaeopteryx uses these facts in a blend of action and adventure.

St Peter.

I had a dream the other night.

Amongst the white voluminous clouds I saw a shaft of bright powerful golden light.

A figure appeared out of the light and spoke to me in a loud voice.

“It is now time for you John to receive your reward for all your good deeds, and this day you may pass into paradise.” There was a loud clank and two enormous ornate golden gates slid open in front of me.

There was only a slight problem, my name was not John, and I could not remember doing all those good deeds.

I could not believe it when I heard my own voice saying. “I think you have mistaken me for someone else.”

There was a loud clap of thunder as the gates slammed closed. The figure spoke. “Damnation, I was sure you would join us in Hades Park for all eternity. The figure stepped in front of the gates
and I could clearly see Satan with horns and tail. Behind him the beautiful gate had transformed into burning uprights with human skulls on top.

I was left in a quandary, was I disappointed at the loss of paradise or thankful I had not stepped into hell?

Something to think about.

Something to think about.

In a South African mine a number of small metal spheres have been found embedded in rock that is Precambrian. That is two point eight billion years old. Way before man kind had evolved.

How and where could they come from? What civilisation could have made them and were they Alien. The spheres are one inch in diameter and have two groves encircling the circumference.
They are hollow but contain a white spongy substance.
Also there are some the same size but solid and made of a blueish metal with white specks.

What was the purpose of them?

I find this fascinating and a spur to my imagination.

Qualities of the soul.

The human body consists of sixty chemicals but only six are vital but when it cones to the soul.

What is vital? Could it be integrity of character or an openness to embrace others. May be kindness and generosity. Or even what you believe.

I hope how you behave reflects your soul and on passing from the physical body people can say of me, he was a decent human being.

Civilised animals.

There was a charming incident, when with my family I visited India staying in a small village.
It was in the afternoon and the apartment had a little private concrete square outside the front door, which was open. Sitting on top of a five foot brick wall, two wild monkeys were taking the air.

My wife took two bananas and offered one to the first monkey, who vaulted down from the wall and stretched out his tiny hand. Grasping the first banana and in a flash took the second one also.

My mother in-law with disappointment said. “He's taken both of them.”
The errant monkey scaled the wall in one bound and gave the second banana to its pregnant partner.

I found this quiet touching and began to wonder how much emotion and feelings animals have.

Archaeopteryx.

In my science fiction story the title character is not human but displays humane qualities.

He tries to point out humans are a part of creation and not the point of it.
During the story after some encounters with ferocious beasts the survivors come across relics of technology dating before the evolution of humans.

Although my worst subject at school was arithmetic I can now write a formula
for a unified theory to explain everything. Mass x Time = Evolution. The sum of all three is Creation.

I believe having humane values does not rely on any one religion, belief or no belief. In fact do not have to be human.

You do not need to know what created everything in order to know how to behave in a humane way.